2018 Volvo S60 Consumer Reviews
Review Summary
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
Full disclosure--my last car was as 98 S70 turbo. Full disclosure 2.0--I really thought I wanted a BMW 3 series. Having a little too much librarian blood, I researched the heck out of the sport sedan segment. Yeah. I like sport sedans. No, I love them. I want a peppy ride, but also a back seat that folds down so I can haul my music equipment. Why not get an SUV or crossover? I hate the handling. I am the quintessential sport sedan owner. All indicators said BMW 3 series. It is the benchmark. I know you all read those reviews, too, since you're bothering to read this. So, I test drove all potential rivals, excluding the Volvo because I was ready for a change. The rivals, I admit, were somewhat limited due to geographic limitations...what dealerships were in my area. My test cars: Passat TDI. I wanted to love this car since it has fabulous MPG. Handling was OK, but not great. Impressive torque, though. Exterior bland. Interior blander. What is it with the pleather? Kia Optima Turbo. This car is a gizmotron. The sunroof was cool. Handling was pretty sharp. Acceleration adequate. Exterior on the turbo was ugly. Interior was uglier. I am just not the demographic for this car. It is made for some 25-35 year old dude who for some reason wants a sedan. If I was that dude, I would go with the Dodge Charger. Ford Fusion Ecoboost. Hubs wanted to test this car. It gets great reviews. They didn't have a six, so I drove the four. It is noisy. Sure, the car is a gizmotron like the Optima. But, I don't really care about giving voice commands to my car. Just give me an easy to reach dial for the climate. The interior is spacious, but not appealing. I hate the much-lauded exterior. The grill looks like a catfish and the rear has those squinty Audi taillights(like the Kia Optima). I know other people love this look, but it makes me wince. I headed to the BMW dealership ready to buy. Already, I was sold on the the 328i's exterior. But, something unexpected happened when I got in the car. The interior was...strange. The info screen was kind of propped up on the dash. The cup-holders had a weird tray over them. What am I supposed to do with this tray when I have a coffee? Toss it in the back seat? It was all a bit unsettling. But, drive it. The steering is, indeed, wonderful. As is the braking. But, I just couldn't love the 8 speed automatic. Getting on the freeway, tearing through an awful lot of gears on an on-ramp, just wasn't pleasant. Then, there was the gas-saving feature. The engine turns off at stop-lights. Wonderful in theory. Annoying in practice. Sure, you can turn that off, but why pay extra for something that annoys you? Ditto on the heads-up display. Fine. I'm going to go look at the Volvo S60 because it is just down the street from the BMW joint. The S60 has a great eye-catching exterior with the sweeping line of the trunk and the bold grill, but I really wanted to move into another brand. Ugh. I got into the car and absolutely loved the interior. It is elegant and simple. The ride is miles superior from my old S70. It was smooth, but had just the right amount of road feel. The 6 speed automatic handled a quick shift from 0-65 with pleasant ease. I knew after five minutes in the car that it was "The One." Sometimes, you just know. I can't vouch for reliability since I've only had it for a month. So far, so good. Oh, and when an artist friend saw the new car, she said, "I don't usually notice cars, but that car is beautiful."
VS
Critical Review
I have never had a vehicle with as many issues out the chute as this one. It takes many visits to the dealer to get them to address any issue; they tend to deny that the problem exists and hope you run out of time and don't come back. Volvo of North America has been inept and pathetic in handling my case. They are just not interested in customer service. These are issues that were resolved: - pressure release valve in a/c causing loud metallic noise. - bad fuel pump causing hard starting from cold. These are the issues that are unresolved: - Wobble in steering around 40mph. Dealer cannot detect any issue. - Surging and jerking in all gears and at all speeds. Volvo tells me this is normal. - Brakes are weak and appear to be losing vaccum. Volvo tells me this is normal. - Delayed engagement of first gear when pulling away from a stop. Volvo informs me that this is normal. I had a C30 before. None of these issues. Great car.
2018 S60 Reviews
Showing 8 of 118 reviews.
