Is the 2015 Volvo S60 a good car?
Edmunds experts have compiled a robust series of ratings and reviews for the 2015 Volvo S60 and all model years in our database. Our rich content includes expert reviews and recommendations for the 2015 S60 featuring deep dives into trim levels and features, performance, mpg, safety, interior, and driving. Edmunds also offers expert ratings, road test and performance data, long-term road tests, first-drive reviews, video reviews and more.
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How do people like the 2015 Volvo S60?
Consumer ratings and reviews are also available for the 2015 Volvo S60 and all its trim types. Overall, Edmunds users rate the 2015 S60 3.3 on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Edmunds consumer reviews allow users to sift through aggregated consumer reviews to understand what other drivers are saying about any vehicle in our database. Detailed rating breakdowns (including performance, comfort, value, interior, exterior design, build quality, and reliability) are available as well to provide shoppers with a comprehensive understanding of why customers like the 2015 S60.
Vehicle
T6 R-Design 4dr Sedan AWD w/Prod. End 6/14 (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
Review
S60 R design Platinum. Zero issues over the past 2 years plus. Mileage is 22.5mpg short trips mostly with a couple of highway trips a year, 28 mpg on expressway at 70mph, Gas tank is maybe 17 gal so range is only about 450 miles w/o pushing your luck. Acceleration is as much as a sane person would every need. Effortless and tons of torque is around way down low in the rev band. Smooth engine that growls if you punch it but is otherwise quiet. Throttle uptake is very touchy, unfortunately, taking a light foot to avoid lurching forward. Steering is precise but could use more road feel, though almost no cars have that any more. AWD and 350 lb ft of torque are a great pairing, as you can floor it from a stop and turn into traffic with no fear of fishtailing, and it gives great confidence. Minimal body roll, changed to almost none with the addition of an aftermarket tuner rear anti-sway bar. I have since removed the aftermarket bar and sold it, finding it unnecessary. Handling is confidence inspiring. Reviews that talk of small differences between this and BMW are living in a fantasy land where people oversteer their cars around curves on public roads. The G forces you feel in turns are more than enough to have you slow down before the grip of the tires is lost to understeer. This is a sport sedan, not a sports car. Braking is not as quick as the XC60, with the pedal having more play before it really bites. Once you're used to the difference it's fine. Ride quality is firm but never harsh, noise levels are good on good roads, higher on bad ones. But again, never uncomfortable. Better ride and noise levels than our E90 BMW 3 series with 18" wheels, I'd say. We have the 19" on this R design. But this car will not please those looking for luxury quiet first and foremost. On concrete expressways you get tire hum. Trunk is pretty small, rear seat room isn't an issue for us but it isn't big. But we added 2 more dogs for a total of 4 so we wish we'd waited to find a V60 R design for the extra space in back. Insurance costs are low ($850/yr full coverage $500K liability) but we are middle aged. The upgraded Platinum level Stereo is surprisingly good for having no dedicated sub-woofer. The Nav system is not very good at all. Just use your phone or a Garmin. It will send you on crazy turns on small roads and the interface is cumbersome. The dash is great looking and the big digital speed readout really makes a HUD superfluous. Climate control works fine, the interface for the entertainment system is not touch but works fine once you learn that the button on the wheel controls most things. (along with one on the panel your passenger can operate) Comfort is great on long trips, the seats are the best I've had in a sedan. They soften with time, btw. Visibility is not great in blind spots. I thought the BLIS was a waste of money, but it really comes in handy in heavy expressway traffic where long looks at your blind spot are not always safe. I still check, but do so knowing my BLIS will back me up and alert if I try to signal a turn with someone there. It also has the ability to "See" cars overtaking you and prevent you from getting in front of them if there isn't time for them to react. It works very well and unobtrusively with a light most of the time, alerting only if you attempt to change lanes. The interior has held up well and I expect it to continue to. Material quality really is superior, it's just that some people expect to see German or Japanese design and this has a Swedish mentality to it. Basic, sparse, but high quality. Negatives would be that the transmission is a little lazy in regular mode. Sport mode sure solves that, but at the expense of holding lower gears a little longer than you'd like in routine driving. But for spirited driving, it's great. Another issue would be that the bluetooth streaming will cut out for a second every now and then at first, then eventually settle down and work well. The Nav is a disgrace, The 5 year warranty with full maintenance we got free during a summer promotion helps offset the biggest negative, the poor resale value. We thought about trading ours for a V60 but found it was worth about $10,000 less than we paid for it after a year. This will flatten out, but for some reason all Volvos seem to take a steep initial drop in value, and some, like the S60, keep dropping. We paid about $6500 less than MSRP in 2014. Overall, besides the BMW 328i, which will cost a little more and be a little less quick, I wouldn't seriously consider another make for this specific class of car. However, I do prefer slightly larger vehicles for the interior "elbow room". The BMW will have a bigger back seat. And yes, Volvos are built like vaults. Very solid. Still loving it and we're hard to please.
