Daily News Bulletin tests the Volvo S60 D4

Volkswagen Passat, BMW 3-series, Audi A4 and Volvo S60 are some of the best luxury sedans in the market. But the Volvo S60 brings more to the table.

What stood out for me with the S60 D4 were the unmatchable safety features that come with the vehicle. The new Active High Beam Control makes every trip in the dark safer and more comfortable. The technology eliminates the need to switch between low and high beam. Instead, Active High Beam Control makes it possible to keep the headlights on full beam continuously.

When another car approaches from the opposite direction, the system helps to prevent dazzling the oncoming driver by shading out only as much of the beam as necessary. This is done by an ingenious projector module mechanism integrated into the headlamp.

The new Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with full auto brake is equipped with an advanced sensor system that scans the area ahead. If a cyclist heading in the same direction as the car suddenly swerves out in front of the car and a collision is imminent, there is an instant warning and full braking power is applied.

Inside

The Volvo S60 D4’s cabin looks very elegant. It features, paddle shift and leather steering wheel, leather gear knob, state of the art digital display, and easy to use instruments and controls.

The powered and heated front seats are comfortable and keep you in your position all the time. They can be adjusted up to 3 different driver’s settings into a memory system linked to the central locking remote controls. The heating can be operated using buttons on the centre console.

The model I tested featured the piano black decor inlay which I did not like – it looks a bit dull. The car features Bluetooth technology, CD/radio/MP3 player with USB and auxiliary port. The high performance multimedia audio system features 7″ colour display screen.

The S60 D4 has a boot capacity of 380 litres.

Outside

The S60 looks bold and features a wider grille, daylight running lights, a new LED light guide on the tail lamps and emphasised front and rear horizontal lines. These features enhance the S60’s road presence.

Its lockable wheel bolts help reduce the risk of aluminium wheels being stolen. The wheel lock features one uniquely coded socket enabling only the driver to remove the wheels.

The new R-Design 19” Ixion II alloy wheels have an overtly sporting, forward-thrusting design.

Its visual presence is complemented with R-DESIGN unique rear exhaust pipes.

On the road

The Volvo S60 D4 handles sharp curves very well. The car is very solid, feels safe on the road and offers superior fuel economy.

The S60’s new gearshift paddles for the automatic transmission adds more fun behind the steering wheel. They offer faster and more precise manual gear changes.

Tech Specs