[AmGu]

Psispace, this is one of the best reviews i've read. While the initial tests are always important, the subsequent ownership experience is probably what matters most.

You obviously are very passionate about your Volvo given the depth of your review. There may not be much about S60 on the forum, but the quality of the recent reviews makes up for it!

I'm in the process of looking for a replacement for my old C Class and after reading your review the S60 is now definitely on my list of contenders.

How bad is the low ground clearance issue - would it be similar to BMWs or the Civic or is it worse?

I would plan to keep the car for atleast 6-7 years so want to my only other concern is on reliability / ASS as i've not seen many S60s in Mumbai - though i have read of a new dealership in Mumbai recently so hopefully ASS will be taken care of. how would you rate reliability compared to the Germans?

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by AmGu

How bad is the low ground clearance issue - would it be similar to BMWs or the Civic or is it worse?

I used to have a Honda Accord before I got the Volvo S60.
Although on paper S60 has a lower ground clearance, I think it is better equipped to go over a sharp speed breaker because of the stiffer suspension.
Many times I happened to go over the speed breakers or creaters that I though the Accord would clear easily, only to have the car bottom out due to the soft suspension setup.
With the S60 I was pleasently surprised that it cleared the obstacle without contact a few times while I waited to hear the dreaded "CRUNCH" from below.
As long as you are reasonably slow in a normal sized speedbreaker or pothole, you dont have to worry.

[psispace]

[quote]

Originally Posted by AmGu

I'm in the process of looking for a replacement for my old C Class and after reading your review the S60 is now definitely on my list of contenders.

How bad is the low ground clearance issue - would it be similar to BMWs or the Civic or is it worse?

I too had a Honda Accord earlier. On paper, the Accord has 155mm ground clearance. Thats' 25mm more than the Volvo. But yet I am more confident of
going over large humps and steep parking lot ramps in the Volvo than I was in the Accord.

The two for this reasons I feel are;

1. As jfxavier mentioned, the suspension in the Volvo is a bit stiffer. So when the front wheels climb down the hump, there will be relatively less suspension travel, hence lesser chances of it bottoming out. The trick is to ride over the crest of the hump slowly. This took some trial and (heart aching) errors to figure out. When you go through unfamiliar roads, it is wise to be a little extra careful.
To be honest, the roads in Kerala change as quickly as the weather! So I end up with a minor scraping episode at least twice a month.
So there! Go figure!

Civics have higher GC but softer suspensions(There is a whole thread in this forum on that topic).But yet they bottom out more easily. My neighbour had a Civic. He had a tough time going over the speed humps in our apartment. If driven slowly over them (which is why they are there in the first place), my car never bottomed out. Whereas his car used to scrape regularly. He sold it and bought a Q3 (He did consider the V40 Cross Country, but got a good deal on the Audi. He did mention though that the quality of the seats in the Volvo could not be found in any other car)

2. The Volvo has shorter front and rear overhangs. Hence there are lesser chances of bumpers scraping the tarmac when getting out off relatively steep ramps. There is a limit to how steep you can go of course. When in doubt, I don't take the risk.

For 6 to 7 years, you can close your eyes and buy. As far as ASS, here in Kochi, almost all Volvo owners are happy. How it is in Mumbai, only time will tell. Owner's in other cities, and acquaintances who travel a lot and service outside the state often, have reported good experiences. Hopefully it will be good in Mumbai too. It would be wise, anyway, to take extended warranty if offered.

I would rate reliability on par with them so far. Only time will tell if its' better.
Build quality is definitely better. That European 'tank like' feel is missing in the German trio off late.
The S60 is definitely a worthy replacement to your old C. I haven't tried the new one. Quite a looker that. May be you could test drive both and let us know how they compare.

[psispace]

Finally purchased the space saver spare wheel.
'Discounted' cost - Rs.29,500 (with carry bag).
Had planned for a trip to Mysore with family via Bandipur forest. So didn't want to take any chances.



This is the spare wheel in the boot. Takes up quite a bit of space.
With this in, you have space only for one suitcase or a large travel bag with space on either side for smaller bags.

The carry bag is essential if you are not the athletic type, or if you have a back problem.
Although the tyre is thin, its a steel wheel and hence, heavy. With the carry bag, its' easier to pull and lift it out and back in.



That's the boot space without the wheel. Can easily put one large and one medium size suitcase with space for smaller bags.




Thats' the tyre inside the cover. Specifically labelled as 'Temporary Use'.



