The 2016 Volvo V60 in NJ is determined to bring back the station wagon trend once more. But this time, it doesn’t look like the station wagon that your grandparents or parents used to drive. That’s because it’s from Volvo, which means it has a stylish design with state-of-the-art technology, safety, and performance. While this isn’t the first redesign of the older station wagons we’ve seen, it’s a huge redesign by Volvo. The Volvo is describing the 2016 V60 as a sports wagon, which is the perfect way to define this vehicle: sporty and spirited when you hit the gas pedal, but still family-oriented.
Gone are the days of hearing the words “station wagon” and having an image of the classic-looking one with the wooden sides pop into your head. Why? Because, when you see the way the Volvo V60 is designed, you will understand what a station wagon is supposed to look like: and it looks good.
Modern Design
The 2016 Volvo V60 has a modern and hip design, which is significant to the success of this vehicle. In order to be successful, cars need to feature a design that’s appealing to both older and newer consumers. In 2016, that’s even more important for those models that might conjure in our minds the smell of moth balls and the sound of chattering false teeth. All jokes aside, Volvo needed to design a station wagon that would keep those unfortunate sensory flashbacks in the past: and Volvo was successful.
When looking at Volvo’s latest sports wagon design, consumers will associate adventure, family, and luxury. The aerodynamic design of the V60 supports this wagon’s quest for fuel-efficiency and is also aesthetically well-thought out.
This modern design takes the sports wagon to the next level, and it looks more like a sporty luxury vehicle from the front and side, with the only telltale sign of a station wagon coming from the back-end of it.
Interior Luxury
The inside of the 2016 Volvo V60 is just as stylish and classy looking as the outside. The V60 comes with leather seats, and with the right package, both the front and back are heated. The electric folding rear head restraints come standard, as well as the power-adjustable front driver seat with the capability to remember your preferred driving settings. Rounding off the comfort features inside the V60 are the heated steering wheel, front and back armrests, and the electronic climate control; ensuring everyone is as comfortable as possible for the ride. For convenience, the V60 offers a heated windshield, power-adjustable glass moonroof, rear park assist camera, grocery bag holder, and power retractable exterior mirrors.
Depending on your chosen trim levels and packages, there are many more comfort and convenience features available to you. Obviously, Volvo believes that luxury is not merely defined by just how comfortable you feel, but also by how little effort you have to put into driving comfortably on the road.
State-of-the-Art Technology
On the technology side of things, Volvo has always been generous with their consumers. For the 2016 Volvo V60, the situation is no different. This Volvo is jam-packed with state-of-the-art technology features that are there to entertain and make your life easier.
An important technology feature to note is the Harman Kardon Premium Audio system, which is sure to help attract younger families. Volvo’s audio experts paired up with Harman Kardon, and created one of the best audio sound systems for its class. This sound system can utilize up to 12 loudspeakers that deliver crystal-clear and high-quality sound across the entire frequency range of music. That means whether dad wants to listen to metal, mom wants to listen to country, or the kids want to listen to Disney songs — this system will deliver the perfect sound every time.
There are some other unusual, yet innovative technology features that are worth mentioning as well, such as the Rain Sensor. Once activated, this sensor will start the windshield wipers when it detects rain or if something splashes onto the windshield. It can automatically adapt the intermittent-wiper function, and the sensitivity can be adjusted via a run on the wiper stalk.
The V60 also has other features like automatically dimmed exterior/interior mirrors, an adaptive digital display, accent lighting, heated washer nozzles, and many more that all add up to put the V60 a cut above the competition.
Innovative Safety
The safety features of the 2016 V60 are state-of-the-art as well, and primarily lie in their host of Intellisafe technology. A couple of these prominent safety features are the Driver Alert Control and Lane Keeping Aid. While it might sound like these are common safety features for 2016 vehicles, Volvo takes them to the next level.
With Volvo’s Lane Keeping Aid, it not only senses if you start to leave your lane unintentionally, it also steers you back on track. The Driver Alert Control visually and audibly alerts you if it senses you are drowsy or inattentive at the wheel, and then prompts you to take a rest from driving. At that point, the Rest Stop Guidance uses a GPS function that will tell you where a safe place to stop is.
These are only two of the more impressive safety features the V60 has, and there are many more available Intellisafe features, as well as those that come standard.
Sporty Performance
The Volvo V60 has three engine options, and each one delivers a different type of performance. The standard engine is the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged direct-injection engine, which produces 240 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. That’s pretty good for a modern sports wagon, especially when it’s compared to the older station wagons that might still be lumbering around.
The second engine option is the 2.5-liter 5-cylinder turbocharged engine, which puts out 10 more horsepower and 8 more pound-feet of torque than the standard engine. The third and final engine option is the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged direct injection engine. Thanks to the supercharged and turbocharged technology, this 2.0-liter supercharged puts out 302 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
But, that extra oomph comes with a loss of fuel-efficiency when compared to the other two engines, and the 2.0-liter supercharged gets 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, whereas the standard 2.0-liter engine gets 25 mpg city and an impressive 37 mpg highway. The middle engine gets the least fuel economy, and comes in at 20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway.
The fact that the base engine can get 240 horsepower and return fuel-economy like that is impressive, but not as impressive as the 2.0-liter supercharged engine that can get over 30 mpg highway while still putting out just over 300 horsepower.
Price
The 2016 Volvo V60 has it all: It’s stylish with powerful and efficient performance, and has enough innovative technology and safety features on board to keep your family both entertained and safe. Volvo’s modern take on how a station wagon should look and perform is a far cry from the one you remember, and it’s a welcomed edition to the wagon family.
For the base trim, the starting MSRP is $36,150, which then goes up to $37,650 for the middle trim, topping of at $46,050 for the highest, premium-level trim. While the two lower trim levels get you plenty of features, the highest trim is the one that gets you Volvo’s supreme sports wagon experience.
