Motor Trend - USA (2020-09)

Volvo S60

I

t’s been about eight months since

we got the keys to our Volvo S60, and

we’ve spent some good moments

with it. We’ve done a couple of cross-

county trips—from Detroit to Los Angeles

last summer and from Los Angeles to

Houston and back in the winter—and it

has been a comfortable cruiser. After

driving over 16,000 miles, we’ve visited the

dealer three times, including twice after

the check engine light came on.

In late October, just as we passed 9,000

miles, we visited our South Bay Volvo

dealer in response to said check engine

light. The code indicated there was a

problem with the evaporative-emissions

pipes, which had to be replaced. The

dealer had the parts on hand, and the

S60 was ready in a few hours. The 10,000-

mile service was also completed during

this time, which saved us another visit.

Unfortunately, in late February the

check engine light came back on, and

another visit to South Bay Volvo found

it to be the same issue as before—the

evaporative-emissions pipes were

damaged. Our service adviser told us he

had the parts in stock and that it would

take less than two hours to get the S60

back. We waited at the dealer and, as

promised, drove away after 90 minutes.

In late April, after the maintenance

light came on, we visited the dealer a

third time—this time for a scheduled

service. I told the service adviser the

sunroof was making a weird noise when

closing, as if it was getting jammed. This

is the same panoramic sunroof our own

Alisa Priddle installed a year ago, so I

know who to blame. The adviser said I

should schedule a separate appointment

to address the problem, as the dealer

only had two mechanics working given

the national emergency. Although the

sunroof issue couldn’t be addressed,

the dealership repaired a safety recall

that affected the automatic emergency

braking system. All in all, the S60 was

ready in less than two hours.

As with all new Volvos, all scheduled

maintenance for the first three years or

36,000 miles is free, and the first three

services (at 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000

miles) are also complimentary. So,

although we’ve visited the dealer three

times in less than a year, we haven’t

spent a dime.

“Closing in on 20,000 miles, the S60 has

visited the dealer three times, yet we

haven’t spent a single dime getting it

serviced.” Miguel Cortina

Service life:

8 mo/16,361 miles • Avg Fuel Econ: 24.6 mpg

Avg CO2 0.79 lb/mi Energy cons 135 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems

None Maintenance cost $0 Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $40,300

As tested $50,630 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 21/32/25 mpg

Real MPG 22.9 mpg comb

Other than a

minor sound

coming from the

sunroof and two

engine lights,

we haven’t

experienced

any issues.

During our road trip to Texas, we

enjoyed the S60’s comfortable

ride and premium cabin.