2022 Volvo S60

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Review

The luxury car market has come an incredibly long way from its old-money beginnings, and both existing and new buyers have slowly adapted their purchase habits to stray away from more traditional offerings. The result has been a massive uptake in the luxury crossover and SUV segment, and this means that at times the development budget, resources, and priorities go towards these models.

Perhaps the greatest example of this is with Volvo, which underwent a massive restructuring and reinventing of itself over the last decade or so. The first model to lead the charge was the Volvo XC90 SUV, and eventually that was joined by the Volvo S90 sedan and V90 wagon. Where you might expect them to focus development on sedan models (being the traditional bread-and-butter choice for luxury cars), they instead chose to push the Volvo XC60 and Volvo XC40 SUVs, before the Volvo S60 was eventually released to the world.

Despite being the last to arrive at the party, the Volvo S60 is still an incredibly solid option and a fantastic example of Swedish engineering. It is built on the same formula as the other products in the Volvo range, although it’s a bit of a shame that Malaysians don’t share as much of an appreciation for the Wagon form or we would receive the Volvo V60 as well.

Locally, the Volvo S60 saw its launch back in 2019, with a locally-assembled model coming just a year later. It was brought in (and continues to this day) in a singular T8 variant, with the more current naming scheme revised to include the Recharge prefix that denotes Volvo’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

This has become a consistent theme among Volvo products in Malaysia as they have started to understand that most consumers here would be willing to pay the mild premium for the T8 variant over the T5, while reaping the benefits of energy efficient vehicle incentives.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Specifications

Like practically every Volvo product available in Malaysia, the Volvo S60 is available here with a singular 2.0-litre petrol powertrain – though here it is equipped with both a turbocharger and a supercharger, much like the now-defunct T6 variants of the Volvo S90, V90, and XC90. If you’re wondering whether these are the only global options, it’s worth knowing that Volvo also has diesel options and smaller petrol powertrains – they just wouldn’t do so well in our market and with our fuel quality.

Being a T8 model, there’s also the addition of a hybrid electric motor which boosts outputs to 407 hp and 640 Nm of torque. Acceleration is brisk with 100 km/h from a standstill taking just 4.4 seconds. Don’t expect radical top speeds – as part of Volvo’s commitment to safety, the top speed is limited to just 180 km/h.

While the T8 is an all-wheel drive model, the actual layout is one that’s rarely found these days. As the batteries are placed in the transmission tunnel for better weight distribution, protection, and centre of gravity, there isn’t exactly room for a propshaft to deliver drive from the engine to the rear. As a result, the engine for the T8 drives the front wheels alone through an eight-speed conventional automatic transmission, while the rear wheels are driven by the electric motor alone.

Dimensionally, the Volvo S60 is as you would expect. It measures in at 4,761 mm long, with a width of 1,850 mm, and a height of 1,431 mm. The wheelbase is a reasonable 2,872 mm, though the hybrid variant brings the kerb weight up to an astonishing 2035 kilograms. Thankfully you don’t feel this weight as much thanks to the 235 mm wide tyres at each corner.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Exterior

The exterior of the Volvo S60 is a beautiful thing to behold, with the styling that was first introduced with the XC90 finally being applied to a sedan form that’s on the sportier side. The Volvo S90 was the first Volvo sedan of this generation to bear the styling, but its larger and longer proportions weren’t quite sports-sedan esque. In that sense, the Volvo S60 would look right at home among more contemporary rivals, perhaps even striking a better balance between luxury and aggression.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Interior

If this were still the mid-2000s, one might make a joke about how the Volvo S60 represents a unique, quirky Swedish take on luxury. Nowadays however, Volvo products have impeccable interiors that appeal to both mainstream luxury car consumers and more discerning buyers who can spot the extra care and effort taken to design and outfit a car at such a high level.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Safety Features

Safety in the automotive industry is almost synonymous with Volvo – and of course crash protection and occupant safety was one of the main points Volvo focused on over the decades. Beyond that is where Volvo also started to consider human behaviour and error, and that’s where many advanced driver assistance systems such as blind spot warning systems, lane-keep assist, and forward collision warning with brake mitigation come into play. The Volvo S60 has all of this, and you’d be hard pressed to find a car equipped with more safety functionality on the market.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Strengths & Weakness

There are so many things to love about the Volvo S60 – or even Volvo products in general. From an infotainment system that’s still one of the best on the markets, to the fit and finish and the material choices, and of course the fact that it’s one of the safest cars on the market. The performance is a nice cherry on top – all 400 hp of it – but with that comes some issues. The first is that the Volvo S60 weighs over two tonnes, not least of which is owed to the battery weight and hybrid components. The second is plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are still not the most practical options in our market as charging points aren’t as common, plentiful, or quick as you would need to fully utilize a vehicle like this. There’s also the slightly sore point that once you run out of battery charge, the vehicle defaults to a front-wheel drive layout – rather than the all-wheel drive layout of the T6 powertrains that aren’t available in our market anymore.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Price

The current selling price for the singular variant of the Volvo S60 is RM 282,540.00 with the current sales tax exemptions. This is for the aforementioned Recharge T8 R-Design variant, which is the only one on sale at the moment. The price includes a five year unlimited mileage warranty on the car, and an eight-year, 160,000 kilometre warranty on the hybrid battery unit.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Features

Besides the safety features dominating the spec sheet, there are still a number of convenience items that make owning the Volvo S60 a pleasant experience. Keyless entry and start are included as part of the purchase price, as are electrically adjustable front seats. There’s always the portrait-oriented infotainment system that dominates the dashboard – the centrepiece to any modern Volvo experience.

Volvo S60 2021-2022 Fuel Consumption

The manufacturer quoted fuel consumption figure for the Volvo S60 is ridiculously low – which is usually the case for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Volvo says it can return 50 kilometres per litre – though that’s dependent largely on whether you can maintain a full battery charge as often as possible by plugging in regularly, and that you drive in a more sedate manner. You are more likely to get between 10 and 15 kilometres per litre depending on you driving habits.