A brief encounter in the Home Depot parking lot on Sunday reminded me how resonant the 2019 Volvo V60 wagon can be for some people. A fellow shopper stopped me as I approached the V60 with my purchases. “It’s great, isn’t it?” he said. “I’m from Europe, so I really like it.” I realized that he was referring to the V60, and not to the can of contact cement that I was juggling as I reached for the door handle. My fellow shopper was a tall blonde man in his 40s, and he leaned against his nicely preserved 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero. “People think they need an SUV, but this is all they really need.”
I thanked him for his thoughts, and I agreed that the V60 is pretty great. I don’t have the same kind of aversion to SUVs. In fact, I love big, full-size body-on-frame SUVs. But there’s something about a wagon that fills my heart. Volvo has done wagons ever since 1953 and the PV445 Duett. Other notable Volvo wagons along the way were the sporty 1800ES, the shoebox-shaped 245 (which was in production for almost 20 years), and the 850 (Volvo’s first front-wheel drive offering in the United States). For a while, the Volvo station wagon was a symbol for a kind of progressive, crunchy granola suburban family, the safe, modestly upscale choice before the rise of the minivan.
Volvo now offers two wagons, the full-size V90 and the mid-size V60. Both vehicles ride on the brand’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, which also underlies the S90 and S60 sedans and XC60 and XC90 crossover SUVs. The platform blossomed from the redevelopment of Volvo Cars, which began when Ford sold Volvo to China’s Geely Holding Group in 2010. Volvo engineers have talked about the shift from legacy Ford platforms to the SPA platform as a blank sheet makeover. They entered the process with the mindset of a startup company – but one with heritage and experience dating back to 1927. The results have been praiseworthy, as the current crop of Volvo 60 and 90 series vehicles are among the best the company has ever built, with features, performance and build quality that argue for Volvo to be elevated to premium status among its competition.
The V60 comes in three trim levels: Momentum; R-Design; and Inscription. Currently, two powertrain options are available. T5 FWD is a front-wheel drive setup with a 250-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine with gasoline direct injection, standard in Momentum and R-Design models. T6 AWD is an all-wheel drive powertrain with a 316-hp turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine with gasoline direct injection. It is standard on Inscription models, and available for $5,500 on Momentum and R-Design models. V60 Momentum T5 FWD starts at $38,900; V60 R-Design T5 FWD starts at $43,900; and V60 Inscription T6 AWD starts at $49,400. My test vehicle was a 2019 V60 Inscription T6 AWD with an as-tested price of $61,490, including a Luxury Seat Package ($2,200), the Advanced Package ($2,500), Heated Rear Seats and Steering Wheel ($750), Metallic Paint ($645), FOUR-C Active Chassis ($1,000), Bowers and Wilkins Premium Sound ($3,200), 19-inch Inscription Alloy Wheels ($800), and a $995 Destination Charge.
Volvo installs two electrified powertrain options, T6 Twin Engine and T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid gasoline-electric systems, in some markets outside of the United States, but will not offer those options here for 2019.
V60 T5 FWD is rated to achieve 24 mpg city/36 mpg highway/28 mpg combined. V60 T6 AWD comes out at 21 mpg city/31 mpg highway/25 mpg combined – better than the gasoline-only XC60 models, and competitive with the smaller XC40 crossover.
Looking back at photos of historic Volvo wagons, I can easily say that V60 is the best-looking edition yet. Forget what you remember about the boxy, squared-off 245, or even the recent awkwardness of the first-generation V60 (2011 – 2018). V60 is now a crisply-tailored, athletic sports wagon with great details and presence. Taking on the new Volvo signature features like Thor’s Hammer daytime running lights, the updated Iron Mark logo and other details ties in V60 to the rest of the refreshed lineup.
But inside is where V60 really impresses. The layered, wrapped and stitched dash gets real wood and metal trim. A highlight is a portrait-oriented Sensus touchscreen at the top of the center stack. Familiar pinch and swipe gestures make operation a breeze, and operation becomes more and more intuitive with time and repetition. My test vehicle’s optional Luxury Seat Package included power-adjustable thigh support and a massage function for both driver and passenger, a great upgrade on an already comfortable seating package. Fans of Scandinavian design will love the sliding wooden tambour covers over the center console compartments, really a gorgeous detail. Jewel-cut gnurling on metal knobs and switches adds tactile luxury throughout. The outboard seats in the second row are comfortable and roomy. Nobody wants to sit in the middle seat in the second row, so don’t make them do it.
Driving the V60 reveals a great strength of the SPA platform and the T6 powertrain. Use the selectable drive mode to fine-tune your experience, Comfort, Eco, Dynamic or Individual, and the throttle, steering, transmission, and suspension (on models with Active Chassis) are adjusted accordingly. V60’s eight-speed automatic transmission is perfectly matched to the engine, and there always seems to be plenty of power available for passing or for quick jumps off the line at a stoplight. Highway cruising is a pleasure, especially when you engage the Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive system with adaptive cruise control. You have to remain alert and prepared, providing input to the wheel to keep Pilot Assist active, but the system does a great job of keeping the V60 in its lane and flowing with traffic. V60 would be one of my top choices for a long road trip, thanks to this feature.
There are other new station wagons to consider, of course. Volvo’s own V90 is a good example, if you need more space. BMW’s 3-series Sports Wagon, Audi’s A4 allroad quattro, Buick’s Regal TourX, Mercedes-Benz’s E-Class Wagon, Jaguar’s XF Sportbrake are premium takes on the form, each with much to explore.
I keep thinking about the European blonde guy at Home Depot, and his reaction to the V60. There is a group of buyers for whom the V60 will be a dream car. Right now, there is a larger group of buyers shopping for SUVs. XC40, XC60 and XC90 all far outsell V60 and V90 on Volvo lots. It’s not even close. I’m glad that Volvo continues to produce wagons in Sweden and sell them in the United States.
