By Backlicker

So remember a few months back when we reviewed the current gen volvo s60? It was an unremarkable luxury sedan, good at what it does but not too memorable? Well let me tell you something

the swedes

cannot

be trusted

with electricity

….

WHY THE FUCK DOES THIS FUCKING VOLVO MAKE 450HP

In august of 2024 I came into contact with a piece of alien technology. The Volvo S60 T8 Recharge Black Edition. It has literally every option from both the S60 and the Polestar 2. Including the motors. The car is supposedly powered by a 247hp 2.0L Turbo 4, but also has 2 massive electric motors, adding 200+hp to the already substantial 4 banger. Sure its not the rare twin charged motor you can get in the earlier versions, but the extra 50 hp more than makes up for it. At this point I have spent a substantial amount of time driving this car, and it never does what I’d expect.

We previously described the tires of a regular S60 as “will grab the road like a horny college kid grabs himself on a lazy afternoon”. This thing is no different. Instead of whatever normal tires you’d get, Volvo shlapped some 235 wide P-Zeros on the T8, so its about as grippy as you can get with all seasons. The tires so not slip. Ever. Its a solid mix of well programmed traction control (that I still haven’t figured out how to disable) and a decently designed suspension but under even some spirited driving this car never seems to have grip issues. This does include both normal acceleration, and mashing the gas at a stop light to confuse some jabroni who was revving his E92 M3. A car that wasn’t really a challenge to beat, as the T8 can reach 60 in 4.3 seconds, nearly a second faster than the M3. And for a car that only cost $56k, its a far better choice than a similarly optioned Audi S4. Especially since it only cost as much as a mid range A4.

The electric half of the S60 is quite impressive. While you have a decent amount of battery, the motor won’t even start unless you hammer on the gas. And by that point the engine is revving high enough that the turbo will spool up in no time at all. All of this combines to create a truly absurd degree of turbo lag. I’ve been able to consistently get about 35 miles of pure electric range, and quite a bit more out of the battery if I’m running it as a hybrid. As a hybrid, it gets about 146 mpg, so it can beat a Prius at its own game too.

And it looks like a normal S60. The only way to tell this one apart is that it is completely black, but that package is still available on other trims, under the name “Dark Theme”. Other than the issues that arise from not being able to see your car, its completely unassuming and quite classy, a rarity here at MSIMA. While “Recharge” gets you every single performance option, “Black Edition” gets you every interior option. The interior is nice, even for a Volvo. Real leather for everything, wood accents, and even some real buttons. Almost everything is still controlled by a tablet that acts as the center console, but you can also control everything. The only other car I’ve driven with a similar sitting position is a BMW M5. You sit low, with high arm rests forcing your hands to the wheel. The dash has google maps on it, so you don’t have to take your eyes too far off the road to get directions, it has level 2 self driving – aka the self driving thing Tesla drivers always brag about – and a Bang and Olufsen sound system. The sound system is a bit lacking for bass, something I’m not used to haven mostly driven cars inspired by the tuner trash of the 90s and 00s. But it still sounds amazing with the right songs, I recommend “Stand by Me” by Florence and the Machine and “Good Things Go” by Linkin Park.

The T8 will still try to keep you from being stupid. Its speed limit to 130, it won’t let me disable the traction control, and the sensors freak out when you go through the car wash. And it has sensors everywhere. Nearly everything in the car can be controlled through voice commands, which can be automatically activated against your will. If you get close enough to another car, the 360 degree view around the car gets activated, which is helpful?

And you don’t need to do reverse donuts when you can outrun anything.

“It’s not as fun to drive as a BMW, not as sensual as an Alfa, but it’s still Swedish so I’d fuck it” – Monty4248