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What's New for 2016 - 2015 Volvo S60 Long-Term Road Test
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What's New for 2016 - 2015 Volvo S60 Long-Term Road Test
The Volvo S60 gets numerous changes for 2016. If you are considering buying a 2015 Volvo S60 like ours, you may want to consider a 2016 version instead.
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In August my wife and I visited the inlaws in Galesburg IL (GOD the HUMIDITY!!). They have a 2014 Escape 4WD 1.6 EB which I drove all over and on the hwy to LeClaire IA (American Pickers store). The dumb thing amazed me with its MPGs. 28 MPG with 5 people on the hwy with AC on full blast and cruise set on 65. Around their little town it got around 19-20 with AC on at all times. Add to the fact that when needed, the turbo gets it up to speed quickly with no fuss. It is not as quick as our PT Turbo but the PT gets 16 in town if lucky and about 26 hwy MPG and its a lot smaller and lighter. Now if this same Escape was tested by automotive journalists in the SOCAL area, they would have "trouble" as well meeting the EPA figures I am sure.
A note on the previous engine S 60 meeting EPA rating mileage - IMHO, it's easier to meet a 30 MPG target than a 35 MPG target.
All of this said, I remain pretty disappointed in the rest of the car. The ride remains "flinty" from my perspective. OK, maybe I am becoming an old guy with a sensitive a__, but, even so, especially on our Southern California freeways, the ride is harsh and unnecessarily so.
The electronic interfaces are cranky.
The navigation is a joke, just try searching for a Costco, Barnes and Noble bookstore, etc. and get sent all over the country. In order to get any searching done, one has to display all of the various symbols for places, ATMs, hospitals, gas stations etc. on the screen. That's the "fix" my dealer came up with when Volvo customer service had nothing better to offer.
One can not turn off the harsh automatic shut down / restart feature permanently, only each and every time one starts the engine. Annoying!
With all of the buttons in the center dash group ( which BTW IMHO mostly work pretty well for me ), Volvo forgot to put a button for Sirius XM to go along with the regular radio button and the "media" button. So to get to Sirius XM, several button pushes on the center group or steering wheel controls to "exit" regular radio, scroll down, and select Sirius XM. Sounds like a small thing, doesn't it, but very annoying and inconsiderate design.
Want to clean your windshield? You have to insert the key into the dash slot and go through permutations with the control lever on the right side of the steering wheel to get the windshield wiper blades into an open position. Since like most folks with a key that works all of the time from their pocket, I don't put the key into the dash, this is an annoying and useless requirement.
The paint ( I chose a very attractive color, a dark grey that thankfully is not black ) is heavily orange peeled. The dealer tells me that this is "normal". And showed me similarly priced vehicles of other "premium" brands to make the point that this is somehow reasonable for such an expensive ( $48K window sticker, loaded ) car. Sorry, I disagree. This ain't a $18K el cheapo!
Volvo "customer care" operates on an eight hour day only, based on Eastern Standard Time where they are physically located. Problem or question any other time, leave a message for the next working day, which BTW doesn't include the weekends. This is "premium"?
All of this said, the construction and "feel" of the car continues to be dead on solid. The front seats are very comfortable, locally or on a long trip.
But I will be a happier person when my lease is up and I am done with my S 60. Oh, one last thing, if you want a ( sad ) chuckle, read Volvo Finance's lease return requirements. They are truly a royal PITA. For starters, have to have an independent inspection at their order before doing anything. I guess their dealers aren't good enough..........
Regarding lease return, many manufacturers require a third party inspection. Some will let you drop off the car at a dealer then have the inspection done afterward. I have yet to return my previous vehicle but I don't trust the Lexus dealer one bit, so I'm thankful that a third party will conduct the inspection. Lexus told me to take pictures when I drop it off as proof of its condition.
Are you putting premium fuel in it? The S60 T6 drive-e engine recommends premium to get the MPG rated by the EPA.
. Not sure what you are talking about here. I think you mean you want to lock the wipers to the perpendicular position relative to the top of the windscreen so you can lift hem up and the clear the hood?
It is nearly as easy as can be. You don't need to take your key out of your pocket or put it in the slot.
Follow these three steps.
1. Touch the start button once with your foot off the brake pedal.
2. Tap the wiper stalk button down for mist.
3. Touch the start button again when the wipers reach the top of their arc.
The wipers will lock there and than you can swing them up to clean the windshield.