See all consumer reviews and retings for the 2015 Volvo S60
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Is the 2015 Volvo S60 safe?
The 2015 Volvo S60 earned a 5-star overall safety rating from NHTSA and "GOOD" ratings from the IIHS in the following caregories: Side Impact Test, Roof Strength Test, Rear Crash Protection/Head Restraint, IIHS Small Overlap Front Test Results, Moderate Overlap Front Test Results, and a JD POWER overall quality rating of 3.5 out of 5. Among Edmunds' many tools and resources for finding your perfect car are detailed safety ratings and analysis from NHTSA, IIHS, and JD Power, including overall ratings, frontal barrier crash ratings, side impact tests and crash ratings, rollover test results, roof strength tests, rear crash protection and head restraint ratings, side barrier ratings, combined side barrier and pole ratings, and more.
What options are available on the 2015 Volvo S60?
Available Volvo S60 2015 Submodel Types: Sedan, T6 R-Design, R, T6 Polestar
Available Trims: T5, T5 Dynamic, T5 Drive-E, T5 Inscription, 2.5T, T5 Inscription Platinum, T6, 2.4, T5 Drive-E Premier, T6 R-Design, 2.4T, T5 Drive-E Inscription Premier, T6 Drive-E, T5 Premier, T6 R-Design Platinum, R, T5 Cross Country Platinum, T6 Drive-E R-Design, T6 Polestar, T5 Drive-E Inscription Platinum, T5 Inscription Premier, T6 Drive-E R-Design Platinum
Exterior Colors: Ice White, Onyx Black Metallic, Black Stone, Bright Silver Metallic, Osmium Grey Metallic, Crystal White Metallic, Caspian Blue Metallic, Electric Silver Metallic, Savile Grey Metallic, Crystal White Pearl Metallic, Saville Grey Metallic, Seashell Metallic, Silver Metallic, Ember Black Metallic, Flamenco Red Metallic, Black, Luminous Sand Metallic, Passion Red, Magic Blue Metallic, Barents Blue Metallic, Mussel Blue Metallic, Power Blue Metallic, Titanium Gray Metallic, Crystal White Pearl, Ash Gold Metallic, Black Sapphire Metallic, Nautic Blue Metallic, Bursting Blue Metallic, Maya Gold Metallic, Titanium Grey Metallic, Silver, Vibrant Copper Metallic, Lunar Gold Metallic, Premium Electric Silver Metallic, Rebel Blue, Willow Green Metallic
Interior Colors: Off-Black leather, Soft Beige leather, Off-Black cloth, Off-Black premium leather, Beechwood leather, Soft Beige/Off-Black leather, Beechwood Brown/Off-Black leather, Beige leather, Beige/Light Sand, Charcoal/Off-Black cloth, Graphite leather, Beechwood/Off-Black leather, Beige, Graphite, Taupe, Taupe cloth, Beige/Light Sand Leather, Nordkap Black/Blue "R" Metallic leather, Off-Black, Off-Black leather/sueded microfiber, Off-Black premium leather/alcantara, Soft Beige, Soft Beige cloth, Taupe leather, Taupe leather/cloth, Beechwood Brown/Off-Black, Off-Black premium leather/sueded microfiber, Soft Beige/Off-Black, Steel Grey leather
Popular Features: Alarm, Fold Flat Rear Seats, Rear Bench Seats, Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel, Multi-Zone Climate Control, Auto Climate Control, Power Driver Seat, Trip Computer, Stability Control, Tire Pressure Warning, Aux Audio Inputs, Automatic Emergency Braking, Bluetooth, Pre-collision safety system, USB Inputs, Leather Seats, Sunroof/Moonroof, 3500lb Towing Capacity, Post-collision safety system, Mobile Internet, Parking sensors, Back-up camera, Heated seats, 2500lb Towing Capacity, Blind Spot Monitoring, Navigation, Upgraded Headlights, AWD/4WD, Keyless Entry/Start, Upgraded Stereo, Electronic Folding Mirrors, Remote Start, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning
Engine/Mechanics: 4, 5, 6 cylinders
Transmission: AUTOMATIC, MANUAL
Fuel Types: premium unleaded (recommended), regular unleaded, premium unleaded (required)
Drivetrains: front wheel drive, all wheel drive
