With a 3-inch longer body resulting in 3-inches of extra rear seat legroom, the Inscription is a new body style in the S60 Volvo family. Like it’s siblings it still is a handsome rascal with a comfortable cabin, great handling and a bunch of luxury features. Not forgotten are all the safety technologies, comfort and quick engine.
The 2016 Volvo S60 is a midsize luxury sedan available in standard and extended-wheelbase (Inscription) versions. On the standard wheelbase, the trim levels are T5 Drive-E, T5 AWD, T6 Drive-E, T6 Drive-E Platinum, T6 R-Design AWD and T6 R-Design AWD Platinum. Trims for the extended-wheelbase Inscription models are the T5 Inscription, T5 Inscription Platinum, T5 AWD Inscription and T5 AWD Inscription Platinum. This review will focus on the T5 Inscription Platinum.
The extended-wheelbase T5 Inscription Platinum model starts with T5 Premier equipment of bright window trim, a sunroof, leather upholstery, a navigation system, a configurable instrument display and an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and adds 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, upgraded front seats with additional bolstering, a multi-filter interior air filtering system, interior accent lighting, increased sound-deadening material, manual rear door sunshades and a power rear window sunshade.
Also on the Platinum is a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, adaptive xenon headlights and Volvo’s Convenience and Technology packages. Front-wheel-drive Platinum trims also get an automated parallel parking system.
My model also included the optional Climate package with a heated windshield, heated windshield washers, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel and an active cabin filter and the Blind Spot Information System package featuring side blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert and front and rear park sensors. Whew! That car was jam-packed with features!
With a turbocharged 2.0 liter inline four-banger, the Volvo zips through traffic with 240 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission makes the wheels turn. Mileage estimates come in at 26/city, 37/highway and 29/combined mpg.
n government crash testing, the S60 earned a perfect five-star rating for overall crash protection, with five stars each for total frontal and side crash protection.
With its unique Swedish vibe the interior of the Volvo Inscription is definitely luxurious. Soft touch materials, wood and metal touches make up the cabin. Front seats are extremely comfortable and good on long trips and the back seats are roomy thanks to the extra 3 inches of legroom.
The trunk is roomy with 12 cubic feet of cargo space and both of the rear seats fold down for extra room. There is also a separate ski pass-through for longer stuff.
With a comfortable drive the Volvo S60 T5 Inscription Platinum is everything a luxury sedan should be. The engine gives power when needed and the ride is smooth. It is not as sporty as some other sedans but it provides just enough fun to make the drive interesting.
With luxury, safety and a side of fun the 2016 S60 T5 Inscription Platinum is worth a test drive when looking for a luxury sedan.
