Volvo V60 Is Proudly A Station Wagon…And A Good One

The Volvo V60 midsize station wagon recalls the heady days when Volvo dominated the station wagon market — and when there was a station wagon market. For those with long memories, there was a time when Volvo station wagons were so popular that they became a suburban cliche. Now the suburban cliche is the sport utility vehicle, and station wagons are something of an oddity. Yet wagons remain a popular vehicle type in Europe, and so the brand continues to offer wagons worldwide. No one can pretend the V60 is an urban hipster conveyance, so Volvo introduced the vehicle in the driveway of a family home in Stockholm.

Enthusiast car writers have a weird affectation for station wagons like the Volvo V60. We freely admit that and embrace that. The first new car I bought was a station wagon, so I come by it honestly. With that caution out of the way, we have to say the V60 is a more interesting shape than the S60, its sedan sibling. The two cars share significant DNA, but the V60’s two-box design recalls some older Volvo shapes that we remember fondly. This isn’t a station wagon meant to be clad with faux wood paneling. It was designed to whisk an attractive, contemporary family to a mountain cabin. There is no mistaking the V60 as anything but a Volvo, thanks to its broad shoulders and Thor’s hammer front lighting.

The Volvo V60 offers the usual array of Volvo powertrains — by the standards of other car companies, it is a strange and intriguing brew. All of the drivetrains are based on a dual overhead cam 2.0-liter four-cylinder base engine, which is then fortified with various types of forced induction. The base is the T5, which utilizes turbocharging to deliver 250 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Then comes the T6 model, both supercharged and turbocharged to produce 316 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of peak torque. The V60 is also available with two plug-in hybrid options: the T6 Twin Engine AWD plug-in hybrid that generates a combined 340 horsepower or the T8 Twin Engine AWD plug-in that delivers 390 horsepower. All use an eight-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission, and both front-drive and all-wheel-drive are offered.

Yes, we are infected with journalist-loves-wagon disease, but we must say the Volvo V60 is one of the most fun-to-drive station wagons we’ve ever driven. The V60 can hold its own in the company of many European-designed sports sedans, so say goodbye to your station wagon preconceptions. Acceleration comes with essentially no lag and little commotion from the engine bay. The eight-speed automatic shifts promptly and there is minimal motion as it goes through the gears. Handling is on par with the best standard wagons from the European manufacturers, and the ride quality is poised. Steering feel is also good, requiring little effort while not feeling over-assisted. The V60’s brakes are easy to modulate.

Volvo certainly takes its own route in the V60’s interior. The patterned cloth-covered seats are just one example. Of course, you can get leather seats in the V60, but the Volvo designers talked their corporate bosses into a cloth option. Beyond the seat fabric, the overall interior look is spare and clean. There are no wood insets; instead, a brushed metal band winds through the dashboard. The instrument panel features very clear electronic instruments with tachometer and speedometer presented as traditional round dials. The center of the dash is dominated by the large, vertically oriented display screen, used well beyond its normal entertainment and information functions. The heating and air conditioning controls find a home there, and there are no knobs to enable you to adjust things quickly. The good news is the screen is glare-free in many lighting situations, but it does gather fingerprints.

We like the driving position and the adjustability of the front seats. Room in the second-row bench seat is good, and rear headroom is mammoth under the giant sunroof. We also appreciated the comfortable angle of the rear seatback.

The V60 nearly buries you in available driver-assistance tech. City Safety with Autobrake technology that assists drivers in avoiding potential collisions is the key system, and Volvo says it will recognize pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. And it engages auto braking to mitigate oncoming collisions. The optional Pilot Assist system supports drivers in steering, acceleration, and braking on well-marked roads at up to 80 mph.

Fuel economy for the front-drive T5 2.0-liter four-cylinder-powered V60 is 24 mpg city/36 mpg highway/28 mpg combined. With the T6 supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, fuel economy is 21 mpg city/31 mpg highway/25 mpg combined. The Cross Country version of the V60 offers fuel economy of 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway/25 mpg combined.

The V60 shares Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture platform with the S60 midsize sedan and the similarities are obvious. Proudly a wagon, theV60 demonstrates Volvo’s desire to try something new…or in this case old. Pricing starts at around $38,000.