Meet the 2019 Volvo S60, the Car That Comes to Put the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series in Their Place

The cover has finally been pulled off the all-new 2019 Volvo S60, revealing a stunning new look, powerful drivetrains ranging between 250 and 400 horsepower, and a price schedule ranging between $35,800 and $55,400. It will be the first Volvo built in the United States at Volvo’s new plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina. Let’s take a closer look at it and what you can expect when it hits dealers.

2019 Volvo S60 Exterior Design

The exterior of the 2019 Volvo S60 is exactly what we expected. It has those sleek “Thor’s Hammer” headlights, a sporty front fascia with huge but attractive corner intakes, and an elegant grille that’s emphasized by the mildly muscular hood. The side profile is dominated mainly by the excessively sharp lower body line while the rear quarters and fenders are shaped in a way that links the front and rear of the car together in harmony. And, what about that beltline? The new S60 has the most unique shape around the door windows with a slight slant in the rear and 90-degree bend at the C-pillar.

The rear end is equally as impressive. The C-Pillars seem to almost fold out of the rear quarters to create an elegant look while the rear decklid is shaped in a way that provides a very mild fin. The taillights are just as expected with the “E” shaped LEDs and the rear fascia has just the right look thanks to a proper insert that isn’t too aggressive or mild. Based on looks alone, the new S60 was definitely worth the wait, but there’s more to like that looks, so what about that interior?

2019 Volvo S60 - Exterior Design Video

2019 Volvo Interior Design – Proving the Same Sausage, Different Length Philosophy Can Work

Hopefully, you weren’t expecting anything super complex or new to show up inside the new Volvo S60. What you see here is exactly what you’ve seen before. You’ve seen in in the XC90, S90, and the V60. Seriously, the interior design between all of these models are downright identical from the HVAC vents to the center console, to the door trim panels and steering wheel. There is absolutely nothing new here. Event the same infotainment screen and software carry over. They all feature the same dash trim, central armrest, and rear passenger area design as well.

Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. If you’re into the look, and that’s what matters most to you, you can go with the cheapest S60 as opposed to the XC90 – assuming you don’t care about utility, anyway. That thought aside, it’s also a very clean and upscale cabin look. Nothing is too aggressive or overly designed, and that flat dash look does give a good feeling of space and safety.

2019 Volvo S60 - Interior Design Video

2019 Volvo S60 Drivetrain and Performance – Motivating the Beast

Volvo has made a promise to drop diesel engines from its lineup, and it has done exactly that. The new S60 will be void of any diesel options, leaving just three powertrain options to choose from. On the low side of the spectrum is the T5, which is a turbocharged mill that delivers 250 ponies. The next level up is the T6 engine, which is both turbo and supercharged; ultimately being good for 316 horsepower. Finally, the range-topping model will get you a total output of 400 horsepower thanks to a 313-horsepower gasoline engine and a rear electric motor that’s good for 87 horsepower.

Both T6 and T8 drivetrains come standard with all-wheel drive while the T5 drivetrain is limited to front-wheel drive. There’s no official word on performance but, the T5 looks to carry over practically unchanged as the previous-gen delivers 250 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. The T6, on the other hand, comes with an increase of 16 horsepower with no word on whether or not there’s more than 325 pound-feet of torque. The T6 R-Design did offer up 325 horsepower and 354 pound-feet from the same engine, so it’s possible that there is a mild torque increase here as well. The old generation didn’t have the T8 to fall back on so that 400 horsepower is a huge improvement for the upper line. Unfortunately, without that electric motor, though, it would actually fall short of the old T6 R-Design, leading to the logical conclusion that Volvo could have done better on the power front.

The old T6 with AWD could hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, so expect that figure to drop to 5.5 with the new model. The T8 can probably make the same sprint, thanks largely to that electric motor, in 5.2 seconds or so. Not bad at all.

2019 Volvo S60 - Driving Video

2019 Volvo S60 Pricing

The S60 has never been an outrageously expensive car, but it doesn’t exactly come cheap either. With that said, however, the new generation does come at the expense of high pricing. The Momentum trim, which is the entry-level model, starts out at $35,800, some $1,700 more than the previous entry-level model. Opting for the T6 engine increases pricing to $40,300, and the T8 isn’t even available on this trim. Move up to the R-Design trim, and you’ll pay $41,900 for the T5, $45,400 for the T^, and $54,400 for the T8. The range-topping (for now) Inscription trim comes in at $42,900, $47,400, and $55,400, respectively. That puts the T8-powered Inscription at just $5,000 cheaper than the outgoing model’s range-topping Polestar trim level.

You know how it goes, everything comes at a price, right?

2019 Volvo S60 - Product Walkaround Video

2019 Volvo S60 Prices

	Momentum	R-Design	Inscription
T5 FWD	$35,800	$41,900	$4
2,900
T6 AWD	$40,300	$45,400	$47,400
T8 Twin Engine Plug-In Hybrid eAWD	Not Available	$54,400	$55,400
Destination Charge	$995	$995	$995

Final Thoughts

The Volvo S60 is quite impressive. It’s stylish, has decent power, and the pricing isn’t too bad, even if it’s considerably more expensive than the outgoing model. The interior does leave a little more to be desired, though. Considering the price increase, Volvo could have done a little something to make the S60 stand out in the lineup. The same sausage, different length philosophy only works for so long as seeing the same cabin pop up in every new Volvo could get boring quickly. For now, it’s a nice proposition on the market, so we’ll wait to see what happens when it hits dealers – It might be proper for the Germans to start looking at Volvo as a worthy adversary.