The Germans Should Be Very Worried If Volvo Decides To Build A S60 That Looks Like THIS

Volvo’s styling this generation kills the Germans inside and out. The huge weak which prevents them from being a serious threat to the Germans is the engine.

Kills them with laughter.

Rear end is butt ugly.

Maybe it's just me, but while this Volvo looks nice, it does not say "luxury" to me. If it competed against midmarket cars (including price), then it would be a huge hit. Also, Volvo is still a far cry from being perceived as a luxury brand.

I believe "the Germans" -- Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche -- don't have anything to fear from Volvo at this time.

Sorry The Steve but if it weren't for the small engines, Volvo would be getting close to Audi and Lexus.

@Miamidrive: There's a saying... "If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bus." ;-)

Today, Volvo is not seen as a luxury brand in North America, even with this car. Maybe someday, it will be. Maybe someday we'll be talking "Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo." But that day is not today, nor anytime very soon.

A rare moment: I agree with TheSteve.

sorry, that look doesn't say Gorgeous to me, I'll stick with German

malba2367, I agree with your post. I was at the recent Chicago auto show and the Volvo interiors are fantastic. The steering, but the drive-train is wanting. Maybe this new S60 will be a step in the right direction.
The big problem the Germans have is cost of ownership. Every month something fails on my 2014 MB C300. It is just out of warranty and service, even routine service is expensive. Two new shocks (at 50,000 miles?!?) and rountine service just set me back $2,400. A week later, the left headlight fails. A week later, the right DDL (LED no less) goes out and needs to be replaced. Today, the check engine light.
My wife has a 201 Acura TL with 120,000 miles with never a problem outside of routine maintenance which cost far less than the same service at MB. BMW and Audi have similar issues.

@Truthy wrote “…The big problem the Germans have is cost of ownership…BMW and Audi have similar issues…”

I’ve owned four BMW across 18 years, with over 180,000 miles clocked on the oldest. While they were expensive to repair and to get routine maintenance (at the dealer), I found all four of them to be extremely reliable. Very few repairs were needed over their lifetime, and that’s with driving in salty winters.

I’m currently on my first Audi, with over 37,000 miles on the clock, two salty winters, and not a single defect!

So am I the lottery winner, who has owned 4 BMWs and an Audi, and finds them very reliable, while everyone else doesn’t. Well, if you look at readily available defect numbers, Audi and BMW score amongst the best (fewest defects), so that’s consistent with my experience.

Also worth noting, is Mercedes’ defects numbers are worse than industry average, scoring right beside Ford, so all German luxury brands are not created equal. Mercedes’ defect stats lend support to what “Truthy” wrote about having frequent issues with his Mercedes C300.

I do *NOT* claim that all German luxury cars are exemplary at avoiding defects and mechanical failures, but I most definitely assert that beliefs of all German Brands being “horrible” are inconsistent with readily available data, and with my personal experience across 5 German luxury vehicles. Your specific experience might vary, and it might be the anomaly.

I understand your comments. My Q7 was never out of the shop and my daughters Mercedes GLC (1 year old) just had the engine replaced (complete new engine, turbo and catalytic converter). This is on top of the new wiring harness she needed and 3 recalls she has endured. She no longer has any confidence in the vehicle and the Mercedes I was considering has been parked (pardon the pun). And the Mercedes maintenance costs seem significantly higher than the other luxury brands we have owned.

Volvos are NOT paragons of reliability or low cost of ownership.

I feel like the render is good, but it still looks too much like the current S60. The new one will look even better than this. For reference, look at the 2017 V60 and the 2019 V60. Looking forward to getting my 6th S60.

The front-end is following Volvo's current theme of clean, modern, aggressively beautiful design. The back-end, unfortunately, also follows Volvo's current theme with sedans of clunky, inelegant, unattractive design. That rear quarter window treatment looks clumsy and busy. Compared to the A4 and 3 Series, mainly because their designs are stagnant, it might stand out. But against the A5 Sportback and 4 Series Gran Coupe, it doesn't even comes close.

Volvo has never been at the cutting edge of design.. just following the lastest trend of design in all but the rear of the car, the rear still looks like a Volvo, frumpy...

@truthy. I don't think Volvo will be cheaper to repair/maintain than German vehicles. In my experience dealer maintenance at Audi/BMW is not overly expensive compared to other makes now that almost everyone is using synthetic oil (MB is another story). Also, the German cars have improved reliability significantly. In the latest consumer reports Audi and BMW are in the second tier or reliability (Toyota is alone in the top tier).

The luxury market is a tough nut to crack. Only a small % of buyers look beyond Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Just ask Lexus and Jaguar and the rest how tough it is to get your offering into the conversation. I wish them luck. I see XC90 trucks everywhere, but their other offerings less so.

Just like the S90 is as dull as an Avalon, that's Camry dull looking. The tail is horrendous. Just like the S90 is as dull as an Avalon

subaru concept from 2013

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/subaru-reveals-wrx-concept