Volvo S60 saloon 2020 in-depth review - Carbuyer

Volvo S60 saloon review: carbyr.uk/2AopS1X
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The Volvo S60 saloon faces a tough challenge in trying to topple the latest BMW 3 Series, which is widely considered to be the most complete compact executive saloon car currently available. The S60 needs to deliver a mixture of style, luxury, tech, comfort and driving pleasure to satisfy buyers in its segment of the market, and tempt buyers away from the Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class, Jaguar XE and Alfa Romeo Giulia, in addition to the BMW. The question is, does it? Batch gives his verdict in this video.
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BMW 3 Series review: carbyr.uk/2QPgCwR
Audi A4 review: carbyr.uk/2U0ipx8
Mercedes C-Class review: carbyr.uk/2FQcFSW
Alfa Romeo Giulia review: carbyr.uk/2U6FwWN
Jaguar XE review carbyr.uk/2UPogJI
Best executive cars: carbyr.uk/2T1hcp8
Best executive saloon cars: carbyr.uk/2lsFJlW
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[@lash9400]

Looks much nicer than a 3 series

[@joshuathomas512]

Sure

[@Madraxoo]

I love the rear look of s60 but i prefer the look of elegant and clean bmw's dashboard

[@johanfagerstromjarlenfors]

Well... that’s not difficult to do... i do it every day in my toilet... it looke better than the s60 too... so...

[@emermbiemer302]

I like the interior but bmw extirior

[@hsaidinsan6345]

Now the new bmw 3 series looks better

[@rachelmiglionico8121]

S60 and Giulia are my fav cars of this segment

[@borasak6629]

my brain says buy s60 but my heart says buy giulia

[@leonardocurcio6199]

Bora SAK my wallet says Dacia Sandero

[@JPWest020]

Kuddo’s to you. Great taste in cars ma’am;-)

[@rahxe80]

Video does the s60 no justice their is one parked in our local shopping mall in that same color and trim and its absolutely gorgeous .

[@evilmario6061]

It's a sexy beast. Volvo are making the best looking saloons and SUVs right now.

[@hichamlorenzo]

SIG hahaha lmao

[@hichamlorenzo]

Richard D no they’re not ok ? Bye

[@vika0194]

Jaguar

[@tedarcher9120]

Chinese company...

[@chickflickone]

@SIG your dumbass opinion. It looks better than any BMW tho.

[@VC301000]

I like this car more than BMW, I enjoy the process of the journey rather than just drive fast to finish it. Very good cabin to live with.

[@sansde1ty]

That speaker would make a very good reference point, something I’ve found lacking in newer cars.

[@aaronmills3105]

Wow, what a beauty😍 bmw 3 series and Volvo S60 have to be my favourite in this segment 👌

[@hitman777100]

Didn't think of that

[@techtherapy9467]

Aaron check out the Genesis g70

[@NickLiang]

@@techtherapy9467 Are they sold in the UK? Literally never heard or seen one before

[@robertl2856]

Good on James for not having the usual german car bias

[@SenorJagWire]

Exactly. If you're looking to buy a Volvo, chances are you're not looking to buy a German car.

[@ariescustom]

Easily the best looking car in it's class.

[@ridwanrahman8213]

Peugeot 508 looks better

[@dts7824]

@@ridwanrahman8213 Its not bad, but not a touch on this!

[@kasvo1199]

Alpha Romeo Giulia?

[@vlajster]

has everything i need,good looks,safety,nice features and interior,not too many gizmos and gags

[@jasper_north]

Wish I had the money guys... still loving my XC70 2014 D5 AWD POLESTAR

[@danmccarthy4700]

This is the best looking Volvo since the P1800.

[@sansde1ty]

Considered the old S60R way back when, would love to see the Polestar edition.

[@ap086]

Using this car today (Rented) must agree with your comment on the pause between putting your foot down and the engine taking off. However, when it does decide to take off, it feels like you are launching off!

[@williegitau6680]

Absolutely stunning ☝️

[@xuchia117]

Top review 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@DrDajom]

Beautiful!

