Some would say that just over 12 months and 21,000 miles is a reasonably long span of time and distance. Funny, then, that it felt so short with my former long-term S60 T6. The Swedish sedan has returned to its home with Volvo's North American operations, and I'm sad it's gone.
Being a guy in my early 30s, I had friends who heard about "my" new car and were skeptical. "A Volvo?!?" they'd ask, looking like I'd just told them I was having hip-replacement surgery. Once they saw the car, their attitude changed. My S60 refused to remind friends of the bricklike 760 wagons their parents drove in the 1980s, even though I could tell they were secretly hoping for the same reverse-facing cargo seats.
Then they climbed inside and realized much of what they'd already discovered outside: Volvo no longer designs every visible surface with a straightedge ruler. There are swoops and curves and other elements of graceful design. The cream-colored leather interior had chic graining and texture and looked nearly new even after a year's use. The front seats were some of the best I've experienced, remaining comfortable and supportive even on trips of several hundred miles.
Those trips didn't take that long, either. My S60 boasted the turbocharged, 300-hp inline-six (the T6 in Volvo-speak), and even in stock form it was capable of 0-60-mph sprints in the high-5-second range -- more than enough to shove doubters back in their seats. Of course, enough is never enough, and I ultimately took the Volvo in for the optional, factory-approved Polestar engine software upgrade, which boosted horsepower to 325 and dropped acceleration times by nearly a half-second. Best of all, mid-range power was greatly improved for a noticable improvement in day-to-day driving.
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