The Volvo S60 T8 Recharge and the 94% gap

Let’s explain that title straight away. Volvo USA has 289,000 followers on Instagram. BMW: 4.2 million – 94% more. Does that mean anything? I guess it depends on what you expect your car to do for you. The valet parked my Alpina B8 loaner in the front of the restaurant. I’m not sure they’d offer the same treatment to this Volvo S60 T8 Recharge.

Such vanity has no bearing on a car’s soul. We have to dig deeper if we want to find one in the S60.

The 2024 Volvo S60 T8 Recharge Ultimate Overview

Social media would have you believe that every drive is the drive. F-14s roar behind you as Tom Brady rides shotgun, threading through a race course with missiles while half-naked super models cheer you on.

But there are times when I just want to be left alone by my car. Driving home from a shoot late at night. Leaving the gym after a workout. Going to Target. You know, living life.

In those moments, I think this S60 would be perfect. It has a 455-horsepower hybrid powertrain, a range of over 500 miles, a gorgeous interior, and the styling of a background extra for Star Wars. It’s just a really nice place to be.

One thing it doesn’t have: Polestar. They have not breathed upon our car here, so no big brakes, no sport-tuned suspension, and no full-on Polestar mode.

Wonder if we’ll miss it on our drive home from Target.

Performance Score: 6. Where am I?

As a hybrid car, the Volvo S60 T8 Recharge is brilliant. But I think the time is coming where this technology is mainstream enough without the need to say “bravo”. After all, we wouldn’t say an Audi S4 is a good “turbocharged car” – the technology is a means, not an end.

Engine

The S60 offers a totally seamless powertrain, and if you charge the car up at night, you can go up to 41 miles on electric range alone. Offering 143 horsepower on its own, the electric motor is smooth and quiet.

It’s so smooth and so quiet that when the four-banger lights up you can’t help but look at the tach with a grumpy face. No one pines for the sexy sounds or gruffness of a direct-injected turbocharged four.

“It was so quiet in here, what happened?”

Combined, 456 horses are enough to push the S60 to sixty in 4.1 seconds, and it really feels that fast. But Sport mode, which firms up the throttle response, is buried in sub menus and doesn’t really encourage you to use it on the fly. Though it’s the same unit from the XC 60 Polestar engineered, it’s missing that model’s more engaging drive mode.

The S60 would be the poster child for fast and fun being mutually exclusive concepts.

Transmission

This eight-speed automatic is as nice as what the XC 60 offers, though here it feels a bit more reluctant to kick down. There are no flappy paddles on the wheel, or separate gate to use for the shifter itself. Just sit down and shut up while the S60 decides.

Again offering one-pedal driving, it’s something that takes 5 minutes to get used to, then something you don’t want to live without. I enjoy this aspect of the hybrid/electric lifestyle, and Volvo does it quite well.

Steering and Chassis

There isn’t much to say about this part of the experience. The steering is merely okay – quick, accurate, but lacking any sort of feedback or hint as to what the front tires are doing.

There is no Polestar Engineered S60 variant (though there is a V60 wagon, hint hint Volvo), so there are no toys to play with or adjustable suspension to stiffen up. The result is a car that handles fine – there’s nothing sloppy about it. But it doesn’t encourage you to play at all. Push a bit and the understeer is clear (the S60 is all-wheel drive).

Do we blame the Pirelli all-season rubber? The lack of Öhlins dampers? The 4,452-pound curb weight? It’s likely a combination, but regardless, the S60 is never playful.

Sadly BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac – they all do a much better job of balancing comfort with sportiness.

Brakes

The brakes here are hidden away, and that’s fine because you rarely need them with one-pedal driving. The XC had those beautiful gold calipers, but with no sporting mission to accomplish, the brakes are simply good enough.

And that sums up the S60 driving experience – good enough. You get the sense driving this car that Volvo was afriad to take any chances or risks. It’s a good car, but one that doesn’t stand out in any way against its rivals.

Lifestyle Score: 9. Same sausage, different length

I know it can be a bit boring, but I like the concept of manufactures making their cars similar (or in this case, identical) to each other inside. Everything is where you expect it to be, and everything that works in one car works everywhere.

We start with what remain by favorite seats in any car. They hug me. I hug them back and propose on one knee. We run off to a beach and live in perpetual bliss. They really are that good. Except for the weird wool coverings, which get hot, and I’m sure will stain over time with your mini replacement humans in the car. Go for leather.

The back seat is a bit tighter in here than a 3 Series (my mini human was complaining, never a good sign). There’s also no HVAC controls back there. Should be for the price.

The trunk itself is very spacious, but I really can’t see any reason why you wouldn’t have the wagon V60 over this. It’s easier to load, with a bigger opening. Plus it looks cooler.

Fuel Economy: 9. Take a chill pill

If you have range anxiety with electric cars, a hybrid really offers the best of both worlds.

The S60 Recharge can get up to 500 miles per tank, unless you just keep it local. Then you might only need a few tanks of gas a year. Ignite the gas burner though, and it will drop as low as 31 MPG. A BMW M340i gets 32 without any penalty of weight from a hybrid powertrain. Make it make sense.

Features and Comfort: 7. Still aging gracefully

I see no reason to knock any points off the S60 in comparison to the XC. The S60 is a year newer, debuting in 2019, and has the same sort of timeless look that’s betrayed only by aging electronics.

Cuts and costs

Modern Volvos are what I call “test-drive” cars – they present beautifully when you sit inside. It’s not until a few weeks later that you might notice a few things missing.

The amazing seats, crystal shifter, Bowers and Wilkins stereo, and head-up display say “luxury”. Of course every safety feature is here, from lane-keep assist to air bags for your toe nails.

But look closer and feel plastics that are a bit hollow and cheap. You wish the air bag hub was covered in leather on the steering wheel. The floor mats never stayed in place.

The infotainment and dashboard screens are dated. I think the problem is that sitting in a BMW, with Captain Picard’s view screen, is such a stark contrast. Volvo’s unit is pretty small and hard to navigate – even the WRX’s is larger.

Come to think of it, someone already makes a better modern Volvo-style interior: Rivian.

Dark(ish) Knight

Volvo is hardly the first manufacturer to build cars with a central styling theme throughout, but I gotta say, they really are pretty.

I think the proportions look even better on a sedan. Painted Thunder Grey (not Vapour Grey like the XC we had), this S60 has the Dark Theme, which trades all the chrome trim for gloss black. Yes, please.

The 19-inch diamond-polished wheels look like helicopter blades. There’s no wings, lips, fender flares or grooves – no tricks – but the car looks like it was cut with a Kitana.

Still, if only. If only they’d follow the old days of R. Remember those, with thin spoke wheels and crazy colors? Can we get an R Sport Package?

Sigh.

The Volvo S60 T8 Recharge plays to 6% of the masses

Remember Saab? They died. Too much of a focus on things that didn’t matter to the consumer.

Volvo was in trouble too, until Chinese automaker Geely stepped in over a decade ago. I’d say it’s been beneficial for everyone, but there’s a wiff of “scared money” with the design of these cars. You know, don’t make it too polarizing one way or the other. Just make a really good car. This design works with the focus groups, so let’s not change it until we have to.

We haven’t talked about price yet, which is $62,445. That’s a lot for a Volvo with no street cred – badges like M, AMG, even F. They matter, though they’d matter less if the S60 was more dynamically engaging with or without a silly badge. Still, you have to aspire to want one of these.

As it stands, the Volvo S60 T8 Recharge is a really good car that’s comfortable, well-built, fast and good looking.

But to find a soul, Volvo must take risks.

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