Till the beginning of 2015, if someone would have told us that volvo made beautiful cars, we probably would agree to disagree with them. And then mid of 2015, volvo bought in completely new design language and designed their cars on the basis of (spa) platform or popularly called as scalable product architecture platform, and the world stood still to take note of their designs.

The first suv to use the spa architecture was the volvo xc90, and ever since then, the genesis of any other car that volvo designed is based on the xc90 design language. Hence the s60 that we see here is very much in-line now with that design language, as the 3rd generation all new s60, is build on the spa architecture.

So upfront now, you have those thors hammer design inspired sharp looking drls, flanked with full auto led headlights. The traditional volvo grille upfront gets sharper and there is subtle use of chrome around the fog lamp housing which elevates the premiumness of the sedan.

What is also distinctly striking upfront are the 2 power lines on the bonnet which merge with the car beautifully, to add a certain character to the car.

Move to the sides, the design here is extremely minimalistic and the highlight has to be the 18 inch 10 spoke black diamond cut alloys that fill in the wheel arches very well. They try to give a sporty character to the otherwise bland design. Additionally, all the 4 doors get request sensors for true keyless entry experience and the use of chrome is subtle and limited only to the window sills and the orvms are on the door and not on the window sill as is the case in most of the cars.

The real drama really starts at the rear. Volvo cars has done significant changes at the rear. To being with, the nomenclature volvo, now spells as v-o-l-v-o, what we meant is, is is spaced out, which somehow is picking up fad amongst most of the manufacturers. The tail lamp design is new, has a boomerang 3d effect look to it, apart from being all led. The badging to that effect is minimal on the rear, with s60 on one side and t4 on the other. The rear profile comes across as much more sharper as compared to the front or the sides.

Overall, the new s60 is a brilliant looking car, and now with a panoramic sunroof to the addition, looks really cool. But we have a problem, and the problem is, a lot of untrained eyes, will confuse the s60 for s90. Whether it is a good thing or bad, we leave that for you to decide.

Let us now step inside the car to see how it is on the inside.

Step inside and this is where you see zero resemblance to the outgoing S60. This S60 is thoroughly fresh, thoroughly modern and thoroughly in-line with the new line-up of all the other Volvo’s. The material everywhere is top-notch, the quality of parts used are high grade and the interiors scream premium from the word go, there is real leather, real wood and soft touch materials every where. Just as what you expect from a premium sedan.

The dashboard now is in-line with the other Volvo cars, so you may not see anything new, which in our opinion is a good thing, coz why change if it ain’t broken. The driver’s display is all digital with different layout options, the centre screen is vertically slat 9 inch unit, which will remind you of your high end smart phone and the steering wheel feels great to hold in hands, with buttons for autonomous driving on the left and audio/telephony on the right.

The Orthopaedic Surgeon designed front seats offer nice support and bolstering all around in the front as well as the rear, and as segment first feature, you get electronically adjustable thigh extenders.

Talking of segment first, there are host of segment first features, like, 4 zone climate control AC, Premium Harmon Kardon setup with subwoofer, Autonomous Driving with Adaptive Cruise Control, Wireless Phone Charger, Bending LED Headlights, Lane Assist, and some more.

Moving to the rear, the seats are a comfortable place to be, and just like any other car in this segment, the S60 is a comfortable 4 seater and not so comfortable 5 seater. While the seat cushioning and recline angle is designed by medical experts, we found it shade little upright and firm. No complains on the legroom and the under thigh support is adequate enough.

Overall, we would say, the S60 has upped the game and antenna for others to play the catch up game in terms of features that the car offers. We would have loved if Volvo could have offered the car with interior colour choices, as right now the car comes with all black interiors, making it feel much smaller on the inside.

This probably, is the only car in the segment to offer premium audio experience. The audio duties are taken care by 600 watts Harmon Kardon speakers all around. There are as much as 14 speakers in the car with an air subwoofer, which produces bass which is deeper yet ensuring the lower notes are clearer. What makes this possible is a unique sound processing software by audio specialists Dirac Research which optimises the response of each individual speaker as well as the speakers all together to ensure perfect output.

While there is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, what is missed is wireless integration.

The centre screen is complete delight to use, with menus and sub menus which will remind you of your smart phone. There is inbuilt Sensus Navigation which comes handy should your network fail.

Volvo offers the S60 in India with one engine option, and that is a 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder petrol engine, mated to a 8 speed gearbox. The engine churns out 190 PS of power and 300 Nm of Torque. Compared to the competition, this state of tune looks completely de-tuned, as the BMW offers the 330i or Jaguar offers the XE with over 250 hp and almost 400 Nm of torque.

So if you are a quarter mile muncher, the S60 will definitely fail to impress you, but if you are a marathon muncher, and love to enjoy the scenery or the scenic route around as you munch the miles, the S60 will put smile on your face. While, it may not be the most powerful car in the segment, Volvo has done enough and more to keep your mind pre-occupied with their exhaustive list of features.

The Volvo S60 has been set up on the stiffer side, that definitely aids in better handling and cornering capabilities in the car, however it does therefore make you occasionally feel the road surface inside. An important element to note here has to be the fact that, even though the suspension is set on the stiffer side, the ride is extremely compliant and comfortable. The car is able to soak up bumps and undulations on the road very well.

Additionally, there are different adaptive driving modes to tailor the requirements, which alter engine, gearbox, acceleration and steering responses. Those being the Eco Mode for Traffic Runs, the Comfort mode is for the city runs and the Dynamic mode is for the highway runs. If they don’t excite, then you have individual mode too, which allows you to change each element individually. While there are the driving modes what is missed are paddle shifters. While the Volvo S60 does not excite the racer boy in you, but having paddles shifters could have been a good add on in our opinion.

Let us also get the elephant out of the room and the context here is, we are sure you all are thinking, with such a puny petrol engine, and why not plonk a powerful petrol, especially if you are going “Petrol Only” way. Well, to give a simple answer, the objective of the Volvo S60 is different from say the BMW or the Jaguar. The objective here to take you from place A to place B in utmost comfort and safety, and when you arrive, the world turns around and looks at you. Therefore Volvo wants you to enjoy the scenery and the nature more, and subtly have fun behind the wheel, without compromising on the safety.

The Volvo S60 has come to the party, a party which is pretty much dominated by the Mercedes Benz C Class and the BMW 3 Series as the obvious choices in this segment. Then there is the Jaguar XE, which tries to impress by its super aggressive always ready to pounce looks. All these three cars, come with a potent diesel and an explosive petrol engines, barring the C Class of course (for petrol).

Then there is the Audi A4, the only other Petrol Only car in the segment, with almost identical power/torque numbers to the S60. The difference, it is mated to a 7 speed DSG gearbox which is silk smooth in its operation.

So now where does the Volvo S60 really fit in the scheme of things. Well, if you say, you are a petrol head and crave for that punchy petrol engine, the S60 fails to impress there. Well if you say, you are a miles muncher, and would love the diesel mill, the S60 doesn’t get one at least for now.

Then where does the Volvo fit in?

Well, to answer that straight, we think the Volvo S60 is designed for people, who love intrinsic things in life and have a finer tastes. While, you may not reach the destination first, but when you reach, the world will turn around and notice your arrival. While others in their cars will be listening to music, you will be experiencing the music. While others will drive their cars end to end to reach their destinations, you will be using autonomous driving intermittently to just relax yourself on that long journey.

Hence we believe, Volvo S60 has come to the party not to be a side kick, but to dominate the party, and if you are someone who has fine tastes in life, and want a little bit and more of what everyone else offers, we think, we have found the right car for you- The Volvo S60.