The IT Nerd

Volvo interiors have always impressed me because they are well crafted, simple, and functional. The interior in the 2014 V60 R-Design Platinum is no exception. Let me hit the highlights:

The drivers seat, which I’ve raved about in every Volvo I’ve driven, held me in place during spirited driving and it is highly adjustable, including having knee bolstering for comfort during long drives. Put in the time to adjust the seat to suit you and you will never complain about long drives again. The seat also has three memory settings so that once you have that perfect position, you can make sure it’s always available. As a bonus, the front seats have pockets which is a nice touch. The front seats are heated. One thing to note, I found getting in and out to be a bit of a challenge because of the low roofline. Your mileage may vary on that front.

All the window and mirror controls are on the driver’s side door.

The indicators for the blind spot information system is INSIDE the car rather than being located on the side mirror. That allows it to be within your field of vision which I really like and I think you’ll like as well.

Next to the steering wheel are the controls for the lights, gas door, trunk, the electronic parking brake.

You get metal sport pedals. Though the dead pedal isn’t metal. I would argue that it should be as it would look really cool.

The leather wrapped steering wheel feels nice in your hands and is heated as well. It has redundant controls on it for infotainment and other systems.

The gauges are easy to read and can be customized. What you see above is the performance setting that includes a power gauge.

This is the elegant setting that looks very simple and clean.

This is the eco setting that can help you save gas. Though that seems to be an oxymoron given this is a performance car.

When you get in and out of the car, it won’t let you forget that this V60 has had the R-Design treatment.

You get push button start along with a place to put your key in if you so choose.

The centre stack has the 7″ screen as well as the HVAC and infotainment controls. The gearshift looks nice as well trimmed in leather.

The centre console is Volvo’s signature floating console that has a space to pop your phone.

You get a lit glovebox.

You get two cup holders with a 12V outlet in between them. When not in use, the panel to the left can be used to cover them.

As you can see, they hold a Short and a Venti coffee from Starbucks. The former is hard to get to though.

The centre console is very deep and is lined as well. You also get a 1/8″ jack and USB port as well.

Above the occupants is a rather large moonroof.

The rear seats have adequate room for my six foot frame. If you’re any taller, you might find this to be a very tight fit. Getting into the back is also a slight challenge because of the low roofline. It can seat three if you’re all friends and the seats are heated. Though the person in the middle will have to deal with the tunnel for the rear driveshaft.

The middle seat has a pop up headrest. The outboard headrests can also be flipped down via a button on the centre console.

If you don’t need to seat someone in the middle seat, they cup holders and a tray can be put into use.

The V60 has 40-20-40 fold down seats which give you maximum flexibility for carrying different types of cargo. For example, I flipped down the middle section to show that you can carry long thin objects like skis.

A unique feature in Volvo vehicles is the fact that the HVAC vents in the rear are on the B-pillars. Other vehicles have them on the floor which means that your feet either roast or freeze.

The V60 has a ton of storage in the back and a low lift over height makes it easy to load your stuff.

As you can see from our usual shot of groceries, there’s a ton of space left over. Note the privacy cover just above the groceries. Plus the cargo area has a few neat features….

For example, you get a grocery bag holder to keep your shopping bags from flying around the back…..

Plust there’s storage under the floor.

There’s a handle to allow you to close the hatch without getting your hands dirty. Though I found it to be in an awkward  position.

Notes:

• The visibility is great for the most part. I can see in any direction very well and there are no blind spots. Combined with properly adjusted mirrors, there should never be any reason why you can’t see what’s around you. The headrests can block rear vision. But as I mentioned earlier, there’s a button on the centre console that can remotely flip them down if that bothers you.
• Headroom is acceptable with the moonroof. That’s important to me as headroom in vehicles equipped with moonroofs is often an issue for me.
• All the surfaces have some sort of low gloss soft touch material. It feels like it will stand up over time.
• The build quality of the interior is top notch. No gaps, no rattles, nothing that could be considered a negative was found during my examination of it.

The interior in this V60 R-Design is a great place to live. It is well put together and it’s a great place to take a long drive in. It oozes quality from every aspect and is well executed for the most part. The interior is a win for Volvo.

In part four, I’ll cover the technology which is very extensive. Stay tuned.

This entry was posted on August 13, 2014 at 6:45 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.