Volvo S60R- talk to me...

[ManOpener]

Changing jobs soon, with a much shorter commute but will potentially need to drive customers around. I've been looking at Volvo S60s, particularly the R, as they seem to be a good balance between comfort, performance and subtlty. Low prices too!

Anyone got any views on them? Economy, reluability woes, real-world performance? I understand they're Haldex- does that mean you can fit the sports-spec or upgraded Haldex controllers to them?

[Baryonyx]

ManOpener said:

Changing jobs soon, with a much shorter commute but will potentially need to drive customers around. I've been looking at Volvo S60s, particularly the R, as they seem to be a good balance between comfort, performance and subtlty. Low prices too!

Anyone got any views on them? Economy, reluability woes, real-world performance? I understand they're Haldex- does that mean you can fit the sports-spec or upgraded Haldex controllers to them?

Economy? High teens and the low 20's if you drive them at a push. Speaking to a friend of mine who drove S60 T5's for the police and was getting mid teen MPG, I think you could reasonably expect to either equal that or do a little better (as even with the extra bhp and weight of the haldex system there is no way you'll be driving as fast or as hard as the police were). In any event, prepare for heavy petrol costs as even my S60 2.0 T loved the 98 RON.

Reliability woes? I'm not sure but I'd put money on them having slightly naff electronic throttle modules. Well know failure in all the other S60's (mine went). Something like £300 for a replacement part and fitting, though I got mine done for free without even having to mention the SOGA to the dealer! Check for a small yellow sticker on the new throttle module that indicates the part has been replaced. The main headache on these cars will be the suspension, as I'm sure you're aware it has a fairly complex active damping/levelling system built in and reports suggested costs of over £1000 a corner if something goes wrong with it. Given how rare these models are, I suspect it would challenge Volvo to fix it so I wouldn't bet on an independent specialist being able to sort the suspension out.

Real world performance? Pretty quick, I'd suggest though the reports suggest that they're not as quick as the figures make out. Definitely a high tech, refined cruiser in the face of the T5's relatively simple, straight-line-bruiser image. IIRC, Volvo gave my local force a demo model but never got an order for one, as the feeling from those driving it was that it wasn't much quicker than the T5 at all and not worth the premium. Even the FWD models handle well, but don't expect the 4WD system to change the earth as it's still a relatively big and heavy car. If you can live with the fuel and repair bills though I suspect you could be onto a real winner, as they are dirt cheap to buy.