Test drive Volvo S60 2000 - 2004 sedan

Matryoshka with a pepper

The world premiere of the Volvo S60 sports sedan took place in September at a car dealership in Paris. The car is equipped with five -cylinder gasoline engines with a 2; 2.3; 2.4 liters, with a capacity of 140, 170, 180, 200, 250 liters. With. The last three - with turbocharged. Gearboxes - mechanical or automatic five -speed.
How do you imagine a modern car from Volvo? Answer: Traditionally safe and solid in Surely - you will be right. Remember the design refinements of recent years and call it original - do not scream again with your soul. But when it comes to sports ... Having got acquainted with the solid Sedan S80 or a practical V70 station wagon, you are unlikely to assume that on one platform you can create a car with peppers. And this time you will be mistaken.
 
Even a cursory glance at the S60 sedan is enough to understand: high speeds and dynamic riding are his element. A number of expressive strokes in his appearance are related, but at the same time distinguishes the S60 from the rest of the new generation Volvo. Here, a comparison with nesting dolls involuntarily begs. Obviously, close relatives: in fact, in form, in style. But despite the general family traits, so different. So, the third, youngest (by age) nesting doll of the family is a born athlete both externally and internally.
Wolvo chief Peter Horbury, once again preserving the main motive of the body unchanged, managed to thoroughly redraw it. Hood, headlights, radiator cladding, front bumper, fog lights, rear doors, roof and roof racks, rear wings, bumper, trunk lid are new. Being, like the older brother of the S80, a full -fledged sedan, S60 looks like ... a sports compartment. Strong move!
 
The same topic dominates the interior. The front seats with powerful lateral supports are made in the spirit of racing boats, but, unlike the latter, comfort is provided with full. Tough, but moderately, very comfortable, with a full set of servo drives and electric heating. An active driver will appeal both on long travels and short city trips, and during high -speed exercises that require reliable fixation of the body.
 
Another stylish element of the interior is the gearbox lever - a combination of matte aluminum details with leather knob. He directly bothers to switch the gears of the frozen. And if you take into account that the hands are on a chubby three -spoke steering wheel of reduced diameter, it becomes clear - a dynamic ride cannot be avoided. However, sports notes did not prevent you from placing a two -stage airbag in the hub of the bagel, and supply the steering column with adjustments in length and inclination. Passengers are not offended. If the driver wants to grab the tires with a screech, the inhabitants of the cabin will not have to frantically cling to the handles - the rear seats are also equipped with developed lateral supports. You can’t say anything - practical, besides, the unity of the style is observed.
However, the idyll in ergonomics is far away - there are claims to it. The most essential is the nonsense pens above the heads of the driver and the front passenger: in tall people they will be too close to the temple. The next is related to layout. The base of the new sedan is shorter than that of the S80 and V70. Accordingly, the salon is smaller. The range of adjustments of the front seats is still huge, the trunk also remained voluminous. Guess what you donated? That's right, space from behind. It is more doubtful than in other Volvo on a large platform.
 
And now about mechanics, because a car for an active driver is not only a style. Gamma of engines is traditional: five -cylinder units with high or low pressure turbocharges, atmospheric motors with variable phases of gas distribution. The gearboxes are the same as installed on the S80 and V70. What is the novelty? First of all, in the back and chassis. A shortened wheelbase (2720 mm versus 2790 mm for S80), low clearance (130 mm versus 148), other settings of the front suspension of the McExeson type with forged aluminum levers. But the main thing is the high hardness of the twisting body and a new multi -link independent rear suspension. Plus the ability to install wheels with dimensions from 15 to 18 inches!
 
What is the S60 on the go? Let's just say - much more interesting than the rest of the Volvo. Comfort was not injured, but the excessive anticipation of reactions characteristic of the Swedish cars disappeared. The answers to the driver’s actions have become more expressive. Add excellent acceleration here (especially T5 modifications with a 250 -horsepower engine) and tasty grunting of the engine at high speeds - and you will understand: the car is designed specifically for the delight of pilots with ambitions. Management is a separate story. Volvo is traditionally reliable and predictable in ordinary modes. In the limit, they show a tendency to insufficient rotation - that is, they glide with the front wheels out of turn. In principle, this is not bad - there is a unambiguous reaction. But from a hot sedan you expect something more - diversity, the ability to improvise. S60 does not disappoint - in extreme situations, its rotation is closer to neutral. A thorough settings of suspensions are also felt, especially the rear. A prepared driver can use a much richer arsenal of techniques when maneuvering at high speeds.
 
The steering with a hydraulic wrap as a whole left a favorable impression - there are no complaints about the speed and information content. At the landfill, the S60 easily copes with the restructuring that imitate the detour of obstacles, and snakes at speeds at 180 km/h. But for everyday driving steering is perhaps too nervous. Its excessive sports severity does not allow to relax. However, this is a very harmless fee for a lot of other advantages. In the end, high sensitivity is precisely the highlight that distinguishes the S60 from the older Volvo.
So, a new car with a pepper, made according to the Swedish recipe, appeared. When will they start selling it in Russia? Yes, they have already begun - dealers trade and accept orders with might and main. 33 thousand dollars are asked for a car in a minimum configuration. Not so much. By the standards of Volvo, of course!
Volvo S60T5 (Volvo S60 2.4)
General data: number of places - 5; Equipped mass - 1427; maximum speed - 250 (210) km/h; acceleration time from a place to 100 km/h - 7.0 (8.7) s; The average fuel consumption is 9.3 (8.7) l/100 km; fuel supply - 80 (70) l; Fuel-AI-95, AI-98, short-term operation on unhealthy AI-91 is allowed. Dimensions, mm: length - 4580; width - 1800; height - 1430; base - 2720; The track in front/back - 1563/1560; Road clearance - 130; The volume of the trunk is 425 liters. Engine: gasoline, five -cylinder, in order, turbocharged (with variable phases of gas distribution), is located in front of the front; working volume - 2319 (2435) SMZ; cylinder diameter and piston stroke 81x90 (83x90) mm; compression degree - 8.5 (10.3); Power - 184 kW/250 liters. With. (125 kW/170 l. P.) At 5200 (5900) rpm; The maximum torque is 330 (230) N.M at 2500-5200 (4500) rpm. Transmission: front wheel drive; gearbox - mechanical five -speed; Transporting numbers: I - 3.38 (3.07); II - 1.90 (1.77); III - 1.19; IV - 0.87; V - 0.70; h. X. - 3.30 (2.90); The main gear is 4.0 (4,25). Suspension: front - like McExeson with a reptile stability stabilizer, the back is an independent multi -link with a reptile stability stabilizer. Brakes: with an amplifier and ABS, the front - disk ventilated (disk diameter 305 mm), the rear - disk (288 mm). Steering: rheck with a hydraulic wrap. Tires: 215/55R16, 225/45R17, 235/40-18.
 
Vadim Kryuchkov
Photo by Vadim Kryuchkov and Volvo

  
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"