Volvo S60 2.0 D3 SE Premium review

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Volvo S60 2.0 D3 SE Premium Road Test

Test date 28 July 2010 Price as tested £28,095

For Excellent seats, Long-distance cruising ability, Good economy

Against Modest performance, Main rivals still handle better, Some cabin detailing

Volvo would like you to believe this is no simple, like-for-like replacement for its outgoing S60 saloon. It is, we’re assured, nothing less than the most dynamic-driving Volvo in the company’s 83-year history.

Watch the Volvo S60 90-second video road test

To an extent, we’ve been here before. The 850 of 1992, which heralded the arrival of a Volvo that was both front-wheel drive and had a transverse five-cylinder engine (a template still mirrored here today), promised and delivered far more dynamism than had been expected from a Volvo.

Nonetheless, as that car matured into the S70 and V70, it was its practicality and solidity that underwrote its long-term appeal. So while upping the dynamism ante is not an unappealing prospect, it’s one that enthusiasts will, presumably, hope hasn’t been made at the expense of Volvo’s traditional strengths.

The S60 will have a range of engines in keeping with its compact executive dimensions once the range is complete. Just three are available for now: a 161bhp 2.0-litre diesel (as tested here), a 202bhp diesel and the all-wheel-drive 3.0 T6 petrol turbo.