2006 Volvo S60 R from North America - Comments

Transmission needed to be fully replaced at just over 60,000 miles. ($5,500, without labor)

Trunk release needed to be replaced in order to repair blown bulb illuminating license plate. (~$280)

Seat belt receiver on drivers seat replaced due to fault. (~$300)

Over $7500 repair costs in first 1.5 years of owning car! I bought the vehicle brand new from the dealer, and absolutely loved the car. After about 60,000 miles things started going wrong, (including transmission!) and of course, warranty ran out at 50,000 miles.

Very poor reliability. Would not recommend Volvo.

On the other hand, my 2004 S60 R has about 65,000 miles and is basically new. Nothing has gone wrong, and the car runs extremely strong. Don't let bad reviews sway you from this car, because every type of car can have problems, it all matters how you drive it and take care of it. I personally will never buy anything other than a volvo because of the success I've had with their full range of cars.

My mother switched from Lincoln Town cars to the Volvo S60 in late 2006. The comparison is sort of like going from a room at the Ritz to an outhouse. The Volvo is crude, rides like a truck, and feels exactly like a compact Ford or Chevy. Mom hates it, and although it has had no problems, she wants her Town Car back. She had driven Town Cars since 1984 and never had a problem with any of them, plus they rode so smooth it was like sitting in your living room. Also, the last one was much faster than her S60.

I have a 20004 S60R Volvo. I took great care of this car. Transmission needed to be replaced at 2000 miles. Before 50 000 miles AWD system had to be replaced and the car had :suspension, brakes, tie rod end, noise problems. Almost since I had this car, there was and still is a vibration problem. The car dealer, against who I cannot complain, did what he could but with no result. With this vibration problem, I cannot sell it. The dealer won't buy it unless I buy another Volvo. I don't want another Volvo. So I'm stuck with it unless I accept to lose a considerable amount of money. Great deception. Worst car I ever had.

I'm not American, but how can you compare an S60 to a Town Car? From what I can tell, the Town Car is a huge barge and the smaller S60 a more nimble car? Comfort wise, that's like comparing a Range Rover with a Ranger?

I would expect the Town car to have a more comfortable ride, but the S60 to be a better car overall.

Had your mother thought about looking at the new S80 - you won't beat the comfort in that!

ps, My S60 up to 165,000 miles with no serious problems. Volvo is the ONLY way!

I have owned a 2004 Volvo S60R for nearly two years now and it's been absolutely perfect!

I am thinking that all cars can have a lemon amongst them, however my experience with this car is nothing short of complete satisfaction. It's a perfect balance of outstanding performance, luxury and safety in fact it's a real wolf in sheep's clothing.

It's bad that others have had issues and I guess I consider them very very unlucky rather than me being lucky as I doubt if there is a ground swell of bad reports out there.

I would certainly buy another one, if something happened to mine.

Cheers, Mark.

I made comment 16:46 and it was not the mechanical quality of the car that I was criticizing, but rather the harsh ride and rather cheap overall feel of the car.

My mother has not had the car long enough to have any mechanical problems with the car. The first negative impression we had of the car was right after she bought it. My wife and I own a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am, which is used as a third vehicle and to carry our rather furry dog to the park in. After riding in mom's new S60, my wife's first remark was "The Grand Am rides much better". I had to agree.

The Volvo has a very harsh ride, did not handle nearly as well as I would have thought, and was not as fast or peppy as mom's last Town Car.

We encouraged mom to get a smaller car because her new garage was smaller, however we have all come to regret not allowing her to get another Town Car. No compact car can compare to that level of quality and luxury, and the cost is about the same.

I've talked to 1 S60R owner. His car gives him complete satisfaction. But I also talked to 3 ex-owners who were greatly deceived. The S60R was not their first Volvo but it's gonna be their last. Maybe that the other models have a better reliability?

I doubt the person with the vibrating problems will ever read this but I hope he does. The vibration is mostly due to the fact that you need new tires and or rims. Maybe you have already done this or thought of it I don't know. I had a 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX that would vibrate after 55mph then after about 90 it would stop. My friend told me to get new tires... I did and the vibration is gone, I forget what it is called but it was like my tires were out of alignment or out of round??? But it fixed the problem. If you get knew tires and it still happens you probably need new rims too because you hit a few too many potholes.

The wheels (rims and tires were changed). The vibrations were still there. Volvo never found the cause. Really, a mediocre car.

Another review among these mixed ones. All I can say is that my 2005 S60 R AWD is gorgeous in every way. It's up to 64000 miles and runs like new. I completely love this vehicle and cannot think of any other car within its price range that can eclipse it. Volvo have done a good job with this one. Not one squeak or rattle, every little thing works and the performance and handling is spot on. Just for the record, I think the ride is actually very good on this car! Would fully recommend this Volvo!

The VOLVO S60R is an absolute masterpiece. Nobody should compare it to a Lincoln which is made cheap and drives cheap. I own 3 Volvos (two 850 Turbos and one 2007 S60R). I used to sell Fords and Lincolns. They are both sofas on the road compared to the S60R.

On my 850 Turbo, currently, I have 341000 kms and it still drives strong.

I bought my 2005 S60R in August 2005. It has 54,500 miles on it. It has been trouble free, and a fun, comfortable car to drive. The 6 speed manual, AWD, and 300hp combined with the 28.5 mpg I average in my commuting make it a lot of car for the amount of fuel it consumes. It will flat out fly. The auto transmission was not well matched to this engine.

The 18" wheels are easy to damage and cause vibration when they get bunged. I am on my 3rd set of tires and these Nitto's are wonderful and offer all season protection.

The back seat is tight, but works fine for our 3 kids. Looks great, paint is better quality than most Japanese brands.

Turning radius is overly wide due to the AWD and the wide tires.

I recommend this car. I have been running Mobil 1 synthetic in it. Changed the front brake pads at 50k miles. No other repairs. Runs like new and no rattles... and I don't baby it!

While I wanted to love this car, our 2006 S60 has had 4 wheel bearings replaced at considerable cost. The first 2 went at 30K, one that had already been replaced went again at 60K and the last one at 90K. The dealer seems to be "perplexed" as to why this keeps happening, but after researching the problem, I am convinced that there was a manufacturing flaw with the hubs. After getting no dealer satisfaction about this problem, we will not be buying a second Volvo.

Seems a little harsh that after 90,000 miles all that has worn are the wheel bearings and therefore you won't be buying another Volvo. The rest of the car seems great. I love my S60R (2005) and would easily forgive it if only a few minor things wore like that. Luckily though, nothing has gone wrong with mine - more smiles per mile for me!