2004-2005 Volvo S60 R / V70 R

Pros :
- Very powerful turbocharged engine.
- Four-wheel-drive handling.
- Lots of options and standard luxury features.
- Sleek exterior with subtle performance cues.
- More powerful brakes than standard S60.

Cons :
- Should have looked more like the PCC concept car.
- Hard to overcome traditional Volvo image of boring cars.
- Takes a long time to get used to the clutch.
- Lack of steering feel.
- Limited rear legroom.

Interior :

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Press Coverage :
The production S60 R promises to feature a few clever tricks that give it a bit of additional versatility, even if it doesn't totally redefine the genre. It is little changed from the unimaginatively-named Performance Car Concept unveiled at 2000's Paris Motor Show, which was noted for its sophisticated suspension set-up. Rather than just being stiffened up and souped up all round, it is the first Volvo to feature the company's new Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept, or Four-C technology. This updates the setting on each shock absorber no less than 500 times a second, collecting data on speed, wheel movement and position of the steering wheel, and enables the S60 R to be driven in three distinct, selectable chassis modes, Comfort, Sport (the default mode) and Advanced Sport.
Power comes from a turbo-charged 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine, which produces 300 bhp and 295 lb ft of torque at 2,100 rpm. This power is transmitted to all four wheels - not even the Swedes would put that amount of torque through a front-wheel drive transmission - and provisional performance figures suggest a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 155 mph. This engine is teamed with a choice of two gearboxes, a six-speed manual or the five-speed Geartronic auto with sequential shift.
What accelerates must also slow down again, so big Brembo brakes have been fitted with 330mm discs at both ends, 32mm thick up front and 28mm behind, and aluminium four-piston callipers. Housing these powerful brakes are five-spoke alloy wheel rims with a discreet R logo, which wear Pirelli P Rosso tyres; 17-inch or 18-inch wheels will be offered, with 235/45 or 235/40 rubber.
Volvo says that it has been bolder with the design of the inside of the car than on the outside; Chief Designer Peter Horbury says that on the exterior, "there is nothing which doesn't fulfil a function, no unnecessary design clutter." Speaking of the rear spoiler, he says: "Some people might think that it's rather too discreet, but its task is to reduce the rear lifting forces by 20 percent - and it does exactly that." That said, the S60 R does have an all-new front end to the standard car, with larger air intakes and front spoiler to aid cooling, and a black "egg crate" style grille with a matt silver edge. The silver rim is also used to frame the bi-xenon headlights.
On the inside of the car shown, the light-coloured leather upholstery is instantly noticeable - this is natural and untreated, and Volvo says that it will take on "a completely individual patina" in time, just like the leather in a classic sports car. This finish will be offered as an option, and will match the leather on the steering wheel, which is stitched in blue and said to "ensure an excellent grip". The blue theme continues to the instruments.
4car.co.uk

Low-end torque is prodigious and acceleration remains strong almost all the way to its 6,800 rpm redline. It is not quite in the same league as Mercedes' C32 AMG and BMW's M3, but it's closer than we ever thought Volvo would get. And thanks to the continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), efficient KKK turbocharger and the intake charge cooling twin intercoolers, throttle response is excellent with the dreaded "turbo lag" all but banished. Complaints about a lack of performance, even from fans of extreme cars, are unlikely. Some might prefer a little more sporting engine note, however. The R cars sound healthy enough as they blast by in a cloud of spray. But inside, they sound far weedier than the acceleration they are producing. The same exemplary performance, with one minor exception, applies to the handling. Volvo takes pride in its new Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) system, which combines an electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system with a semiactive, continuously adjustable suspension system. Four-C is comprised of an impressive array of sensors (longitudinal and lateral acceleration, roll and pitch, wheel position, steering wheel position, engine output and brakeforce), new shocks and a powerful microcomputer to process all the information. The heart of the system, though, is a new valve made by Öhlins (a Swedish suspension manufacturer) that lets the shocks change their damping up to 500 times each second. That rapidity, says Volvo, lets the same shock deliver the race track-friendly firmness and limited body roll around chez Ecclestone, yet provides all the cosseting comfort that have made Volvos the choice of conservative soccer parents and Wall Street brokers. The S60R even offers three suspensions settings - comfort, sport and advanced - but since the impressively quick-acting shocks are plush enough even in the sportiest mode, I just left it there for most of the test. It is impressive stuff, even if the R's 235/40R18 performance rubber does not offer the ultimate grip of an M3. There is more than enough control for the most spirited of street squids (a descriptor I never thought I would use in a Volvo road test) - especially since the engine's 295 pound-feet of torque (in the new six-speed manual guise anyway; 258 with the five-speed Geartronic automatic) are transmitted through all four of the S60R's tires. More sophisticated than the XC70's system, the S60 can transfer almost 70 percent of its power to the rear wheels, reducing the understeer that plagues lesser Volvos when they are pushed around fast corners. Volvo engineers even (deep breath now) talk of the S60R's ability to oversteer. They have incorporated a sportier version of the dynamic stability and traction control system (DSTC) that the company says allows sportier driving. Push the DSTC button once and Volvo says its vehicle stability control system allows a little more slip from the rear wheels than normal, allowing you to hang the back end out like a true road warrior. To hear the engineers tell it, one would think the modification turns the R into a lurid, Corvettelike, tail-slewing terror. In fact, the modified DSTC allows but a smidgen of oversteer: A safety-indoctrinated Swede's interpretation of fun is just a little less liberal than my own. Obviously, Volvo engineers are the types who wear sensible shoes even when they go disco dancing (still a popular activity in Sweden, I'm told). That said, the vehicle stability control system can be shut down completely by pushing the same button five times (Swedish for insuring that you really want to be that foolish). For once, I did not feel the need to test Volvo's claims, as the driving rain was making the electric nanny an appreciated companion considering the poor traction on the water-soaked track. I valued it even more the next day when spiriting the V70R wagon around the twisty roads surrounding Paul Ricard. Essentially one of Volvo's ubiquitous full-size wagons with all the S60R's go-faster goodies, all those traction enhancements were a welcome companion on the still rain-soaked roads.
Edmunds.com

Via three buttons in the center of the dash, the dampers can be set to comfort, sport, or advanced, the last suitable for racetracks or twisty roads only and preferably if they're ultra-smooth. It could also be also have been labeled aquavit, because it's about as stiff. As long as the roads are buttery, the advanced mode is tolerable, rewarding the driver with the buttoned-down sensation of a GT car. Otherwise, sport mode offers the ideal compromise over most surfaces and is the setting we used regularly. It serves up plenty of bumps and ripples, similar to the ride an S4 or M3, but it's an acceptable harshness. Comfort is the option of choice on the interstate, but that's the only place we'd recommend using it. It may be a comfortable selection for the highway, but it's not comforting on curvy roads, especially if they're rough or grooved. On our 10Best handling loop, we experienced a lot of body movement, with the tail hopping around and wiggling like an excited pit bull.
Caranddriver.com

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History:
1995-1998 Volvo 850 R
2,319 cc / 240 hp / 221 lb-ft / 3278-3387 lbs / 0-60 mph 7.0 sec.