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Update: Volvo V60 Polestar
July 31, 2012
LAST MONTH YOU may have noticed that my V60 made a cameo appearance in the shootout with the Audi S4 and BMW 335i. During the comparison everyone was quick to dismiss the Volvo as the bottom feeder although it did manage to capture the subjective title of best-looking. The thing is, my undertaker wagon is R50k cheaper than the BMW before you start adding options and R110k cheaper than the base Audi. Yes, you can get more options stuffed into your Germans but the Swede comes with an impressive array of standard gear, the upgraded sound system that can have sat-nav installed being the only option my V60 doesn’t have.
As value for money goes, the Volvo is top of the list then but it does have some areas that can be improved upon, particularly inside the cabin. For a start, the seats could do with some better upholstery, the special R-Design bucket seats would be better if clad with leather or strips of Alcantara rather than the easy-to-stain cloth they opted for to cover the rather soft foam pads. An update to the facia would be nice too: although Volvo has taken the time to add flowing lines and arty styling cues, there is no getting away from the amount of black rubber used in the finish. The Germans have a more premium feel thanks to the leather trim and sporadic use of aluminium and fake carbon fibre that break up the endless amount of single tone leather.
During last month’s shootout in the mountains of the Western Cape, the rest of the topCar crew saw fit to take the opportunity to wreck my fuel economy as best they could. Months of light-footed traveling and coasting up to traffic lights was ruined by my colleagues using the excuse of ‘gotta test the handling’ and ‘just one more lap’ to leave me with a hefty bill to pay come fill-up, so I had no mercy on Wayne’s X1 when it came to this month’s shootout…
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