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Puredrive07's 2015 V60 R-Design Thread

24K views 55 replies 14 participants last post by  PureDrive07 
#1 · (Edited)
So I recently traded in my 2012 S60 R-Design in for a 2015 V60 R-Design as mentioned in an earlier thread. So far I very pleased with the upgrade from my 2012 S60RD into the 2015 V60RD as there are so many more features that I didn't have on the 2012; plus the new cosmetic upgrades that begun in 2014MY.

Here are the specs:

2015 V60 T6 AWD R-Design
Passion Red w/Off Black (Full Leather)
~Platinum
~Technology
~Climate
~BLIS
~19" Ixion II w/All-Season tires

Upgrades/Accessories:
~Volvo OEM Rubber Mats (Swapped from 2012)
~KN Filter (Swapped from 2012)
~IPD Rear Sway Bar (Swapped from 2012)
~Trunk Pocket Nets (Swapped from 2012)
~LED License Plate Bulbs (Swapped from 2012)
~Volvo OEM Sunglass Holder (Installed, wife ended up getting mine from the 2012)
~Volvo OEM Mudflaps -Front/Rear
~Volvo OEM Rear Seats/Cargo Area Sunshades (August 2015)
~Interior Dome LEDs (2/29/16)
~IPD Catback Exhaust (12/3/16)
~Polestar Front Winglets (May 2018)

Future Upgrades:
~Polestar Rear Spoiler
~IPD 'R' Boost Gauge (Swapped from 2012)

Here is my impressions and comparisons to the 2012 S60RD:

Cosmetics (updated 9/24/14)
I really like the new facelift on the exterior of the new V60RD, but I also had no issues with the 2011-2013 exterior. Both are very sporty and handsome, so there aren't going to be knocks from me when it comes to the outside of the 2012 compared to the 2015. I love the 19" wheels in how they look and fill the wheel gaps a lot nicer than the 18" wheels did; the matte black color pops with the Passion Red color. I do however really love the newer Sport seats and Gauge Cluster of the 2015 compared to the 2012. The seats remind me of the 2007 S60R that I had and the new gauge cluster makes the car look more relevant to other cars in it's class. I do have to say that I liked the silver center console trim over the newer darker piece, but it's slowly growing on me. The one thing I noticed is that Volvo must have changed the silk metal mirror caps to nothing more than Bright Silver painted covers; you can tell the difference between the trim on the rest of the car to the mirror caps. I may look into finding the P/N for the older metal looking covers to replace these; or swap out the Black Stone mirror covers on my wife's T5 AWD.

Suspension (Updated 1/30/16)
Haven't really tested out the suspension on the 2015 since it barely even has a 100 miles on the odometer; so I wanted to take it nice and easy with only a few highway on/off ramps and everything felt really nice. The IPD rear sway bar seems to feel a lot tighter in the rear of the V60 compared to the S60, but I will have to update this thread after a few hundred miles. The 19" wheels feel great and I don't notice any difference in harshness when comparing to the 18" wheels that had the same sidewall size.
Update (1/30/16): I've hit the 10,000 mile mark on my wagon and I'm happy to report that I have zero complaints with the chassis and the handling of my wagon. Everything still tight and unwanted creaks or crashing from the suspension.

Performance (updated 1/30/16)
Just like the Suspension comments, I didn't push the car yet, but pick up feels smooth and strong just like the 2012, but the transmission feels way smoother (I haven't tried out the paddles yet).
Update (1/30/16): After 10,000 miles on the ODO I'm happy to report that the T6 is pulling just as hard and never seems to let me down. The transmission has been wonderful and still a huge improvement over my 2012 S60RD which had some issues related to hard shifting, which ultimately led to Volvo replacing that transmission at 8,000 miles. New DEM upgrade seems to have made the wagon pull harder than before!

