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What other cars did you look at before you purchased?

17K views 94 replies 49 participants last post by  madmike 
#1 ·
I find it interesting that the S/V60's seem to have a wide list of competitors. Personally I looked at the following cars:

VW Golf R (almost put money down in order to get on of the first ones)
Subaru STI (My wife said that it looked like a car 12 yr olds have posters of)
Audi S3 (Didn't like the look and there was more value on the Golf R, as the cars were similar)
Audi A4 (Looked and felt a bit dated)
BMW 328i GT (Interesting, I really like hatchbacks - my favorites were some of the Acura Intergra's I have had)
MB C400 and C300 (very very nice, but the S60 T6 AWD seemed to offer better value at the time)
MB GLA (With the AMG package I looked at, it was a bit to "boy racer" - like the STI)

....and after 5 months I don't regret my decision to buy the S60, I think it was the perfect choice :)
 
#28 · (Edited)
Audi A4, A6, A7. Test drove all three. Hard seats.
Sat in a BMW 328i. Meh.
Looked at MB on line. Heard horror stories of MX cost.
I guess we like Scandinavian simplicity and understated luxury.
Intend to buy a V60 when my Saab wagon dies. Until then, we are throughly enjoying our 2014 S60.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Came from an S40 purchased new in 2005 to the 2012 S60 T5...loved both of these.

With the '05 and '12 compared them to:

Acura TL
Honda Accord Coupe
MB C300
Ford Taurus SHO
Subaru Legacy Sport (of some sort)
Cadillac CTS and ATS

Traded the '12 due to chronic issues with the T5 engine for the '15 RD . Didn't even look at anything else. Saw it, knew I wanted it. Done.

The C30 PLE was purchased over the internet without seeing it in person or driving it. A little risky. Or a lot. Will be delivered in a month or so.
 
#30 ·
My budget was maybe less than others here, but I considered and drove the following, generally the luxury brands were used cars:

Audi A4 - Certified with 6M, Really liked it but afraid of reliability
BMW 328i - 2011 model with I6, 6M, Really stripped down and manual was surprisingly terrible
MB C300 - 2011 model with 6M, felt cheap
Infiniti G37S - Really liked it, but fuel economy is poor and engine note is grating, interior is a bit cheap
VW GTI - 2015 model, drove well, but again afraid of reliability and my wife hated it
Ford Fusion 2.0 Ecoboost - Nicest of the midsize sedans, IMO, and some great deals, but I thought it felt wimpy for the top of the line engine and I really hate the fake buttons that come with MyFord Touch
VW CC - Felt a bit weak and interior seems way behind the times, still afraid of reliability
Lexus IS 250 - Slow, small, too expensive

In the end it was between the Volvo, Ford and GTI. I really liked the GTI but felt that it would beat me up too much on the many long trips I have to take, and the Ford was very nice for what it was and I could get one at $5K-$7K off, but I wanted to be different this time. The S60 I ended up with was a leftover 2014 loaner car, with the CPO warranty, for the same price as the others (over $10K off sticker). I love the interior, seats, and the styling on the S60. The 5 cylinder has a distinct growl that stands out from everything else, and it's considerably faster than anything I have owned in recent years. I did drive a 2012 S60 T6 as well, and that is a sweet powertrain, but that car sold before I could pull the trigger, plus it wasn't certified.
 
#34 ·
Odd... no one listed a Buick as an option ;)

Fun reading through people's list of possibilities, a few I didn't consider but would have and a couple that would not make it on my list (SHO Taurus - no offense)
If GM had brought over the wagon version of the Regal GS (Opel Insignia OPC), I would have considered it.
 
#32 ·
I went from an MY07 manual Saab 9-5 almost fully loaded sportscombi to the V60.
Searched high and low for a good replacement wagon with a little muscle with room, the following were the candidates:

Audi AllRoad and 3 yrs old A4 - got sold an 08 TT with quite a few expensive repairs, Au-D no more!
BMW 328 xit manual - really? the price tag is how much?
Subaru STI- may be a blast to drive, but it's too boyracer for me
MB E350 wagon- nice styling, mpg and performance is a little underwhelming

Didn't think about a V60 until GF rented a XC60 for work, was totally mesmerized by the understated styling,
test drove the V60 rest is history.
 
#37 ·
When we were looking at wagons it was the Merc 350W. Not that we had a lot of choices. Would loved to have gotten a V60 Polestar but wasn't keen on the rear seat and boot space.
 
#38 ·
have had a 2015.5 V60 for 3 weeks. came out of a 2011 BMW 328i xdrive sport wagon, and was going to get the new model of same. looked at audi Q5 which i like quite a lot, but am not crazy about the cute ute segment. actively dislike the x3. felt the all road was a bit old design wise, though does feel solid and quite deluxe. also looked at the outback 3.6R which is really good value but just preferred the volvo. ultimately it came down to the fact that the V60 bettered my 2011 BMW which i loved, and was a good deal cheaper than the other candidates (by around $6k as a rule) for ostensibly the same motoring and qualitative experience. also have a newborn baby (two days newer than the car!) and volvo's impeccable safety was the clincher. with the beechwood sport seats the volvo is quite possibly my favorite car i've ever owned and driven.
 