I purchased my 2015 S60 T5 from a local Volvo dealership in 2018 with 30,000 miles on the odometer. It's super comfortable a long trips, safe and gets great gas mileage. I've had 4 issues with the car since I've owned it: Both rear rotors warped within one year of purchase, but the dealer replaced them free of charge. I then had zero problems with a car until 2024 when I received a letter from Volvo suggesting I bring the car in to have an oil consumption test done. So the car failed the test due to a set of defective factory installed piston rings, so Volvo offers to rebuild or replace the engine on warranty at 82,000 miles to resolve the problem. So it goes into the shop and I got an essentially new engine midway through the car's service life, with more power and greatly increased fuel efficiency on long drives. The next issue i had was failure of a complex multiarm coolant hose at 105,000 miles that was quoted at $1400 by the dealer. I had it replaced for $400 by an independent mechanic. The last problem I had was refusal by 2 different Volvo dealers to service my AISIN 8-speed transmission at 110,000 miles, since it had not been previously serviced and was experiencing rough shifting. The third Volvo dealership I contacted, in Escondido CA agreed to service the transmission without argument for $350, and the transmission is now shifting smooth as silk. Other than these issues, I've maintained the car on the intervals spelled out in the manual, mostly at the dealer. You should also be aware that Volvo's exorbitant routine maintenance prices are actually somewhat negotiable, if you ask nicely they will quietly discount almost everything. It's been a good car, maybe even great - despite the hiccups - and with the new engine i got and a little luck I think i'll probably get 200k out of this car.
Loved my 2018 S60. A terrific vehicle in every way. The only reason I got rid of it was because of the way I sit and the windshield did not agree, causing sunlight blindspots, and I found an XC40 that I loved.
Comfortable, powerful, good road feel
Everyone knows Volvos are safe, and you might expect a smooth (but not soft) ride. But the best part for me is how well the front seat supports my back; just what I need for long commutes!
My Church Agape Outreach Blessed Me For My Birthday October 10th !! A 2016 Volvo s60 T5 !! I Didn't Have A Car For 2 years. I Was So Surprised When I saw This Beautiful car !! . A Anonymous Donor Blessed The Church With A Donation And GOD chose Me To Have A Car !! The Car is Paid Off !! It is A awesome Car !! I never Had A Luxury Car Before!! It Drives So Smooth And Quiet, The Features Are Amazing !! Thank You Jesus !! I Thank Everyone Who Came Together!! I Really Like This Car !! I Had To Share My Testimony How Awesome GOD is!! To GOD BE THE GLORY!! To say Volvo You Make Beautiful Luxury Cars !! GOD BLESS !!
Very stable Good and precise steering Miles per gallon just ok (~23-24) Rear seats fold down to hold long items Good size trunk Comfortable suspension… not too tight not too loose
Great car but expensive to maintain. Front suspension is also suspect and doesn’t deal well with rough roads.
Great car! It has 113,000 miles and has had no major trouble. It has a new timing belt and a new ac compressor, as well as LED headlights. The interior has been well-maintained and is in good condition.
I bought a Ice White 2014 Volvo S60 T6 Platinum new from the dealer in Jacksonville, FL and had it shipped to me in Wisconsin. End of year savings and I paid around $37,500 - an excellent discount to the sticker. The dealer had mine outfitted with the 19" Bor wheels and all-season P7 rubber. I made the mistake of spending $2,200 on 17" BBS wheels and Michelin snow tires from the Tire Rack. I say mistake only because the car handled Wisconsin winters just fine with the P7's. I put the BBS wheels on once and never again. Anyway, I loved the car. It handled great - stayed relatively flat in curves and it was as quick as I ever wanted with 300HP and 325lb torque. The inside was as roomy as the F150 Lariat I traded in on it. It looked little from the outside but the inside front was wide and roomy and a great place to sit for as long as need be. I will say the 19" low profile wheels made the ride a bit harsh on the lumpy Wisconsin roads by me but I got used to it - my wife not so much. Never had a single problem with it and when Volo says service is included they mean it - wiper blade refills included and my dealer had a free loaner policy. Kept it for 70,000 miles and since the free maintenance ended at 50k I just decided to get something newer - wish I'd kept it for another 20-30k miles. Great car!
