2003 VOLVO S60

VOLVO Reviews:    • S80    • NEW BEETLE    • V70    • S60    • S40/V40    • XC70    • XC90   Read Feature Story   Read New Car News   Read Brand Reviews   Read Car-Truck Test Reviews   Return to Guide's Homepage

VOLVO

Volvo, Sweden's largest automaker clustered under the Prestige Automotive Group (PAG) umbrella of Ford Motor Company, designs and constructs sturdy vehicles capable of surviving harsh Scandinavian winters while still coddling passengers in comforts typical of deluxe European touring cars. Volvo's line expands for year 2003 to include a new mid-size sport-utility wagon dubbed the XC90, with turbo-charged power and optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction. More power applies to several other Volvo vehicles, including compact-class S40 sedan and V40 wagon, the C70 convertible and V70 2.5T AWD estate wagon. The entire collection for 2003 consists of models in five alphanumeric orders with new gear accumulating in all classes. In Volvo nomenclature, S represents sedan, C stands for the convertible, V signifies a five-door wagon and XC means outdoor versatility vehicle. Platforms use two-digit numbers to denote size in descending order from the new SUV at 90 to mid-size 80, 70 and 60 series and compact 40 cars. S80 sedan continues as Volvo's flagship, juiced with power and also outfitted this year with On-Call Plus telecommunications and Rainsensor wipers. The 70 series estate wagons include V70 AWD and Cross Country AWD re-badged as XC70. Another 70 series model continues with the C70 convertible, while a curvy C70 coupe fades away. S60 sedan uses the variable-size platform of S80 and V70 yet measures inches less in wheelbase and body length. Models include the front-wheel-drive (FWD) S60 sedan and S60 AWD edition with deluxe equipment. Volvo's compact-class sedan and wagon -- S40 and V40 -- get that boost in power for 2003.

S80: Volvo's flagship series represents the largest sedans in the fleet and the most luxurious. All display a curvaceous skin that conceals sophisticated mechanical controls. Also, these cars become mobile showcases for Volvo's advanced automotive safety systems. All contain six air bags, including vast side curtain-style air bags mounted in side headliners that inflate during a rollover to shield heads and torsos of riders in front and rear seats. Another safety device guards against whiplash, as front seatbacks move rearward during a rear impact and reduce acceleration forces induced on a rider's back and neck. And optional Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC), employing an on-board computer and various lateral plus linear motion sensors tied to anti-lock brakes, monitors the vehicle's forward progress and -- if dangerous oversteer or understeer skidding is detected -- acts automatically to correct the unstable maneuver without intervention from the driver. For motivation, Volvo offers two impressive six-cylinder engine options. The S80 2.9 carries a naturally aspirated 2.9-liter aluminum six that makes 194 hp, while S80 T6 uses a light-pressure twin turbo 2.9-liter in-line-six with 268 hp. Electronic automatic transmissions employ adaptive gear shift patterns that eliminate the need for separate economy and sport modes. For T6, a Geartronic add-on permits shift-it-yourself maneuvers by throwing the stick to the left through a gate, then pushing it forward to bump up a gear or pulling back to drop down one gear at a time. The five-seat passenger compartment trimmed in leather adds power to control all movements of front seats, doors, windows and mirrors, which have interior heat elements. New standard equipment includes Volvo's Rainsensor Wipers, with On-Call Plus telecommunications optional on S80 2.9 but stock for T6. Titanium Grey and Ruby Red are two new paint shades.

NEW BEETLE: An estate wagon of mid-size dimensions from Volvo has a flexible seat design for up to seven riders and an expandable cargo compartment. Posh appointments dot the cabin, with power-operated controls and a high caliber of equipment in the mode of European touring sedans. Entry comes with the V70 2.4 packing a naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter in-line-five rated at 168 hp and tied to a five-speed electronic automatic. This wagon gains a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob for 2003, plus a new radio with CD and cassette decks. V70 2.4T for FWD pulls from a 197 hp 2.4-liter five-in-line light-pressure turbo linked to a five-speed automatic transmission, while V70 2.5T for AWD gets a power boost this year with the engine expanded to 2.5 liters and pumped for nine more power points to max at 208 hp. Yet the kicker comes from a FWD V70 T5, which stocks a 2.3-liter five high-pressure turbo worth 247 hp through the five-speed Geartronic automatic or manual five-speed.

