2021 Volvo S60 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

New features freshen up the 2021 Volvo S60 compact luxury sedan, increasing its position against rivals like the Audi A4, the BMW 3 Series,...

New features freshen up the 2021 Volvo S60 compact luxury sedan, increasing its position against rivals like the Audi A4, the BMW 3 Series, and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The S60’s sophisticated exterior styling carries over mostly unchanged, with clean lines and LED front lighting, though the sporty R-Design trim gets a new gloss black grille.

The Momentum, R-Design, and Inscription trims carry over, though the Polestar Engineered trim is discontinued. The Momentum comes standard with a panoramic moonroof, a power driver’s seat, and new for this year, keyless entry and a hands-free trunk. The R-Design gets unique sport-inspired styling and offers heated front seats. Inscription adds leather upholstery, massaging seats, and seats with power-adjustable side bolsters. A new City Weave upholstery option is available at no extra cost.

The S60’s three powertrains, T5, T6, and T8, carry over unchanged for 2021. The base T5 is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated for 250 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The T6 builds on that with the addition of a supercharger, for 316 hp and 295 lb-ft. The T8, a plug-in hybrid with electric motors, makes 400 hp and 472 lb-ft, and gets Volvo’s Recharge branding this year, though the powertrain itself is unchanged. All three options get an eight-speed automatic transmission. The T5 gets standard front-wheel drive (FWD) and available all-wheel drive (AWD); the T6 and T8 get AWD. The base T5 is the most efficient straight gas configuration the group with fuel economy ratings of 23 mpg city, 34 highway, and 27 combined, while the T8 is rated for 74 MPGe or 31 mpg combined.

Standard tech features include a 9.0-inch touchscreen, a 10-speaker stereo, navigation, Bluetooth, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Options include a head-up display (HUD), a heated steering wheel, and premium audio.

The S60’s standard safety features include a reversing camera, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, traffic-sign recognition, and run-off-road mitigation. Furthermore, for 2021, the S60 gets steering-responsive LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and the Care Key, which allows owners to set speed limits for other drivers.

The stylish S60 continues to stand out from other small luxury sedans.