So i went to volvo today (I was at the nissan dealer, which is next door to volvo, to help a friend buy a 350z) and test drove the S60R. The guy's like.. is that your TL? that's pretty nice, but i think you'll like the S60R better, that's a real performance car. So i was like. Ok.. i'll be the judge.

So he passes me the keys and says.. it's the graphite one there.. and i'll let you go on your own.

So first impressions as i get in the car... WTF!?!?!? these seats are some black with blue/purple pearl leather seats.... lol it looks quite wierd. then i sat down and immediatley felt like i was in some kind of lazy boy chair. for a performance car.. it didn't give me the impression of that inside. The dash layout was still the same just like in the 80's and 90s... jsut spiffed up a bit with colors! lol... i was not impressed.
I turned on the engine and i have to say that the engine sure does give a nice purr. I took it out of the lot and i just didn't like how the steering wheel felt. it fell VERY disconnected to the road. the movement was so fluid it felt like i was sailing a boat (if you've ever sailed a boat, u know the wheel has a VERY VERY loose touch). IT WAS HORRIBLE!the power is ok, definatley faster than the TL and you can definatley feel the Turbo lag. The pedal movement was quite horrible as well. the brakes were mushy, the gas pedal was mushy and even had two engagement points... i would put my foot down on the pedal and think that i floored it, but when i pushed harder it clicked and went down even further... wierd... The handling was ok, I took it through some Curves and it handles i think better than a stock TL, but with the steering wheel so fluid and teh pedals so mushy it wasn't a very good experience. I test drove the Auto so i tried teh Tiptronic (SS mode). Shifting was pretty horrible as well. it lags WAY more than the TL and doesn't even let you reach redline... it cuts of about 300 rpms before it.
It does however, let u control ALL the gears. 1-5. Also one thing i noticed was when i had floored the car and let go of the gas quickly.. it even lagged letting go of the throttle.. like the throttle was stuck open for a second before closing.

Needless to say... I love the look of it from the outside, once you step in it.. .... the driving experience was not very good and when i got back into my TL i KNEW i had made the right choice so much better.

so here is my Opinion and Test drive for anyone thinking of the Volvo S60R

 

Yes, i realize there are many grammatical errors and spelling errors.. please excuse me.. i had 2 hours of sleep last night.. got back from Jersey pretty late.

 

my friend has the S60R the only thing this car has over our car is the Turbos and possibly the seats because they are comfortable, other than that, this car isn't worth 50k thats why u don't see so many of them on the road, the dash is disgusting, the blue/silver guages are pretty nice but not so necessary...pretty happy with my TL guages, the Dashboard is ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING, i can't stress that enough, the car itself from the outside is GORGEOUS, the body kit and the wheels are extremely well complimented with the whole look of the car, but i never figured out why they wouldn't let u have the EBONY LEATHER OPTION with BLACK CARS instead the closest you can get is QUARTZ interior....other than that...i think the car is NOT worth 50k fully loaded..enough said..lol

 

What did you tell the salesman when he asked what you though? The way I see it, a volvo is still a volvo, but now its owned by ford....

 

That's not the S60 R's interior...

but.. i told the guy that it just wasn't a type of car i'd be looking for. because of it's steering capabilities and mushy feel. the drive was not very pleasant for me. he took it very well.. he said.. ok.. thank you for test driving. please consider us again. lol

 

I have a V70R. The seats are great and allow you to drive for hours without any stiffness. The seats in the R's have higher bolsters and whether you like the appearance or not they definately hold you in place well. My R is almost two years old and the car looks and drives as if it were new. It's been a great car. The automatic in the R's just plain sucks. Torque in first (when you need it most), is held back by the ECM to protect the transmission. 0-60 is almost 2 seconds slower than the manual. The '06 models are getting a new six-speed automatic that's supposed to deliver similar performance to the manual.

 

Where do you get 50k fully loaded? Around here they max out under 40k!

2005 Volvo S60 4dr Sedan R
$41,380
MSRP Price:
$39,238
Invoice Price:
$36,638
Sale Price:
$0
Manufacturer Rebates:
Target Price: $36,638
Pricing as of 05/18/05 in zip code 40207

That's for one with the Premium package and climate package.

 

the S60R fully loaded, is around 48k in new jersey ..07960

 

MSRP $37,735
Added Options $10,855
Destination Fee $695
Total MSRP $49,285

 

Wow. For around that price, I'd get an M45 or GS430 (which would probably walk the R). If I wanted something smaller, an S4 or CTS-V isn't much more expensive.

 

You're not adding comparable options.

 

Drive the manual R. The auto R does not compare. They are pretty steep. I can't find a picture of the interior, but here is a pic of the exterior R. Also, with ecu upgrades, 330 + HP is easily achieved.[IMG][/IMG]

 

someone post pics of the Infiniti, or Nissan Skyline!

 

I would most certainly consider that car when it comes out in 2007

 

the EVOLVE S60R....

www.evolvecars.com

with an exhaust, ECU, and downpipe, you can EASILY hit 350hp in the R and keep up with S4s and M3s. The "mushy" steering is easily fixed with a bushing to replace the one from volvo. add some springs and bars, and it may not corner as well as an M3, but it will surely run with the big boys....

drive a stick. the autos are a lot slower off the line.

 

I've always kind of liked the S60, personally- but I haven't driven an R. One of these days I may mosey over and look at one- I did look at S80s back when I was considering cars, but I decided it was a bit much for me! Back when I had an S70 I got a 60 2.4T which was pretty nice, it's like 205 hp or something along those lines... slower than the TL by quite a bit but not bad...

My first car was a Volvo so I have kind of a sentimental attachment to them, I guess!

The one thing that's weird about Volvo is how hard it is to get a navigation system- at least they told me I'd have to order it from Missouri or something like that because they're so rare. Definite turn off for me!

 

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