[@sans6956]

Excellent review, Mr Batchelor. Keep up the good work!

[@AR-1806]

Looks so nice👌

[@Arturo-jx7vc]

beautiful car

[@menifo4334]

Well done Batch!

[@Conceptcreator]

You lost your bet because I have. I would take any s60 over a german rival...

[@will006]

I did just that. Never looked back.

[@howie2084]

That's a stunning bit of kit

[@howie2084]

@James Smith ain't that the truth

[@waynejarrell1]

Beautiful looking car 💯👍🏼😎

[@jeffkennedy5194]

Great looking car. Just can't believe Volvo didn't produce it with their brilliant D4 Diesel engine.

[@yuhufeng5370]

It's the trend. Only Europe is promoting diesel for personal cars and it's not holding a firm stand these days because of its environmental impact.

[@wakeupandsmellthecoffeetod9582]

Diesel fume is polluting. If one only considers MPG or km/l and CO2 per Km then yes...diesel is economical. But for mass personal use...diesels are an abomination.

[@przemektuliszka5450]

2.4 D5.... that's the best Volvo engine, I love my v60 , lots of torque, 215bhp... gr8 car

[@Cup.rs280]

After visiting Germany and sitting in Audis, Mercedes and Porsches I must say I have found after being in this car that its just a tad more comfortable

[@loganjones1672]

Great video James! Any ideas when the new 208 will be reviewed?

[@drone_tours]

Logan Jones yeah when it comes out later this year

[@georgepom328]

I am looking forward to T6 non twin engine

[@mpak999]

beatiful car

[@InteriorDesignAnderson]

James is such a great reviewer, no BS just proper reviewing. Also the new S60 is gorgeous. Inside and out.

[@aaronmills3105]

/// M agreed great review from James all fair points made

[@jimviv6030]

How much road noise?

[@CaseyJones88]

Great review and great car!

[@sebestiantan1]

How come you fellows never review the in car sound system before?

[@aDrySandwich]

Regarding the gearbox delay; put it in Dynamic/Performance mode to eradicate the delay. Source: MY19 V60 driver.

[@Bottomburbsburnbums]

Matt Canning my MY19 D4 V90 has savage delay (from idle to pulling away) regardless of what mode it’s in. The gearbox is the only thing I’d change, other than maybe the auto wipers that are crazy..

[@aDrySandwich]

Rob Kirby agree regarding the wipers (though they’re better than my previous Outlander PHEV). My D4 is lethal in comfort, especially when trying to accelerate into a gap from a rolling start. Performance mode definitely improves responsiveness for me but it’s at the cost of the ‘box hanging on to gears a shade too long.

[@q3b26]

@@Bottomburbsburnbums the auto wipers on my XC40 drove me absolutely insane, they had a groan when they returned to park and the sensor was pointless. It was pretty much just full or nothing

[@lorquet21]

Sick to death of BMW and mercs. The S60 and s90 are a stunning breath of fresh air!!

[@mattws5784]

Has a very original grill that most cars have

[@rivorianest]

Erm. I have considered it, I even have owned by now both, S60, 2011 and V60, 2014. I would never trade it to 3-series. Both ofc UK being UK... well.

[@Musicmedstudio]

Rivo Aedma yes well you’ve owned half ford vehicles that’s why

[@TorBruheim]

The interior looks amazing, the front is beautiful made, but the rear end is in my opinion less fine.

[@vika0194]

An interior where the screen is directed towards the driver. Hate it.

[@henriknielsen1176]

@@vika0194 Why? It is practical.

[@vika0194]

@@henriknielsen1176 But not beautiful. You want practical or beautiful?

[@stefanedlund8774]

Hi have a 2019 t6 r-drive with polestar 330 hk, and I just love my car. But my Volvo has never been in Sweden. Born in S.Carolina. In England you just need Morris Minor.

[@astiknn]

Nice seamaster btw:)

[@lesliekay2097]

actually it has been building the s40 to compete with the 3 series - the s60 was originally the 5 series competitor

[@mulsane7198]

Well, i do not expect the 4 cylinders engines to last as much/or to be as reliable as the 5 cyl engines, mainly because they are pushing the numbers, i mean, 250bhp+ from a 2.0 4 cyl? Why are they trying to downsize the cubic capacity?

