SpicedRum

I rented an AWD Volvo S60 with the T5 motor for 10 days and drove it about 1,000 miles in Washington state last week. Thought I would give a few words of it versus my '18 GS350 fsport AWD.

First, I know the Volvo is not as expensive or premium as the GS, but they are comparable somewhat. I won't talk specs, just driving feel.. I haven't even compared any of the specs so the influence of knowing torque, hp, wheelbase, etc won't be a factor.

Second, I wasn't driving the Volvo "like I stole it" to test any limits. Nor do drive my GS like this. But there were some situations that I pushed it harder than an average person might.

The Volvo drove pretty well! I took it around Seattle, up in the mountains in Leavenworth, and the BIG mountain of Mt. Rainier National Park several times. The steering on the Volvo felt very intuitive and basically read my mind. I didn't have to over correct the steering and it did everything I asked with low effort in parking lots and a tighter feel while moving. The GS f-sport feels quite a bit different. First, the very low speed power assist is very powerful on the GS, making it extremely easy to turn, and the ratio was faster to make it a little easier to get into parking spaces and around tight corner. At driving speeds the S60's steering again felt very good. It didn't follow road grooves and provided enough feedback to get the job done on some extremely twisty roads. I didn't go quick enough to worry about under or oversteer so I can't really say how it performed at tire-squeeling speeds.

The T5 motor was not bad. The noise was low. Vibration tamed. It felt pretty lively and much more eager to rev and get you going than the GS does. There was no power or eco mode button, so there was no other settings to experiment with. The acceleration seemed to match the throttle angle well. The transmission downshifted at points that felt right, and I did not do so unnecessarily, even climbing mountains. My GS feels sluggish in non-fsport mode until higher RPM's and often needs a lot of throttle to accelerate quickly until those RPM's are reached, and for the lowest gear to be selected. F sport mode lets it rev quicker and gives the drive by wire system a quicker response feel. The T5 seemed to have better low torque and again, more eager to go.

On the downhill sections I was using manual shift mode almost all the time to let the car hold itself back without using brakes at every turn. The Volvo gave no complaints doing this except a little whine at higher RPMs. I'm sure it saved the brakes from getting super hot. But I did complain about no paddle shifters on the S60. It would have made the gear changes a lot quicker, easier and "fun".

On higher speed roads, I don't think it would out perform the GS as the power signs off earlier and just didn't feel like it had quite the power that the GS does.
So around town the Volvo felt quicker as it responded better (compared to GS Eco mode) but when you needed to get on the highway or pass someone I felt the GS would blow past the Volvo.

While I didn't have the GS out there to compare on same roads, and my roads here in Ohio are boring in comparison, I felt that the GS held the road more confidently around corners and would complain less about climbing and descending mountains. It would have been fun to have the GS out there.

Brakes are just fine on both. I don't really have any complaints about either cars brakes. The S60 felt ever so softer, ie more lever travel, but just as powerful. Since I didn't do any high speed, drive it like you stole it stops, I can't really say how it felt at the limit. Just that the feel was nice...more premium that most. Overall though, the GS brakes just modulate a little better and had a pedal feel that felt more in tune with my brain.

Where the Volvo started to disappoint was the interior. Specifically, the seats felt tighter and digged into the back of my thighs. I am not a giant, but 6'2" 220lbs not tiny either. My wife also noticed this and isn't a big girl at all. The GS f sport seats are WAY, WAY more comfy and offer a lot more adjustment. The lack of the extra thigh support was noticeable after now having it on the GS. Also I just like the pedal placement on the GS better for whatever reason.

The AC system worked great, but I didn't like the controls. The fan speed button was in a weird place and too small. The GPS seemed to agree with our phones on navigation, but the screen is a lot smaller on the S60 and they both provide a lot of distracting information about the coming exits. The GS is a lot easier to set destinations, which frankly isn't saying much. Touch screens would be so much easier. I also noticed that the S60 GPS wouldn't ask you to make a u-turn, but instead take you out of your way too far if you missed a turn.
The leather on the S60 felt nice but wasn't quite as soft as the GS and didn't quite cradle you in comfort like the GS. Better than most but not as nice as the Lexus.

Styling wise I like how the GS looks over the Volvo. Not that would be ashamed to drive the S60--it looks good but just isn't my taste.

Then all the little things started adding up. No cooled seats. A little dated interior. Headlights were not as good as my triple beams or most HID's. Controls a little odd compared to what I'm used to (which is Toyota, Lexus, Subaru and Mazda). Nav and radio were not easy to operate. Tiny console and map pockets. Trunk a bit smaller and shorter. Many little things simply not present. Annoying engine stop feature to save fuel with a slight surge when it restarted. Confusing steering wheel controls coming from a jap car guy. And more noise/vibration/harshness. If you are used to a beater it would feel smooth as glass but compared to my '18 GS f sport with 2,000 miles on it--not so much.

When you make this kind of comparison you can see why the GS costs so much. The Volvo was pretty nice and would make most drivers pretty happy but the GS just feels like a class or perhaps 2 up.

np20412

This is exactly how I felt about the S90 I had as a rental recently. It's a great car, looks and drive wise, but it really doesn't compare to the LS on any scale and that's why it cost less.
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If my budget were lower but I wanted more luxury than an Acura/infiniti but couldn't pony up for a Lex, Volvo would probably be my choice. We looked very closely at an XC90 before we bought our Qx70, but I really wanted the sportiness that the infiniti provided.

JDR76

islandbeef

Polestar is like the "AMG" of Volvo and these cars are hella fast. Alas, they're not as reliable as Lexus.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

damn... people are comparing s60 to a GS and s90 to a LS.. what's the world coming to...
it's like comparing a rav4 to a Escalade..

SpicedRum

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate the positive feedback.