The 2015 Volvo S60: What the critics say

Car and Driver

The engines being built for next year’s Volvos “had better be pretty damn good.” By roughly the end of 2014, the new four-cylinders will be the only engines Volvo makes for its passenger vehicles, so “all that’s riding on them is what’s left of the Swedish auto industry.” As soon as January, front-wheel-drive models of both the S60 sedan and returning V60 station wagon will start arriving with a fuel-efficient four under the hood. “Smooth, unflappable, and tame,” the engine might just be good enough.

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“Judged in a vacuum,” the S60 deserves plenty of admirers. Following a nose job that gives it a wider appearance, the car “still looks great,” and the “nifty interior” includes “scrumptious” contrasting leathers. But anyone who shops it against a Lexus or BMW will notice that it lacks such now-standard amenities as a backup camera and navigation. Besides, “Volvo can’t muster the cachet the other brands have.”

Autoblog.com

Still, even the 241-hp base model “remains firmly committed to being a premium Swede.” There’s “a generally very pleasing sense of lightness to the way it drives,” and its performance will get even better when all small Volvos integrate a new modular chassis. We can’t yet declare Volvo reborn, but “these first signs are very good.”