The IT Nerd

So I’ve come to the end of the review of the 2013 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design Platinum. Two loose ends to wrap up. During this review, I learned something new:

The access flap for the gas tank is on the right side which is a feature that isn’t unique to Volvo, but is still worth pointing out. It’s there because it will not put the driver in harms way by exposing them to traffic if they need to refill the tank on a highway. All this time I always thought it was an “European thing.”

And here’s the shot that I always take of groceries in the trunk so that you can judge how big the trunk is:

I think you’ll agree that this confirms that the trunk will hold a lot of stuff. One thing to note: Not only is there a handle to open the trunk, but there’s a button right beside it to lock and unlock the car. Nice!

Complaints? I tried very hard to come up with something as I try to look at the products I review from every angle. I’ve documented areas where Volvo might want to make improvements during this review, but all of that was very minor in nature. The only thing that I could come up with is the lack of a manual transmission. The Audi S4 which this car competes against has the option for one. So why doesn’t the Volvo? The flip side to that argument is that the take up rate of manual transmissions may be low enough that it may not make sense to Volvo to offer one in the S60. Besides, the automatic is so good that those of us are used driving a car with three pedals and not two may not care. Still, it might be something worth considering for Volvo. Other than that, I can’t really say anything negative about this car.

So, let me answer the big question. What is all this safety and technology going to cost you? Well, the particular S60 T6 R-Design Platinum had every option box checked. Thus it came up to a grand total of $58,725 according to Volvo’s website. That’s completely in line with its arch-rival the Audi S4 which in a similar configuration is just over $60k. But one thing to consider is that safety items like City Safety With Full Auto Brake aren’t available with the Audi. Thus the Volvo starts to look very good from a safety and value perspective. But if this is too much Volvo for you, the S60 starts with a turbocharged 5 cylinder engine and front wheel drive for $39,150. Another thing to consider is that the Polestar software upgrades are always available regardless of what Volvo model you choose. Thus you can find an S60 that fits your budget and your driving needs.

My final average fuel economy figure was 11.3 L/100KM. I could have done better, but I spent a lot of time in Toronto traffic and driving very fast and aggressive testing the limits of the car in the interest of writing this review. In all seriousness, if I owned this car I imagine that the need to test the limits of the car would diminish over time and that would help me to reduce the gas consumption and post better fuel economy numbers.

Who am I kidding? This car is way too much fun for that to happen.

Some tips if you decide to go for the T6 R-Design Platinum:

• Grab a set of winter tires for this car. You’ll need them if you live in a snowy climate. Also, you get the option of performance summer and all season tires. Choose the latter.
• When the car is delivered, make sure to spend an hour or more with your Volvo dealer to go over all the technology in the car. You’ll get more out of the car by doing so.
• If you really want to have a unique delivery experience, get the car delivered in Europe. Volvo has a program where you fly to Gothenburg, Sweden, tour the factory, and pick up your car. The car will be licensed and insured so that you can drive around Europe for 15 days. Then the car will be delivered to your local Volvo dealer. Touring the factory of an European luxury carmaker is a bucket list item of mine, so this is something that appeals to me. If I were going to get a Volvo, I’d go for this in a heartbeat. Note that not all Volvo dealers offer this option, so make sure you pick one that does.

So what did I think of it? Let me explain it this way. When a software company writes a piece of software, they first create what are called “use cases.” That is, they think of all the situations that the software could possibly be used. That forms the basis of how the software in question is written and tested. Only after the software passes all the “use cases” does the software get released to the public. Volvo clearly created “use cases” for the 2013 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design Platinum. They then clearly built this car based on those “use cases.” The net result? The combination of cutting edge safety features, infotainment technology, comfort, and performance that you can live with on a daily basis makes this a hard car to say no to.

I was extremely impressed by this Volvo. This is the only car that I’ve tested that my wife and I both agree that we could see ourselves in. Not to mention that the particular shade of red is attention grabbing. If you’re in the market for a performance luxury sedan, you owe it to yourself to try the Volvo S60 T6 R-Design Platinum. It’s not boxy, and it’s really safe.

In closing, if for some reason the 2013 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design Platinum isn’t something that appeals to you, take a look at this Tweet from Volvo Canada:

We’re testing the new 2014 #Volvo S60 against the ‘competition’ this AM; Smoother, more refined and better looking! pic.twitter.com/DiZBioBi63

— Volvo Cars of Canada (@Volvo_Canada) July 11, 2013

The 2014 model is coming and it’s the second car from the right. It’s even further from being boxy, and you can bet it’s really safe as well.

This entry was posted on July 26, 2013 at 5:54 am and is filed under Products with tags Volvo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.