Technology (updated 9/24/14)
I'm very familar with SENSUS now that I've been using it for +3yrs now and have it in two of my vehicles. Nothing really radically coming from the 2012 to the 2015; I assume that if this were a 2015.5 I would have more to write up about SENSUS vs SENSUS Connect. What is new to me is all the Collision Warning and Advanced Cruise Control items that comes with the Technology Package. It is going to take some getting used to all the new nanny camera's, but after about a week I've grown to really enjoy having those features; Technology Package was definitely not on my list of Options/Packages that I wanted or needed, but I'm glad that I was able to get it. I have turned off the Collision warning and speed distance keeper functions, as I do nearly 75% of my driving in City conditions and those alarms and lights are constantly going off; it's just a tad annoying after a while. I really liked the Advanced Cruise Control, I tried it out on the highway last Saturday on my way to the Red Bulls game. It worked really well with keep a safe distance with the vehicles in front of me. The back up camera seems to have improved its image quality (almost HD like) compared to the 2012 back up camera, though the yellow guidelines in the camera look more pixel-like than the 2012.

And of course PICTURES:
V60RD_4
V60RD_5
V60RD_6
V60RD_1
V60RD_2

The puppy approves of the new wagon!
V60RD_3
 
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#2 · (Edited)
My 2012 S60RD is already listed on the dealers site if anyone is looking for a prestine Ice White S60RD, no accidents, brand new tires (Continetal DWS) and was just fully detailed a few weeks ago, so the paint is sealed for the upcoming winter. Ask for Joel Casser about the car, he's a great sales guy who will go the extra mile to make you happy.
 
#4 ·
Thanks! Never thought I'd own a red car, but so far I dig it.
 
#6 ·
It's definitely a joy to drive!
 
#8 ·
Congrats on the new ride. I can't stop staring at the color. My favorite.

Have to agree with the 19's, they really do the trick to make this low riding wagon look even better than it already does. Glad they ride as well as their smaller brother 18's.

And I too never thought the Cyclopes dash was that impressive until owning one. Do like it better than the analog after having it a few weeks.

You have one beautiful machine. Happy motoring.
 
#9 ·
I catch myself looking back at it just like I did with my Sonic Blue S60R.

The 19" wheels are definitely one of my favorite options and very happy that it came with them, I was afraid of the ride, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

The analog gauges are timeless, but after having the newer digital gauge it's hard to get into my wife's 2013 S60 and stare at the analog ones. I have the Tech Package so my digital gauge shows a bit more information which is really nice. I'm still trying to get used to a lot of the driving nannies that is equipped with the Tech Package.

Enjoy your new S60RD!
 
#10 ·
1st Year Update - 8500 miles (1yr 1month)

A little late getting around to updating my thread after my first year or ownership. So far so good, no major issues at all and couldn't be happier with the V60RD. I did do a 5k mile oil change just for my own piece of mind since I plan on keeping this vehicle for long term after the lease. At the 5k oil change I did however have an issue with the cargo cover sometimes just opening up when I hit a bump; noticed that the one side was shorter than the other. So, they replaced it with one off a floor model to get me on my way and so far so good no more issues. No issues with the BLIS, CTA, Parking Sensors, City Safety or Advanced Cruise Control. I catch myself actually using the Collision Warning Alert since the baby was born a couple of months ago; maybe I've just become over protective from all the crazies out there on the road. But since I started using it, I noticed it picks up cars that are parked on the street even though I'm not going to hit them or vice versa; I'll bring it up at the 10k Mile Service, maybe its just a software update or clean the sensor.

I'll update the thread again in a few weeks when I do my winter detail session and I'll show off my newly renovated garage that I have been working on all summer/fall.
 
#12 ·
#13 ·
Here are the pictures from my winter detail prep!