[@vomErsten]

You've got the Germans pushing 300+ through 2.0L 4-pots just fine for years now. If there's a pitfall to Volvo's solution, it's that they've added complexity with the twin-charging arrangement on the T6 and T8 options. The reason for down-sizing displacement is fuel economy. The engine is smaller, it's lighter and, when your foot isn't in it, it sips less fuel under cruising conditions for a whole host of reasons including the forced induction.

[@simonkundi1075]

May not be dynamically appointed as as Jaguar XE. My god this is beauty

[@Kelveron]

Too many functions on touchscreen, and multiple menus/sub-menus. A few short-cut buttons would be welcome

[@DougFrantz]

Not really. Most of those menus you only use once to set up your profile. When the car is yours you rarely leave the home screen functions.

[@vlajster]

you can customise it however you want it duhh

[@bEEBO178]

It's not for simpletons. Go buy a fiesta.

[@namelessness42]

He's voice makes me shiver. In a bad way, 10/10 serial-killer voice

[@AshGeo]

What took you so long?

[@dr.harshadgedam7864]

My Dream Car!!!

[@christophermaloney8119]

My dream car is VOLVO S60R

[@legendarytwister3656]

I don't know so much about cars, but I'd say this is not a bad car.

[@pharaongaming8617]

this segment has so much good cars, there isn't like a bad car in this segment. the 3 series, c class, guilia, xf, a4, and this

[@arendrossouw3784]

XE not xf

[@shehzad2519]

Looks much better for a new car buyer than any German or JDM

[@hadrien4089]

the color balance of the video is dull, it should've been fixed in post-prod

[@adwaitb765]

At first i thought there were two different cars, but I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing it.

[@hassanjarah1811]

I need spare parts Can anyone help me?

[@RJKK]

Really worth the money... although u said the interior is of the V60.... It's actually similar to. V60, XC60,XC40,XC90,S90...😂

[@radanjovic]

What color is that car, orange or red ??

[@PabisiakStudios]

Colors name is Fusion Red. So it’s red, but kind of variation

[@MrAndreCoutinho]

It’s a shame that it’s still so underrated. I saw a white T8 hybrid the other day and what a beauty, it definitely stands out when compared to the bmw and audi. But I’m not so sure about the dash, the narrow portrait mode display looks too small, leaving a huge portion of plastic with no function around it.

[@lash9400]

I can remember when the Dull as ditchwater Volvo 340/360 were in the top 10 in the UK sales chart. Now Volvo have a fantastic looking car and they’re not selling. Makes no sense.

[@Inyosi888]

Why am I getting a sense that this channel is the younger version of Carwow

[@tatem1062]

No it's an older, version Not a fan but it actually is the original carwow

[@AAAA-oy3ye]

Chinese here,and considering getting one of these, although i have a question for you guys around the world,how will it cost in terms of maintaince and part, said in US or UK? in China,Volvo's maintaince is about the same as the three german rival. parts and labour is similiar with a imported Merc,but Volvo makes almost all of its car in China(CDM).

[@SN-jt9kl]

It's good mate

[@PabisiakStudios]

Lol, something new I read. Don’t make a mess. Volvo s60 is produced in US South Carolina state for example. I bet the rest of models are produced in Sweden.

[@tsubakimaclaurin3839]

Pls Japanese subtitles Finally s60 is now on sale in Japan! !!

[@grapejuiceboy]

The t6 comes at a tag price of 70k add to the taxes and warranties you are looking at about 80k, it doesn't justify the price at all, Volvo's are great cars but for 80k I'd rather go for a beautiful 2019 Toyota camry and put the rest into a fiat 500 or mini, it's just not worth that much money.

[@eroche913]

The Giulia with the right colour and wheels looks great, but no way is the XE better looking than this S60.

[@vika0194]

XE has personality. S60 especially from the rear is faceless. The lights are off

[@razvaniliescu9276]

there's really no comparison between this and the 3 series for me. i would pick the s40 anytime over the 3 series.

