I was on the lookout for a new company car, and it was down to the Volvo S60 T5, the BMW 330i or the Audi A4 3.0. Due to the delivery time of the two others I ended up with the Volvo.
The first thing I noticed was that it was quite as dull as I had expected. On the contrary, it was quick. Lightning quick. Its 250 Bhp is roughly the maximum you can throw through a front wheel drive and it beats everything from 0-100 that i have ever owned (6.5 seconds), and you only really notice when you see the other cars in the rear view mirror.
But it is still dull compared to e.g. the 330. The front wheel drive may be the safer option, but it also means less fun in corners.
The 5-cylinder engine was a joy, with a very smooth pull and very little turbo-lag, although it really kicked in once you hit 5.000 revs, and still at this level was not overly noisy.
The interior is very comfortable. Nothing really fancy, but well thought through and functional with all the standard facilities that you would expect.
The ride is smooth, and very, very fast, but primarily in a straight line.
After having driven it for 25.000 km there were only very few glitches, like the CD player crashing (according to Volvo because it did not like copied CDs...), but nothing in terms of engine failures or mechanical problems.
The main disadvantage in my book is the turning circle, which would make some combined harvester look like go carts, and makes parking in parking lots a tricky experience.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60000
Condition: New Model Year: 2005 Model and Options: T5
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