The Fastest Volvo V60 T5 Cross Country in the World : The Oppo Review

"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern) 07/27/2016 at 15:33 • Filed to: Volvo, Oppo Review, V60, Cross Country

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Potato phone took a good picture imo.

Last week I wrote a post about how I was going to drive the fastest car in the world for the weekend on my visit to Colorado Springs to see the fiancés grandparents - a rental Toyota Corolla.

Volvo wanted me to drive the Volvo V60 XC sooo bad they sold the cars to Hertz and made me fly to Colorado where there are more dispenseries then there are oxygen particles to breathe.

Imagine my surprise when we get to Denver and get a call from Hertz that the the pretty silver Volvo I was looking at was actually mine! Hertz Platinum FTW.

Pretty Volvo with Pikes Peak in front of the fiancés grandparents home.

We get on the freeway and I’ve already decided I am doing a review. So here we go. If I miss anything ask me in the comments.

Exterior: Wagon!!! That was the first thing I noticed and it made me happy and made me want a wagon. From some angles it looks awkward and from others, absolutely gorgeous. The silver was nice but after seeing pictures of other colors I prefer the blue. Rear- I have a soft spot for Volvo wagon and SUV taillights.

Front - Not bad. I don’t know what the awkward solid part of the grill is but the rest looks very Mazda-esque which is not a bad thing. Side - Some angles make the overhangs look short but in general it looks nice and sporty.

Interior: Overall Impression - Looked like a nice place to be, was quite happy to be there. Seats - The leather is very grippy and quite supportive. I never felt uncomfortable during the hour to hour and a half drives it took to get everywhere. Controls - I dont know how many times it happened because I lost count but I had a problem with changing the air speed instead of the radio volume. The air speed knob was the only thing that felt cheap to grab. Infotainment System - Not bad overall. Fiancé pointed out how she didnt like how the FM radio worked, and I agree. Was not easy to scan and was just awkward. The ability to open up spotify on my phone automaticaly generally made up for it though as we didn’t use the FM radio much. Space - It’s a sports wagon. Luggage was no problem obviously and the back seat was a bit small for the cousins since they were easily over 6'. Driving Position: There is a pretty nasty blind spot but the backup camera and sensors make it workable.

I didn’t take any pictures but can upload some off the interwebs later.

Cows. Because I can.

Drivetrain and Performance: Engine - The engine felt strong at times and weak at others. A bigger turbo would have been much appreciated on the 5 cylinder, especially at nearly 7500' altitude. We did not have time to do Pikes Peak but I know this thought would only be exasperated. Transmission - The transmission was okay around town but when a faster takeoff was necessary, the Sport Mode/Manumatic made a yuuuuuge difference. With most roads having a 55 MPH or more speed limit a quick takeoff was necessary more then most places. Traction - Shocking. The AWD system works great. I of course drive a LS400 with worn out tires but all three of us in the car(RX350 and Tacoma drivers) were impressed when we took off just as fast in the pouring rain as we did when the same road was bone dry. Ride Quality - Its no LS400 but it was plenty smooth. The only time I even mentioned anything was a sort of washboard concrete section of road where I felt every peak. It felt nice in the corners and I never felt like it wasn’t sticking to the road. MPG - I averaged about 19.5, just under the city rating of 20 MPG and much under the highway if 28 MPG. We did some city driving but I was fairly disappointed even with the spirited driving I was doing, it was still mostly highway miles.

A Gas and Grass. I was speechless when I saw it. What a time to be alive.

Overall Thoughts: This car enlarged my secret love for Volvos. I want a wagon and while the V60 Cross Country is great, the hopefully-here-soon V70 Cross Country or whatever they will call it would easily fill the void. The space is sufficient in the V60 but not enough for my daily needs but 10/10 I would rent again.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 07/27/2016 at 15:40

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Very jealous you got that as a rental!

My dad has a 2015 Volvo V60 T5 Drive-E (which is the turbo 4 cylinder)

And my mom had a 2012 S60 T5 (which was your turbocharged 5 cylinder you had in yours)

The Cross Country and any AWD model are currently the only way to still get the turbo 5 cylinder producing 250 HP. But very soon the Drive-E will get AWD as well

As for that solid black bit in the grille, thats part of the safety things. That’s for the pre-collision braking or pedestrian and animal detection.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 07/27/2016 at 15:45

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I looked behind it and there did not seem to be anything but maybe the rental version/trim level did not have it and they didnt want to change all the grills.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 07/27/2016 at 15:51

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Don’t quote me because Im not 100% sure, but I think its kinda complicated.

If you ever looked up by where the mirror was on the windshield you would see something like this:

These shoot radar out in front of the car. I think when it hits something, it gets bounced back, where it hits that piece on the grille and then tells the car what to do.

Because I don’t think the part on the grille gives off any signals on its own.

These cars are all way too high tech now

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 07/27/2016 at 15:53

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Ahhh that would make sense. We were thinking the mirror was quite thick and that explains why.

shop-teacher > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 07/28/2016 at 07:07

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Nice rental!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 07/28/2016 at 08:21

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The last time I got a rental we got a upgrade cuz they were all out of “a Yaris or something like it” I was hoping to get a Fiat 500X as we were in Colorado in Febuary, but ended up in a Cruze because money.

I was surprised by the Cruze, the only thing I hated was the total disconnect between throttleI puts, and any actual acceleration. Especially when leaving from a dead stop. In our Honda the throttle is very responsive at low speeds, even though the engine itself is underpowered, driving around town it still feels peppy And fun. The Cruze is a much more powerful car, but there was such a delay between throttle and response it robbed any joy out of driving, and overall left me very glad my Wife doesn't drive a Chevy anymore .

Matsayz > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 07/28/2016 at 09:59

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Cool Volvo! I've always liked them myself too. Hey, where was that farm? We recently moved to the Springs and I've never seen a place that looked that nice and green!

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Matsayz 07/28/2016 at 12:04

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Its about 20 minutes away from downtown near 83 and North Gate. Apparently the area was just populated and buildings put in within the decade.