[@wakeupandsmellthecoffeetod9582]

You mean s60...but saying that i think volvo should make another s40...the old one is a brilliant small sedan.

[@aleksanderszymanowski6631]

I don’t understand why Volvo can’t get their automatic gearbox tuned better, same Aisin unit as in the BMW X1, where it feels more slick and precise..

[@yamahaevo]

Aleksander Szymanowski its made to last longer

[@Snowpeak74]

I like the front of this car. The back is weird.

[@hitman777100]

Nice car but I prefer the new 3 series. (Quick question - Why do all car reviewers harp on about the ability to fit a 30 ltr bottle of water in the door bin? You'd be stopping for a Pi*s every 5 minutes, It's complete nonsense! I think Mr Carwow started it (maybe) and the rest have jumped on the bandwagon. I do 30k miles a year and I've been driving for 29 years. I've never once paused before buying a car, and said "Hang on a minute, can you fit this 10 gallon container in the door bin" Drives me mad.

[@Xx23YT23xX]

It's to give the viewers an indication of how large or small the door bins are..

[@mroctober3657]

It doesn't have to be water. It can be orange juice

[@hitman777100]

I disagree, most modern door bins have a shaped section which allows a bottle to be threaded in, its a good idea. My argument is regarding the size it should be, these guys are giving negative reviews if it doesn't hold a 2ltr bottle - my point is, nobody sticks a 2ltr bottle of water in the drivers side door bin. (unless you're an arab living in the desert)

[@hitman777100]

@@mroctober3657 You'd be permanently pissing if yo drank 2ltrs of orange juice

[@mroctober3657]

@@hitman777100 That's a very true and valid point. I guess I would just have a sip every now and again. 1 bottle would last about six months but I'd imagine a lot of the mineral value would have diminished by then. Maybe in the future I should just drink a small amount of whatever beverage (non-alcoholic of course) and then I could put a scarf and hi-vis vest in the door pocket instead. They could call.it the 'scarf and hi-vis' test, although it'd be just as arbitrary as the original water bottle test which leaves us back at square one. It's really put me in an existential quandary, as it were, if you will and what not. Now my thumb's are exhausted too!

[@derekwhyle1884]

It’s all about the driving experience. That’s why the 3 series is miles ahead of this corporate design

[@Jimjam96]

Beautiful car. But if it has more power, it’s a real deal!

[@Azurel777]

The top engines are 390 hp hybrid or 310 hp gasoline. I would be more than happy with the 190 hp base model though.

[@Jimjam96]

Azurel777 that’s cool. Irrespective of the engine though, all the safety systems are standard! The Germans should take a page from the Swedish.

[@vika0194]

Volvo is limiting all their cars to 180 km/h so performance is the last thing they care about

[@vomErsten]

@@Jimjam96 I very much hope that they don't. The last thing I want in my sporty saloon is a 180 kph governed upper speed limit; it's bad enough that the Germans already charge you to get the more generous 250 kph limiter removed. Being not sporty enough in all aspects is why this car is not selling as well as its German competition. Volvo tried to make a sporty saloon but didn't commit.

[@thowell3129]

"Twenty yeeeears"

[@hazaonly]

I wish I will never see its back side again

[@jackssstaylor7438]

God that’s a big car

[@oladokunsamuel5923]

This is a very practical car....good job Volvo But he mentioned the BMW as if, it won't keep going into the repair shop

[@rahxe80]

the s60 I see more as a competitor to the 5 series. The s40 was Volvo answer to the 3 series

[@salimhaddad9862]

the s40 series is discontinued. Now you can see it as the Volvo v40, a competitor to the mercedes A-class

[@mikaelorsteinsson1097]

The T6 is up to 400hp

[@lapamful]

The s60 hasn't had a look-in to this segment when Volvo won't give customers what they want, like a diesel engine or in my case a 6 pot for extra wafty ease of accelleration? How curious.

