2023 Volvo S60 AWD Recharge First Test: Two Personalities, Both Cool

How are we supposed to feel about plug-in hybrids? Are they an eco-friendly bridge technology to battery EVs or a disingenuous tax-rebate grab? PHEVs that lack sufficient electric juice to get out of their own way can end up polluting worse than plain ICE vehicles if they require multiple cold starts per trip. Well, the 2023 Volvo S60 AWD Recharge takes a couple steps in the righteous direction by increasing e-juice from a meager 87 hp and 177 lb-ft in the previous S60 PHEV to a more reasonable 143 hp and 228 lb-ft. There's also an option to default to Pure (EV) drive mode at startup. But how often would you be able to resist flooring the throttle to enjoy all 455 horses and 523 pound-feet?

There is nationwide concern about the climate, but great swaths of our nation lack enough robust charging infrastructure to make car buyers (especially older, more affluent ones) comfortable going all-electric. So, automakers are pitching upscale PHEV sedans and SUVs at these folks, and Volvo's is now among the most powerful in the class. Midway through 2022, Volvo increased the usable battery capacity from 9.1 to 14.9 kWh, making the S60 eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit (on purchases made before April 18, 2023, and for leases thereafter, due to its offshore battery materials sourcing). Around the same time, the engine was greatly simplified. Volvo dropped the supercharger and mild-hybrid gear featured on the last S60 T8 Polestar we tested in 2019 and programmed the turbocharger to hold equivalent boost to a higher engine rpm, while the stronger rear motor fills in the low-rev torque hole left by skipping the supercharger.

Dual-personality cars like this are few and far between. It's a real green-hearted, virtuous Dr. Jekyll in Pure mode, silently and subserviently bustling through traffic. But engage Power mode (or floor the accelerator to engage the kick-down switch) and its Mr. Hyde persona bursts forth, delivering Toyota GR Supra-like acceleration.

What's not to like about 4.0 seconds from 0-60—especially when it's so entertainingly delivered? As described by testing director Eric Tingwall: "At launch, this Volvo spins its rear tires and then a beat later spins the fronts as well. It even chirps the fronts during the shift from first to second gear. Cue the spicy meatball jokes!" That's a half-second quicker than that T8 Polestar and a full second ahead of BMW's rival 330e PHEV sedan. That car's 2.0-liter turbo and electric motor both produce less power and torque, and it carries a smaller battery, though with 362 fewer pounds to maneuver, it does outhustle our portly Swede in braking, needing 14 fewer feet to stop from 60 mph, as well as handling, running 0.8-second quicker around our figure-eight.

Revisions to the Recharge don't alter EPA economy ratings much (and they roughly match the BMW's), but those extra 6 kWh help nearly double the EPA electric range estimate from 22 miles (on both the previous S60 T8 and the current BMW 330e), to 40 miles.

We also appreciated the ride quality and powertrain calibration. This S60 glides over Michigan pavement more smoothly and with less heavy-footed clomping over bumps than previous models have demonstrated, and its power delivery is utterly free of surging and lash when transitioning on and off the throttle.

The screens all need a rethink. We loved this vertical infotainment setup when it debuted on our 2016 SUV of the Year, the Volvo XC90, but now its menus seem needlessly complex and unintuitive. Why bury drive-mode selection in here? Why display icons for features not offered in North America (like Driving Journal)? And why are the only options for the center-third of the instrument cluster screen navigation or blankness? Give us some geek-screens showing history graphs of economy and regenerated energy, meters depicting instantaneous horsepower and torque contributions from the engine and motor. Something.

The Orrefors crystal shift knob is gorgeous, but having to bump it twice to engage a gear (three times for Drive in B mode for maximum regenerative braking) doesn't seem like progress relative to old-school shifters.

And finally, a new set of shoes may be called for, as our test team placed the blame for this low-slung sedan performing no better than its taller, 300-pounds-heavier XC60 sibling on its Pirelli P Zero All Season tires; the bigger crossover wore Continental CrossContact LX Sports.

The 2024 Volvo S60 AWD Recharge seems to fulfill the spirit of the PHEV mission better than most, offering sufficient electric performance and range to facilitate daily engine-off commuting, while delivering all-out performance and gasoline driving range to enable weekend fun and long-distance travel. Pro tip: Go for a lightly optioned base Core model with its natty twill cloth seats ($52,295 to start) to slide in under the federal tax credit's $55,000 MSRP cap and score yourself a killer lease deal.