Mono Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I realize this car is more expensive, but fit alls into the same segment as the Legacy GT. High horsepower, AWD sedan. I am considering the S60R because I can get a good deal on one right now. The just are not selling very well. I also like the Brembo brakes, adjustable suspension, 6 speed manual transmission, seat memory, interior quality, and killer 18" wheels. I haven't driven one yet, but I think the car is FWD biased. I hope I can't tell during the test drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-2.5-GT Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 try a search. There was a guy just last week who sold his R to get the GT. He did a nice small comparison between the two. I'm sure you could get some more detail out of him. Either way, its all about what YOU want in a car though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Very nice cars IMO, but even with a good deal, can you get one less than a LGT ? They have less mods available for them, the mods that are available are more expensive, and in stock form they are slower. I guess it boils down to what you want, luxury or performance ? Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bashopoem Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 the s60r is very much FWD biased, but im still a big fan of the car. i think theyre a great leap forward for volvo. the dash leaves a lot to be desired though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj808 Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I had thought long and hard about it but in the end the price was not justifiable. The Hawaii dealership(just 1 out there) was not going to budge on the price tag in the slightest. For the money the LGT was a much better and better equiped car. I havent lost a moments sleep since the decision of not getting the S60r and going w/ the LGT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuskiTrombone Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I had a Volvo. Every time I went to the forums someone had posted a new thread about some major mechanical or electrical problem they were having. Who is going to buy an AWD volvo in hawaii? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomshnka Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I was pretty much dead set on the S60R. It's a great looking car and drives great, lots of features and ammenities...just too damned expensive. I was looking for a used one and the cheapest I could find one for in the US was $25,000. And that one had had the clutch replaced twice already (didn't even want to think about what the owner had been doing to it). I doubt I could still find one in excellent used condition for less than a new LGT. If I had a line on a great deal on one I'd be hard pressed to decide though. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gohmer1 Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Sweet looking car.... http://www.volvocars.co.jp/NR/rdonlyres/EB9C9C67-B9F2-4815-A869-BF344751A9C5/217863/s60R.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tintinet Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Recent C&D didn't think too highly of 'em: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=10385 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Sweet looking car.... http://www.volvocars.co.jp/NR/rdonlyres/EB9C9C67-B9F2-4815-A869-BF344751A9C5/217863/s60R.jpg http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/atcars/photo/20041027vf21-12-Z20041027180202289L.jpgbetter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmm def Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Yeah that sure is a nice looking car. Have you driven the LGT yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_rex Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 my wife drives an S40, T5 AWD (six spd turbo) and loves it. the handling is superb, and it's got decent low end torque. it's a differen't block than the S60 (same displacement though) but overall, i think the volvo's sport sedans are pretty sweet. dR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbacis Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 A woman here at my work drives one. It truely is a very nice looking car. Her only complaints have been that it has a terrible turning radius; and then there was something about not being able to open the trunk without the key fob, or maybe only being able to open it from inside, I don't remember exactly. If they were close in price I'd probably sway toward the Volvo, but invoice of how I'd want it equipped is $42K. You can get them under invoice, but you'll still save money getting an LGT and equipping it to your desire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93formula Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I own a LGT and I was out test driving a few cars the other day, cause I like to get a different car a lot for some odd reason. Well, this dealership had a STi and a S60R. I test drove both. The S60R just really left a lot to be desired. In the car, to me, you felt disconnected. The steering really sucked, it had no feel. The handling, was a bit better but nothing great. The brakes were good, but no where near the feel of the STi. To me the S60R was designed as a car where performance was a complete afterthought. And it was slower than the LGT and right now I only have an UP/DP with no tuning or extra boost. And it was slower by quite a bit. I will say the S60R was a really nice and well built car, but to me, not even an option after driving it. My suggestion would be to drive it for about an hour and see how you like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakuun Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Oh thats what that car was.. I saw one of the the Wagons the other day in D-Riot. Only thing I didn't like about it (Wagon) is that when you look down the sides the very back end almost seems to go away from the contours car- where as our wagons the lines flow to a converging point behind the rear of the car. It really detracted from an otherwise nice looking car. The Sedan = FTW