[@marcushenderson3049]

Would buy it but economy really let's it down

[@aadi8568]

The s60 looks better than the jag or alfa

[@archtenn]

Front of the car looks really great but the back...just looks horrendous with those lights

[@avinash1251990]

He's the British Alan Harper

[@MDDeGrande1994]

Why does it look like an Audi from the back?

[@SR89]

41 mpg? Did you measure that by yourself or is it Volvo's claim? UPDATE: Just compared it with a website where users submit real world consumption figures and the old S60 returned about 27 mpg. So obviously Volvo's claim.

[@tonyford7987]

I get 33mpg local commuting.

[@BlackBirds93]

Cant wait for Carwow to review it

[@WolfgangVonKempelen838]

Wrong channel then :(

[@moses782]

Can people review their cars in peace jeez🙉🙉

[@munson84]

I'll wait for the Doug Score

[@Hilariumosis]

I think exhaust valves should be standard or an option in new cars nowdays. Especially Volvo who with their 4 cylinder engines wants performance of bigger engines or their older proper performance engines. Sound is almost as important as the performance. Definitely with diesels too. And If you wanna compete with likes of BMW then you have to have the performance, handling AND engine sound to match.

[@1100HondaCB]

I am a Volvo fan. I wouldn't have any other car.

[@synchronicityization]

One of the safest feeling cars I've ever driven.

[@nathanhinton673]

you bet wrong i have one

[@fmichael]

B-tec Mat Watson B-tec carwow

[@theodor12]

It's nice but the Giulia is the best in the segment

[@juancarlosgroman8628]

"and as you come to expect form Volvos in the past it all works beautifully" ISN'T THE INFOTAINMENT THE ONE THING EVERY SINGLE AUTO JOURNALIST IS COMPLAINING ABOUT??? IF BY "WORKS BEAUTIFULLY" YOU MEANT "IT FREEZES, IT'S HIDEOUS & UNINTUITIVE, UNNECESSARILY COMPLICATED, & UNRELIABLE" THEN YES, THE INFOTAINMENT IN THAT VOLVO DOES WORK BEAUTIFULLY

[@miketresson6531]

looks better than bmw3 to me coz bmw3 is always same and it is so boring benz c class also better looking than 2020 bmw3

[@diamond21450]

Have those red jeans finally gone??

[@WolfgangVonKempelen838]

Never seen a Volvo in red jeans. can you post a picture please Mark ?

[@diamond21450]

@@WolfgangVonKempelen838 why?

[@WolfgangVonKempelen838]

@@diamond21450 Why not

[@7skula]

why is he talking like hes in Blue Oyster OMFG

[@tdreamgmail]

Why would I want to buy a car that's more common?

[@Grant0610]

I test drove the new S60 and I would say it looks fantastic, (will whisper) is better quality than BMW inside, super comfortable and the infotainment system easier to negotiate than I expected. Only downside, rather a large downside, the ride is awful! Suspension way too firm. Maybe non-R Design versions will be better.

[@Azurel777]

No way Volvo would make a car with awful ride. Comfort is kind of their major sellign point. Must be the R.-design.

[@WinkelHoof]

Why didnt you change the settings then...lol

[@Grant0610]

@@WinkelHoof I did, LOL! Not a huge difference!

[@PabisiakStudios]

Imho the s60 R-design on 18” wheels is a bit more comfortable than bmw 330i g20. So I imagine you drove on 20 ich wheels and felt bad with that. Belive me, I choose s60 and now waiting for pick up. Regards

[@imohbalu]

I forgot that Volvo exist...

[@andrewsmith2289]

Disappointing video. No mention of real world mpg on any models

[@Reko_89]

3 series is truly the best

[@keithwelton]

No diesel no buy.

[@tex6929]

Way to big of a price for a Volvo

[@cristibusu1]

I am driving the V60. Looks nice and modern / actual (design wise) but the ride / suspension, engine or gearbox response are tens of years behind BMW or Audi..

[@tedarcher9120]

It's chinese, after all

[@chickflickone]

You're a moron tho. What Audi have you drove then.

[@memalabby]

Carwow please! BWHAHAH

[@Edvard.Munchkin]

Anybody else here watching this cause you cant afford the s90? But then realise you can't afford this either 😂