VolvoS60

The 2021 Volvo S60 sedan gets an introductory pricing of Rs. 45.9 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Volvo has begun taking online bookings of the car and deliveries of the new luxury sedan will begin in the middle of March 2021. The company is also offering complimentary membership to its exclusive Tre Kronor Experience program to the early buyers of the new S60. In India, the Volvo S60 goes up against the newly launched Audi A4 facelift, BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The new S60 is built on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform and gets a five-star rating from Euro NCAP. The new S60 shares safety technology and infotainment system with the top-of-the-line 90 Series cars and the XC60. Volvo says that the new S60 one of the safest cars on the road.

The overall design of the S60 is typically Volvo. Classy and understated! Yes, it does bear resemblance to the bigger S90 and that is honestly not a bad thing at all. Up ahead you get a beautiful hood with a downward curve which joins into the familial Volvo grille and the sleek LED headlights with Volvo's signature Thor's hammer LED daytime running lights.

View the car in profile and you see a racy, sports-sedan like silhouette. Clean character lines and the slight flare above the rear wheels make the car look proportionate and pleasing to the eye. The rear is accentuated by the C-shaped LED taillights and the clean, somewhat sedate design gels well with the overall sporty look of the car. Overall, the S60 continues to be a handsome-looking car.

Get inside the cabin and you see that the elegant affair continues. The white and beige interior of the S60 is nicely done, makes use of premium materials and the fit and finish is top-notch as well. The two things which stand out are the 9-inch Sensus touchscreen which houses all the controls of features inside the cabin and the knurled finish on the start-stop button, adding to that premium feel. The S60 comes in a single T4 Inscription trim, which will be fully loaded in terms of features.

The cabin of the Volvo S60 sure makes you feel special. It is done beautifully and Volvo sticks to the minimalist theme rather elegantly. Our test car had elegant white Nappa Leather upholstery and while it looked beautiful, we suspect it will be difficult to maintain over a longer period of time. The interior can also be specified in all black and a brown colour. In typical Volvo fashion, the S60 gets a 9-inch vertically mounted Sensus touchscreen, which can be used to operate all functions of the car. The touchscreen itself is capacitive and feels good to use but it may not be the most convenient to use while driving, because the menu itself is exhaustive.

In terms of drivetrain, the S60 gets a 2.0-litre petrol engine couple with an 8-speed automatic gearbox for now. Globally, the car gets the 2.0-litre engine in more powerful state of tune and then there's a hybrid model on offer as well. But there's no diesel and that may dissuade potential customers in India. Volvo cars are usually stately and focus more on offering a comfortable drive experience rather than being sporty. The 2.0-litre engine makes 187 bhp and 300 Nm of peak torque, which are reasonable numbers. Although we hope Volvo brings in a sportier engine option for the S60 in the future.

The car gets seven airbags along with a host of safety systems which include city safety assist, run-off mitigation, oncoming lane mitigation and so on. The car also gets autobrake technology which helps the driver to avoid potential collisions. It is the only system on the market which can detect pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. In typical Volvo fashion, the S60 gets a 9-inch vertically mounted Sensus touchscreen, which can be used to operate all functions of the car and is fully compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.