IMHO, Wagon = Dog Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 Yeah that sure is a nice looking car. Have you driven the LGT yet? No. To be honest, I am all over the board in my search for a four door sedan. I am looking to replace my late model modified Mustang GT 5spd. I’ve narrowed my search down to the Lexus IS350, BMW 330i, Volvo S60R, and Legacy GT. However, each car has it’s flaws: Lexus IS 350 – smallest rear seat of the group and no manual tranny BMW 330i – not enough power and no proven aftermarket power mods. (aside from forced induction) Volvo S60R – still trying to figure out the flaws, but looks good so far (I can get a deal through my buddy that works for Ford Mo. Co.) Legacy GT – no driver seat memory, avg. interior quality, poor reviews on clutch/manual transmission So far I have only sat in the Legacy GT. My dealers never have any 5MT cars. I think the 5AT would take a lot of the fun away from the Legacy driving experience. I like the Legacy GT, but it’s a little down on power and handling in stock form. I realize it has good aftermarket, but not sure I want to go the modified car route this time around. I’ve done a bunch of mods. to my Mustang GT. I know seat memory may not seem like a big deal, but I really enjoy that feature since my wife often likes to drive my cars. She's 5'4" and I am 6'1". I love just pressing a button on my seat to get the settings back to my preferences. I wish the Legacy GT offered a little more luxury because I would be willing to pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_knoxville Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 based on the cars you're considering, i'd take a look at the mb c350 sports sedan -- seems to have more of the power you're looking for in the bmw, and can get all the luxury you want to pay for fwiw, subaru and lexus will probably give you the least amount of troubles, based upon past and recent history; like someone else said, from what i hear, if you get the s60r, be prepared to have it spend lots of time in the shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakuun Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Momo: 1: AT or MT DRIVE a Subaru- that should show you why it's your next car. Personally- Given your examples, it seems to me if you were really that concerned over a trivial option, you'd already be driving one of those other more expensive vehicles that offer the 'little bit more luxury' you're looking for so I'm not buying your 'needs more luxury' excuse for sandbagging the Legacy You need to cowboy up, and get yoursef a real driving machine, not one of those hoity-toity Lux cars that have to disguise their lack of an enjoyable driving experience and performance in creature comforts. Seriously- Not trying to troll, or flame- but DRIVE ANY GT- a Spec.B if you have to.. it will be the thing that makes up your mind. Bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I considered one even though the price tag is another $10K. I've been in a Volvo family, but with Ford in the picture, quality has dropped considerably. The R's do have some problems. Fuel pump is a common one to break and it's not the same as the other S60's or V70's. The R's have a horrible turning radius, a Suburban is marginally better than the R's if you need to make tight turns in a parking lot. Check out the R section in the Swedespeed forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmm def Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Well you say the Suby is a little down on power, I disagree. You're looking at a mid 5 0-60 and a very low 14 stock with a decent driver. Spend $1200 on the Accessport and a Downpipe and you will pull away nicely from the stock S60R-I have done it. Don't magazine race, drive both. You're right on the LGT lacking some features but this car is under 30k, you might see more features in the TSX/TL, lexus IS250, 325, etc but none of those cars can touch the LGT in terms of performance. You do have to sacrifice a little in places to get a lot in others. As many others here have done, I came from the Audi S4. Yeah that car had a lot of nice toys and features, but my LGT is just as much fun if not more fun while giving me 0 problems and headaches. Sometimes I just think, more electronic toys = more electronic problems Go drive the LGt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STIJibz Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 lol i always liked the shifter in the S60R...looks pretty cool... but yeah...drive all the cars....the LGT doesnt dissapoint, im sure a few mins behind the wheel will make u forget that udont have memory seats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wukindada Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Actually 3 cars were in consideration: 1. Subaru Legacy GT wagon 2. Volvo V70R 3. Magnum SRT8 **The magnum SRT8 did not become avail until the last quarter of 05 so it was not an option. I was very close to Purchasing a 05 V70R Demo...it was more expensive but not alot....around 7K more. Was very surprised how fast the car lost it's value:( That being said the V70R is more of a "Luxury" automobile it is quick in a strait line but does not handle very well:( EM for the car was going to set me back 1,800:eek: a UP & DP combo was close to 1,500:eek: So for about 3,300 it would get you about 355-365 (crank HP) I planned to Mod either car I purchased & the more I looked into it the Volvo was going to be a much more expensive build up compared to the Subaru. I was getting rid of my 02 S4 avant....tired of the expense! The only thing I miss.........The seats. Toyota 6EATS .........SUCK!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rporter Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Recent C&D didn't think too highly of 'em: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=10385 Here was their original test: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=6848&page_number=1 The S60R was my next most serious choice. The deciding factor was the storage space. With my wife having a Del Sol, we need at least one car that can carry stuff. I can't say that price wasn't a consideration, but the price didn't bother me. The TCO over 5 years would be about the same and the S60R is still a very sweet ride. