Diesel not included

Volvo is taking quite a big risk with the launch of this, the new S60 saloon. It’s taking a risk not by taking on the mighty German triumvirate of BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class (although it’s doing that, right enough) but also by not having a diesel version.

This may seem odd, up to a point. After all, almost half of all Irish car buyers still choose a diesel engine when they get their new wheels, and you can still buy other Volvo models with diesel engines. Indeed, the XC90 and XC60 have just received a new, updated, 2.0 litre diesel engine which is said to be both cleaner and more economical.

With the S60, though, Volvo clearly wanted to make a statement. A statement about, eventually leaving diesel behind and re-embracing petrol power on the road to full electrification.

In the meantime, you’ll shortly be able to buy a plugin-hybrid T8 version of the S60, with teeny, tiny, CO2 emissions, but lots of power (almost 400hp between its engine and its electric motor).

In the meantime, as far as Ireland is concerned, this is the range-topping S60, and it’s the 250hp T5 turbo petrol model.

Now, Volvo needs to tread carefully here — T5 was the now-legendary badge the company applied to those glorious high-performance 850 models of the early nineties.

That 850 T5, really the first Volvo to be anything other than ‘boxy but good’, went down in history as a cult performance car, and is still desirable today. So invoking its name on a new saloon is fraught with potential disappointment.

The S60 gets off to a good start by being, if I may quote Derek Zoolander, “really, really, really, really, ridiculously, good looking”.

I mean, it’s just stunning, isn’t it? At a time when BMW seems determined to make the new 3 Series look fussy and awkward, when Audi is churning out the same A4 with minor styling tweaks, and the Merc C-Class just basically looks the same as it has ever done, then Volvo S60 is immediately the best-looking car in its class. Only the Alfa Romeo Giulia can get close, in terms of sheer eyeball appeal, and even then the Volvo still shades it.

Inside, you’ll find a cabin that’s utterly familiar if you’ve previously sat into the current XC90 or XC60, or the larger S90 or V90. That’s no bad thing — okay, so maybe the S60’s cabin isn’t the most imaginative you could imagine, but when the basics are so right, it’s hard to stay mad with it.

The cabin is dominated by the big, upright, iPad-like Sensus touchscreen, which almost a decade on from its first use, remains one of the best in-car infotainment systems around.

It’s just so easy and simple to get your head around, and even through I think a few physical shortcut buttons would be useful, you’re soon into the swing of flicking and swiping your way through the various menus.

Better than the electronics (or the magnificent stereo) are the cabin’s physical hard-points. The seats are amazing (a Volvo tradition), there’s good space, and excellent quality too — albeit it’s not quite as out-and-out solid in feel as the A4 or the BMW.

Around the back, there’s a decent 442 litre boot, although, obviously, if it’s practicality you’re after you’d be better off going for the equally as good-looking V60 estate version.

Up front, there’s Volvo’s now-familiar 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbo engine, with the wick turned up to 250hp for this T5 version.

Now, there are a couple of issues here. One, this is an engine that doesn’t aurally reward you when you rev it. It’s fine, and it’s decently refined at a cruising speed, but there’s no entertainment from the sound.

The second issue is that it just doesn’t have the sledgehammer hit of the original 850 T5’s engine. That’s in spite of the fact that this S60 T5 is packing 250hp — 20hp more than the old 850 — and that’s backed up by a very healthy 350Nm of torque. On paper, it’s more than quick enough — 6.5secs 0-100km/h, and a top speed of 233km/h.

On the road, though, it just never feels that quick. There’s performance there, right enough, but you have to extend the engine, work it out to the redline, to find it. An equivalent BMW 330i feels far, far more responsive by comparison, in spite of having only an extra 8hp over the Volvo.

Now, this is a little disappointing. Anyone who remembers, as I do, those 850s of old, will feel let down by the T5 that seems to have lost its fireworks.

Happily, though, things do improve. Spend more time with the S60, and you soon realise that aside from the badge, it’s not trying to be a new 850 T5. Rather it is a swift, sure, and very, very safe sports saloon that majors on abiding satisfaction, rather than outright thrills.

It actually drives very well. There’s a slightly languid response from the steering, which means it’s not as sharp through corners as the benchmark BMW, but it’s still hugely enjoyable to drive.

That’s backed up by a ride quality which, even with the optional stiffer suspension of this R-Design model, is firmly controlled, rather than hard and crashy.

Speaking of crashy, this is a Volvo, so if you actually care about on-road safety it’s arguably the car you should be driving. From big items such as steering that can pull you away from danger in an emergency to less obvious items, such as exceptional headlights, it’s a Swedish safety masterclass. You’re unlikely to feel as confident putting your kids in the back of anything else.

As for being a thrilling T5, a true successor to the 850? Nope. But this new S60 is a gorgeous, capable, enjoyable, and above all satisfying saloon. And it doesn’t even need a diesel engine.