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#14 ·
10,000 Mile Service

Today I brought my V60RD in for its first major service (10,000 mile); I already brought it in last May at 5,000 miles to change out the oil. In addition to the regular service I had the tire rotated and balance (crummy NJ roads) and had them replace all the wipers. They also did the DEM Recall Campaign update during this visit as well. Let me tell you that update sure made a difference or at least my butt dyno sure seems like something changed; the car seems to pull so much better. Other than that there were absolutely zero complaints for the dealer to address in this visit. Every sensor and mechanical part seems to be working perfectly to me. Here's to another 10,000 miles before the next major service of no headaches :D

Now to the loaner, they gave me a 2016 S60 T5 Drive-E FWD with roughly 6k miles on the odometer. It was pretty basic, Premier Trim with BLIS in Seville Grey with Black interior and heated seats. This is my first time having the T5 Drive-E motor to drive, I had test driven a few T6 Drive-E motors before which I loved in both the S60 and XC90. The T5 Drive-E was a very pleasant experience and kept an open mind and only compared it to the S60 T5 AWD that we had and my old 2004 S40 1.9T LSE (which was a 4 cyl turbo). I enjoyed the 8-Speed Transmission and the peppiness of the motor when it was in Sport Mode. I did try out the ECO+ Mode and found it to vibrate the car a bit when in low RPMs while in this mode. Just keeping it in Drive and keeping the Start/Stop on was fine but due to so many lights where I live it got a bit of annoying because the Start/Stop was just too abrupt in restarting once you take the foot off the brake; coming to a stop was pretty smooth. On a side note I never had any issues with the Start/Stop in the XC90 not being smooth. I opted to just turn off the Start/Stop and drive normally and the car was pleasant and the engine was pretty quiet and not thrashy like some of mentioned. The engine really came to life when I put it in Sport mode and really hauled some @SS and the engine was a bit louder but yet again not unpleasant and definitely sounded better than the 2004 S40 I owned which was super quiet under loud in stock mode (it took adding an Intake and Exhaust to liven that car up). In the end I'm really excited to see the S60 move over to the SPA Chassis and hope that these new Drive-E motors perform better in those chassis'. I saw a nice new Bursting Blue XC90 R-Design in the parking lot that looked awesome.
 
#17 ·
Thanks! I asked about that V60P, but sadly I just don't want to have that high of a payment right now.

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#16 ·
Very nice car! Did you notice any improvement in sound deadening (wind and road noise) in the new model? My 2011 has a surprising amount of noise intrusion at highway speed.
 
#18 ·
Seems that Volvo did add some extra insulation in the front fenders and on top of the fenders where the hood close. My 2012 S60RD had the older camera based BLIS and that used to make wind noise. This V60RD has been pretty quiet on the highway and don't notice much of any wind noise; maybe I've just gone deaf to this since almost every Volvo I've ever owned has had some wind noise (except my 1994 940 Turbo which was super quiet tank).

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#19 ·
Our '15 V60 is quieter than our '15.5 XC60 in terms of engine sound in the cockpit and exhaust sound in the cockpit than our previous '15 S60 RD; all with the same T6 3.0. I would attribute this to more sound insulation in the V60.

IMO, it's still not enough insulation to mask the 4 cylinder thrash or harsh growl emanating from the T5-e over 2,500 RPM's. I found it especially unpleasant when driven in sport mode, probably due to it holding higher RPM's. Perhaps the T6-e sound is better or less? Its fine if you putt around in eco mode below 2,500 RPM's though. If I were Volvo, I would address the thrash with a quieter manifold design (assuming this is the root culprit), extra sound insulation and canceling measures in the SPA cars.
 
#20 ·
Enjoyed your updates. Glad you're enjoying the V!
 
#21 ·
Thanks Matt! You'll have to bring your wagon down by my house one weekend. I'm just happy to report that I haven't had to go in for any unscheduled visits and nothing that bothers me about the car.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I installed Interior LEDs this evening on the wagon. I used SuperBrightLEDs 194 CAN Bus 5 SMD LED Tower (which is recommended to use) in Natural White ($3.95/ea) color to match the rest of the OEM LEDs in the cabin. I also ordered new base socket twists for the bulbs which isn't necessary for a 2015 V60RD as I found the bulbs popped out of the old sockets no problem; cheap insurance I guess picking them up as they only cost $1.19/ea. I'm happy to report that everything works perfectly fine with the electrical system and didn't throw any codes and turn on and off with the vehicle. For less than $35 shipped for everything not a bad deal.