The carry bag has an additional zip.
When unzipped, it can accommodate a full size spare.



The tyre is a Continental tubeless with specifications as in picture

P.S.
I was able to make the entire trip from Kochi to Mysore and back without refueling. Total distance of 770km with 110 km remaining range showing on the DIM.
Got roughly 12km/l with mix of straight roads, ghats, bad patches of roads under construction and in-city drives.

[Raosaheb Desai]

Good range in tankfull !!
If you are willing to compromise boot space, it's better to have full sized wheel on steel rim.
Also it's wise to keep a compact air compressor. Tubeless tires can withstand minor punctures if refilled.

[jfxavier]

The other option is to get the one like in the picture below.
It will take almost 80 ltrs. of space but will look better.
I also have the spare tyre siting in the boot without any extra space loss as the boot of the S60 puts a lot of premium on the space.
the compressor that comes with the puncture sealing kit should be good enough for topping up the tyres if required.

[psispace]

The new tyres got their first puncture today.
It was the right rear tyre. It was not fully deflated and I was not sure it was a puncture.

I used the compressor of the Conti-mobility Kit in the boot to re-inflate the tyre before going to the tyre shop.

This official video will give a better description than my photos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJqmu6RM0KI

I took roughly 3 minutes for the compressor to fill it up to decent pressure without using the sealant. I filled it with air upto only 2 bar before driving off to DBS tyres to get the puncture repaired. Got the wheel alignment-balancing done too while at it.

I was surprised to know that camber adjustment is not possible for the rear wheels in my car. There is a difference of 0deg30' between the left and right which causes a barely perceptible drag to the left. Will have to check with service center about this.

[AmGu]

I test drove the S60 D4 yesterday. The new dealer in Mumbai seems quite motivated to make a difference in visibility for Volvo. Have seen more ads and promotions in the couple of months than the many years that Volvo has been in India.

As fas as the TD - Can happily confirm what you mentioned about ground clearance over speed breakers not being that big an issue as i went onto roads that had several of them. The suspension seems well tuned. The car handled them perfectly without ever bottoming out.

Comparing with old C Class - The new 180 bhp 2.0D seemed very responsive and had plenty of power, felt very stable and easy to drive. I almost felt as comfortable after 20 minutes of driving the S60 as with my C which has been with me for ages. The cockpit of the car falls around you very easily with everything in the right place. Seats were also very comfortable - including the rear where space didn't seem to be an issue despite what i had heard.

Still to TD the 320d (C and now ruled out) but at this point i think the S60 is going to be a front runner. Hopefully the dealer will agree to give a good deal too!

[psispace]

Originally Posted by AmGu

I test drove the S60 D4 yesterday. The new dealer in Mumbai seems quite motivated to make a difference in visibility for Volvo. Have seen more ads and promotions in the couple of months than the many years that Volvo has been in India.

Its' not just in Mumbai. I can see a lot of ads and highway billboards over here in Kerala too. Mostly touting about the power and fuel efficiency.

Comparing with old C Class - The new 180 bhp 2.0D seemed very responsive and had plenty of power, felt very stable and easy to drive. I almost felt as comfortable after 20 minutes of driving the S60 as with my C which has been with me for ages. The cockpit of the car falls around you very easily with everything in the right place. Seats were also very comfortable - including the rear where space didn't seem to be an issue despite what i had heard.

This engine does a neat job of pulling the much heavier XC60. It will be more than adequate for the S60, especially with the new 8 speed gearbox. The C class engine is quite capable, but is let down by a sluggish gearbox.

Still to TD the 320d (C and now ruled out) but at this point i think the S60 is going to be a front runner. Hopefully the dealer will agree to give a good deal too!

Make sure you TD all cars over the same route to get a proper comparo.

Try to get as much accessories and specs (as you feel necessary) into the deal as possible. You won't feel the pinch now if you are on EMI. Adding on later will be expensive.

Keep us posted and Happy Shopping.

[AmGu]

After having checked out the various options it looks like i'm headed for a S60!

Will put up a more detailed thread once I'm done with the formalities.

Thanks guys for your help!

[psispace]

POLESTAR OPTIMIZATION



The car underwent a long procrastinated Polestar upgrade couple of weeks back.



With prior appontment, the process took hardly 15 minutes. OBD was plugged into a laptop and connected via server to Volvo/Polestar. New ECU codes were then installed after authentication.