V70: The body of this vehicle amounts to a two-door coupe design, although the actual coupe edition is history for Volvo's 2003 line while the pop-top continues as a sensuous convertible with two engine choices, both reworked for more muscle. The interior, arranged with twin front buckets and two rear seat positions, emphasizes luxury and comfort. A driver-oriented cockpit adds power controls for all equipment, including dual climate zones and electrochromic rearview mirror. To reach the rear area, front seat slides forward under power when the backrest is moved. Engine choices include a high-pressure turbo-charged 2.3-liter in-line-five with nine more horses added to 245 hp, or the base 2.3-liter five-cylinder light-pressure turbo with six-point gain to 196 hp. An automatic five-speed works for either engine but the high-pressure turbo also offers an optional manual five-speed. Volvo's convertible has more passive and active safety systems than most coupes and sedans -- side air bags, pillars and doors reinforced with Boron steel, and rollover protection from steel hoops that pop up behind the rear seat head restraints if on-board sensors detect a potential roll. Maya Gold is the latest body color.

S60: Sandwiched in size between mid-size S80 and compact-class S40, Volvo's S60 sedans ride on the variable-size platform employed by S80 and V70. A stylish passenger compartment contains rich appointments in an understated cabin with muted tone-on-tone colors. The conventional layout sets two bolstered buckets beside a multi-purpose console and ahead of a bench with three seat positions. However, optional two-place seating in sculpted spaces is available for the rear. Three five-cylinder engines out of the V70 wagons also work for S60 with a naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter plant plus light-pressure turbo variation and the high-pressure turbo good for 247 hp. The latter shows up in S60 T5 with options for manual or automatic shifter. S60 AWD with increased chassis height stocks the light-pressure turbo but expanded to 2.5 liters and increased from 197 to 208 hp. It also uses Volvo's five-speed Geartronic automatic with an electronic AWD system for on-demand four-wheel traction. Volvo's DSTC is optional on FWD S60.

S40/V40: Volvo's compact-class cars consist of the S40 sedan and V40 wagon, each exhibiting styling points that look similar to the flagship sedan only in a smaller scale. The format amounts to a basic wedge-shaped shell with high-hiked tail and low-canted prow capped by the boxy chrome grille evident on all Volvos. Both sedan and wagon add up to the same external dimensions and ride on the same compact platform with a transverse-mounted front engine pushing power to the front wheels. Interiors configure differently behind the front seats due to a flexible seat arrangement in the wagon. The aluminum four-cylinder engine displaces 1.9 liters and earns a ten-point power boost to 170 hp. Extensive safety and security features line these smallest Volvos, such as frontal air bags plus seat-mounted side air bags. Also, Volvo's DSTC may be added. New equipment includes a keyless remote entry with folding key, LED lighting for gauges in the instrument cluster, slimmer head restraints to improve the view rearward, a new three-spoke steering wheel and leather-wrapped handbrake grip, plus the audio upgraded with CD and cassette players. Two new color choices also emerge: Silver Green and Maya Gold.

XC70: Formerly called Cross Country and XC AWD, this estate wagon variation off the V70 goes by the new moniker of XC70 in 2003 to conform with the new XC90 as Volvo's outdoor versatility vehicles. XC70 is hiked high in suspension so it can travel over non-paved terrain, then outfitted with AWD traction upgraded this year to the sophisticated Haldex system also found on XC90 and S60 AWD. Haldex, a Swedish pioneer in AWD mechanisms, builds an active-on-demand system with power split between front and rear wheels through a wet multi-plate clutch. Structural elements and mechanical hardware for XC70 come from the V70, although XC70 stretches an inch longer and is wider because the front wheel track increases by several inches. It's also almost three inches taller due to the elevated chassis. Muscle to propel XC70 stems from V70 with Volvo's 2.4-liter light-pressure turbo good for 197 hp. A new leather-wrapped steering wheel and wood trim lining the dash mark 2003 editions, which also show power controls added to the front passenger's seat.

XC90: Volvo's new XC90 sport-utility wagon is svelte in package design, expansive in cabin size -- with optional third-row seats for a capacity of as many as seven passengers -- and equipped with powerful engines and sophisticated safety systems plus optional AWD traction. Built off the P2 platform that underpins Volvo's mid-size models (S80/S60/V70/XC70), the XC90 rides and drives more like a car than a lumbering sport-ute, despite its hulking size. It can be quick and enthusiastic too, particularly when equipped with the light-pressure twin turbo 2.9-liter in-line-six out of S80 T6, which delivers 268 hp. This plant brings the Geartronic stick on a four-speed automatic. Base powertrain is the light-pressure turbo 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine from V70 2.5T, rated at 208 hp and linked to a five-speed automatic. Models with AWD equipment will land first in North America, with the XC90 in FWD arriving in the spring of 2003. AWD mechanism is the electronically-controlled Haldex system also found on S60 and XC70. Extensive safety systems go into XC90, including frontal air bags and side-impact air bags for front riders plus Volvo's side curtain air bags reaching clear back to the third row of seats. In addition to the DSTC yaw-control system aboard, Volvo overlays that device with a Roll-Over Protection System (ROPS). It has on-board sensors to detect when the vehicle begins to roll, then counteracts that body movement by activating brakes and forcing an understeer maneuver to stem the roll.