Very happy with the results now here's to them lasting a long time; I've been using the same SuperBrightLEDs Festoon LEDs from my 2007 S60R (footwell for the P2) and then as license plate bulbs in my 2012 S60RD and now they made their way to my 2015 V60RD.

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#24 ·
Thanks! The matching LEDs in the Dome lights really finish off the interior nicely.
 
#26 ·
You are looking at a 10 minute job (don't be afraid to pull the domes down, use a bone tool to start the front dome in the corner and then just pull down with some force). Might as well do the Miss' XC60 while you are at it, file it under we need more light in the cabin for the baby ;)
 
#28 ·
Sweet ride man. I've got the same setup in my 15' S60 R-design. How do you like the premium stereo system?

Thanks! I've been very happy with the Premium Sound System, it all comes down to how you tune to EQ for your music tastes; also keeping it to Front Seats on the Sound Stage setting helps a lot.
 
#30 ·
Definitely looks better to me.

Hopefully they last a long time.
 
#31 ·
Hopefully they last a long time.
I hope so too! I've had really good luck with SuperBrightLED bulbs as opposed to say DDM Tuning LEDs. I would think that the interior bulbs would last a lot longer than say the license plate bulbs because they aren't on all the time.
 
#33 · (Edited)
I made a 1,050 mile round Road Trip with the wagon this weekend. Went from NJ to Columbus, OH to go watch the Red Bulls play Columbus Crew SC; I have a bucket list of visiting all the MLS Stadiums.




The V60 performed flawlessly on the Road Trip, not giving me one ounce of trouble. The ride was comfortable for a 8hr drive and never felt fatigued in the driver seat; love those sport seats. No wind noise issues, but the tires were a bit noisy over some rougher surfaces along the way; cough it up to being 19" wheels and lower profile tires (I'll definitely replace them with the P7+ tires but with only 13k miles on the OEM's will have to do for now).

My gas mileage was phenomenal:

Lifetime Counter - 17.5mpg ended with 24.4mpg after the round trip

First Leg - 26.4mpg
Second Leg - 27.7mpg
*mpg's are based off gas receipts and not the Trip Statistics in Sensus which was higher around 29-30mpg

Now to give my wagon a good wash and get the bugs off, lol!





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#34 · (Edited)
(12/3/16) I added the IPD Catback Exhaust to my V60RD....more of a review will be coming in the next couple of weeks, but until now enjoy some pictures.






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#36 ·
20,000 Mile Service

I brought her in for the 20,000 (actually 19,878 lol) mile service today and she got a clean bill of health with no issues reported. Pretty routine service done, I also had them rotate and balance the tires. They are going to perform the Technical Journal #29474 which calls for the replacement of one of the AC Hoses; this will be done probably next weekend once the part comes. The AC Growl noise has the be the biggest complaint/issue I've had with the can since I left the dealer with it brand new; this is supposed to fix it for good..so fingers crossed. I would take a picture but she's filthy and it's raining outside. Lease is up in December so not sure what to replace it with yet, some of my picks are: V90RD, V90CC, 2018 XC60RD, XC90RD or V60 Polestar, or I can just buyout my lease at the end and keep the V60RD as it has been one of the best Volvo's I've owned to date with no major issues to turn me away.
 
#37 ·
I think you'll be very happy with the tech journal. We were.

I also think the V60RD would stay in my garage forever if I didn't need a softer ride.
 
#38 ·
Glad to hear you're still enjoying the car! Aside from premature run out of the front rotors and the the lousy interior build quality on my specimen, I feel the same as I approach 50K. A generally solid car.


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#39 ·
Shot a video yesterday of a cold start with the IPD exhaust. This is roughly about a year later and 10,000 miles on the exhaust. It definitely has broken in nicely and the tone has changed from the first video I shot when it was first installed. (excuse the dirty tips, I washed the car immediately afterwards).



Clean picture:
 
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