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rporter Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 No. To be honest, I am all over the board in my search for a four door sedan. I am looking to replace my late model modified Mustang GT 5spd. I’ve narrowed my search down to the Lexus IS350, BMW 330i, Volvo S60R, and Legacy GT. However, each car has it’s flaws: Lexus IS 350 – smallest rear seat of the group and no manual tranny BMW 330i – not enough power and no proven aftermarket power mods. (aside from forced induction) Volvo S60R – still trying to figure out the flaws, but looks good so far (I can get a deal through my buddy that works for Ford Mo. Co.) Legacy GT – no driver seat memory, avg. interior quality, poor reviews on clutch/manual transmission So far I have only sat in the Legacy GT. My dealers never have any 5MT cars. I think the 5AT would take a lot of the fun away from the Legacy driving experience. I like the Legacy GT, but it’s a little down on power and handling in stock form. I realize it has good aftermarket, but not sure I want to go the modified car route this time around. I’ve done a bunch of mods. to my Mustang GT. I know seat memory may not seem like a big deal, but I really enjoy that feature since my wife often likes to drive my cars. She's 5'4" and I am 6'1". I love just pressing a button on my seat to get the settings back to my preferences. I wish the Legacy GT offered a little more luxury because I would be willing to pay for it. I can understand you choices & thoughts, they are similar to mine. Although the Lexus was not on the radar. I hear you on the seat memory!! Im 6', my wife is 5'2". For the last 15 years, my daily drivers have been a car wth a wide turning radius (four Taurus SHOs). This was because they had to limit the steering travel so the wide tires wouldn't hit the fenderwells. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratman009 Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Also, you should include the G35 or G35X in your car search as well. the car really is pretty damn good for the money, and you can get all the luxury features (memory seats, completely keyless entry/ignition, fold down rear seat) as well. Anyway, I liked the S60R quite a bit. I had the opportunity to drive both the MT and the Auto (both 2005 models, so the AT had the crappy, poor shifting auto, I hear the '06 AT is MUCH better). Anyway, the car drove quite well for "daily driving." I pushed the cars pretty hard on my test drives (no salesguys in the car with me) so I got a good 7-8/10ths feel for the car's handling prowess. You do feel a little front wheel bias, but not much. Under 10/10ths it would probably stick out much more obviously. As another poster here commented, the steering feedback was pretty poor. No real sense of communication with the chassis. The huge front seat headrests seriously impeded on my visibility during highway driving as they create huge blindspots when looking over your shoulders. The Legacy suffers from this same issue, but to a much lesser extent, at least for me. What really killed me about the S60R was the absolutely tiny back seat. After adjusting the seating position for me (I'm 6'1" with fairly long legs and arms, I couldn't even get into the backseat in the Volvo. I am not exagerating here either. Even my wife, who is rather petite at 5'4", could not sit comfortably behind me. I also looked at the IS350 (heck, I had a pre-order deposit in on one for 7 months) and the IS had noticeably more legroom in the rear than the S60 (but still not enough, and no headroom either). I couldn't believe it myself, but I drove the S60R again, and had the same issue. I performed the "sit behind myself" test in every car I considered, and here's how I ranked the backseat legroom, from worst to best: Worst: S60R, then the new IS, then the Legacy, then the BMW 330i (for some odd reason, the sport package seats in the 330s leave significantly more room for your feet in the backseat than the standard seats, weird), with the best being the G35. The Legacy only had slightly less legroom and headroom than the 330 (which really was the car I wanted but I couldn't justify 50% more $$$ than the Legacy, especially with the new 335i looming just around the corner with ~310HP). As much as I think the G35 is an amazing car for the money, I am just not in love with the styling of the car, and the seats were not as comfortable for me as all the other cars I drove. Seat comfort was excellent in the Volvo and Subaru, and the sport seats in the 330i were simply amazing (again, at least for my frame). What really sold me on the Subaru (despite no memory seats, no auto-dimming outside mirrors, no fold down rear seat, and no steering wheel mounted audio controls), was the overall fun to drive factor that the Legacy GT has. It was so much closer to the sport packaged 330i that it really has any right to be. Steering feedback is very good, the car responds well to driver input. Relatively light understeer, excellent power, and it has very good daily driving manners. Not too harsh, not too soft. Yeah, I wish that the car had a little less body roll initially upon hitting a corner, but once the suspension settles (and it does settle very quickly), the car sticks very well. I really hope Subaru adds the few "luxo" features that its competitors have and increases the fuel economy as well. I took advantage of the Subaru Executive VIP discount to get a good car now while waiting for the 335i that should be out in a year or so. After having the Legacy GT for two months now, I have a strange feeling that I won't be buying that BMW after all. If Subaru adds things like memory seats and a split fold rear seat (or better yet makes an EAT STi/Spec. B like in Australia), I'll just trade mine on in for a new Legacy. Oh yeah, add that MacIntosh Audio system as well. bottom line, I wouldn't waste the money on the S60R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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