2012 Volvo S60 T5 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl Turbo 6A)
I test drove a lot of cars. I mean a LOT of cars. My husband thought I was crazy, as this became a weekly thing for me to go out and test drive something. After owning the first gen Lexus RX for 12 years, I felt like a kid in a candy store, with so many cool features to explore. Since I was planning to keep the ute for bad weather and hauling stuff, I finally narrowed down my search to sporty 4 door cars. Almost bought a Volt. Then I almost bought a new 3 series. And then I went all the way back to one of the very first cars I tested, in January 2011. I wound up with a gorgeous sapphire black S60-T5. it's fantastic!
The review from Motor Trend was right on. They placed the s60 in 2nd place, after the BMW, but in front of Audi, MB,acura, Lexus,infiniti, and Buick. The Volvo S60 is so much more for the money. And it is FUN to drive. The chunky soft leather seats are the most comfortable out there. Safety features galore. And it takes regular gas! A 5 yr warranty and maintence is great. For the same price as a basic unequipped German competitor, you can get a lot of bells and whistles on this Volvo. And they are not so common as the other cars, which is nice. I get compliments everywhere I go in my new volvo. After 30 years of toyotas, this is refreshingly different and FUN!
My suggested improvements are for the car dealers! The car needs no improvements....well, it could be easier to use some of the features but that will come with trial, error and maybe even reading the owners manual :-) Car dealers are so tricky. They post an "Internet price" online. But wait, that price does not include the $795 "destination fee"! Whaaaat? Not like it's an option! The excuse from them is, "well, every other dealer does this"... Give me a break! Sounds like an answer from a 5 year old. From 18 months of online shopping, you learn which guys are "upfront" with the info and which are going to be less than honest. A good test for any of you car shoppers out there!