I was given this promotion kit

I will also be receiving a certificate and welcome kit in a few weeks time from Polestar

What the upgrade does:

It is no radical power upgrade and does not change your car into a drag monster.
It only optimizes throttle response and gearshifts without affecting fuel efficiency.
There is an increase in power by 25bhp and torque increases to 460Nm. These figures vary according to the engines and model year.

My Experience:

Although the power increases are modest, the throttle response has definitely improved.
I was asked to take a test drive immediately after the upgrade on a deserted stretch of road, parallel to the service center. The change was indeed amazing.
I reached unmentionable speeds very quickly but backed off as I saw a pedestrian in the distance. And this was in normal D mode and not sports (S).
On paper, 0-100 is now 7.4 seconds, 0.4 seconds quicker than before. I most certainly felt the difference.

Because of the increased throttle response and reduced gearshift times, the drive feels a lot smoother.
Engine idle remains the same at around 750rpm. On paper peak torque is now between 1750 to 3000rpm. Earlier it was between 1500 - 3250rpm. Although now, the torque wave starts a little late, the engine revs to that speed more quickly.
Earlier the rpm needle swung from 750 to 1000 on slow acceleration. Now it swings eagerly straight to 1500 just outside the torque curve. So power is there immediately when you want it. And the narrower power band makes it a lot more pleasurable to drive in traffic.

Initially, I had to get used to the quick throttle response. The first few days I found myself inadvertently darting into traffic from side roads. Soon I got the knack of it. It was almost like driving a new car.

The Advantages:

Apart from the advantages for a driving enthusiast, I feel it also makes for a smoother and relaxed driving experience (if driven in that manner). As power delivery is better, overtaking maneuvers can be done more confidently and safely. I have experienced this over a few short trips that I made in the past two weeks. But it is also now more easy to reach illegal speeds without you knowing it. So on roads with traffic, its' advisable to keep the foot a little 'lead' free. You may also keep the speed limiter on, lest you get clicked by a speed-gun / camera. On free expressways you can definitely, as they say it, have a ball.

I have measured tankful to tankful mileage which has concurred with the DIM mileage of 12 - 14kmpl. So mileage remains same.

I would definitely recommend this to new and older Volvo owners as this upgrade is Volvo authorized {Polestar is Volvo's racing / performance arm, just like AMG (Mercedes) and M Division (BMW)}. So your warranty remains intact. This especially holds value for older Volvos as the rates have reduced considerably over the years. Dealer rates vary from 65k to 85k, which I find is quite reasonable. For newer models, the rates are higher depending on the engine model.

The Polestar optimization packages for the new gen Drive-E engines have started being offered in Europe and will very soon be available in India. The experience I had was with the older D5 engine. I am sure with the newer engines the experience will be even better.

[ram_hyundai]

Nice to see that mod. How much does it cost? Is there any warranty issue?

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Best possible upgrade to whats a beautiful car. Love Volvos & a Polestar ??..even more so.

Am glad to see Polestar offering such an option here and i really hope to see them here someday, albeit when there is better brand awareness and they are appreciated. True breath of fresh air over the usual AMG/M.

[psispace]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

Nice to see that mod. How much does it cost? Is there any warranty issue?

Cost to me was around 65k including installation charges. This was with a marginal dealer discount for an old customer.

As I mentioned at the end of my post, this is Volvo authorized and does not void warranty. Hence peace of mind for new car buyers. Not valid for me as I am now 2 years out of warranty.

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Best possible upgrade to whats a beautiful car. Love Volvos & a Polestar ??..even more so.

Am glad to see Polestar offering such an option here and i really hope to see them here someday, albeit when there is better brand awareness and they are appreciated. True breath of fresh air over the usual AMG/M.

They have been offering upgrades since 2011 as far as I know. Just that they were expensive then. The power upgrade felt out of proportion to the cost and hence not many opted for it.
In fact the numbers don't tell the whole story. If Volvo could get customers to test drive a non-Polestared car and a Polestared car in sequence, then its value can be felt.

I am actually quite late to the party. Now with costs being relatively rational, many Volvo owners have already upgraded. They are all happy with the experience. I jumped on the bandwagon based on their feedback.

Volvos are already being offered with Polestar kits in India now. These are basically cosmetic mods with some changes in interiors offered along with the Polestar optimization package straight from the factory.

I also hear a rumour that they are actually planning to bring down a full-blown Polestar car (S60 / V60) to India soon. Thats' 350bhp and 500NM torque with Ohlins, Brembos and the works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=53&v=WCo-ggsxbOQ

[volvo_harish]

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