#40 · (Edited)
Recently at Toronto Auto show, my wife and I spent 2 1/2 hours looking at the 2015 Subaru Forester and 2015 Subaru Outback - potential replacements for my wife's 2010 Subaru Forester X Limited (my car is a 2014 BMW 335i X Drive M Performance edition) - we sat in the front seats , back seats, opened rear hatch numerous times - and we figured we will choose either of these two cars to replace the 2010 Forester (in 2 or three years). We were quite happy with the Subaru. After the Subaru display - we stumbled upon the Volvo Display - the first car to catch our eyes was Chrystal White Volvo V60 Cross Country - for both of us, it was love at first sight!!! Both my wife and I chanted..."this has to be the Forester replacement" (we spent an hour admiring the V60 - inside & out) - the last fews years at the autoshow we always eyed the XC70, then thought - too big, too expensive..! The days following the show, i was dreaming about the V60CC being parked alongside my 335i! Then i thought at the price point of the V60CC, should consider an Audi Allroad or even a Q5 - which we looked at a few times. I fell in love with the V60CC - only issue was i had to convince my wife that we should get it now! We just pulled the trigger last week and ordered a crystal white V60 CC - fully loaded - now the hard part is the wait!!!!
 
#42 ·
That's awesome ! Congrats !! I was at the show in Toronto as well, Volvo had some decent traffic going through it. I spent some time chatting to folks about my S60 and how I enjoyed it and how the test drive really sold me on the car.

This is a perfect example of why Volvo should stay in the autoshow game!
 
#43 · (Edited)
Before ordering:

Acura TL / RLX
Audi S4 / Q5 3.0 / A6 3.0
BMW 335xi GT / Touring
Chrysler 300C/SRT8
Ford Taurus SHO
Infiniti G37s
Lexus IS / GS
Mercedes CLA250 / C300 4Matic / E350


Since the car arrived I looked at the following cars I've eyed on the roar or in print to compare:

Audi A6 / Q5
Maserati Ghibli
Mercedes GLA43 AMG / C400

The Ghibli and Mercedes AMG are the cars I would most seriously consider over the V60 if I was buying today, but I haven't test driven either yet and don't want particularly to own either. I prefer the modesty of a Volvo.
 
#45 ·
Before my S60 I looked at:

1. BMW 328i xDrive: Price with my options went into RD territory. The stiff ride and numb steering didn't help either although it felt more sporty than the Volvo. Interior did feel dated and the seats were terrible unless you optioned the car with a sport line.
2. Mercedes C300 4Matic: Would have been my car if it were out last February. New C-Class looks fantastic although I hear the quality of US built cars aren't the best :rolleyes: Maybe in the future who knows.
3. Audi A4: interior looked nice but felt cheap. Too many buttons and felt small by comparison to the Volvo. Plus overall reliability scared me.
4. Mercedes CLA250 4Matic: Way too small. Felt cheap inside and the ride was terrible even though I liked the overall looks. Couldn't justify paying 43K to load it up. (Interestingly enough, my brother ended up leasing one after his C30)

I come from a Volvo family so I was pretty much destined to get one as well but did cross shop other brands to see what would be the best choice. Found a fully loaded T5 AWD with Sport Package and fell in love. A year later I have no regrets. I'm 20 years old and Volvo wasn't even on my radar until I drove it. Still to this day receive so many compliments from people.
 
#53 ·
In the fall of 2014 I was in the process of selling my '11 328i back to the manufacturer. BMW could not fix a defect in over 6 months, which made me lose patience and belief in the brand at the time. Took Lexus IS350 for a spin. Nice car, just couldn't make myself love it - interior finishes while well thought out, felt flimsy somehow; exterior while unique, felt overdone and tiring after a while (that sport grill!..). Decent engine, but nothing to write home about; good handling, just like the beemer. The ride was well-controlled by somewhat bumpy. Basically left underwhelmed and with a feeling that Lexus is trying too hard, but still fails to elicit the right emotion. Didn't test drive the A3/A4, but I was never a huge fan - especially interior design, which every car mag seems to rave about - kinda bland to me. Same with VW. Didn't try C-class, probably would have liked the new one, but knew that I couldn't configure it the way I liked, and stay within my budget.

Newly refreshed S60 had personality, elegant but not overly busy design inside and out, surprisingly nice handling and composure (even compared to 3-series) and amount of power with the T5, very comfortable seats, sharp TFT display, pretty good standard audio system, etc - all at a great price point. The only negatives during the test drive were the turning radius (not a big deal to me, especially having a rear view camera), and noticeably rough ride of the demo (thought it was the sport package at first, but turned out to be just 42psi tire pressure). After driving 15K+ miles, still love my car and have no regrets.
 
#54 · (Edited)
Feel the same about our 2014 S60. Love the sport seats and suspension, refreshed front end and tail pipes, rear view cam, new TFT, etc. Love the 5 cylinder engine and 6-speed transmission. Get better gas mileage than our 4-cylinder Saabs and drive is much more luxurious. What I love about Volvo and Saabs is being able to drive a luxurious and safe car without the pretentiousness of a MB, Audi, etc. That's why we bought a Volvo after looking at the usual suspects. Of course the $2000 Saab/Volvo loyalty incentive when we bought helped.
 
#60 ·
I was just googling that one, didn't sound right to me.
 
#61 ·
What, no Bora? As I recall that's what they used to be called in the euro market. Not to be confused with the early '70s mid-engines V-8 Maserati.
 
#63 ·
One thing I should add - Volvo was not on my radar at all, and when it was finally suggested I didn't consider the S60, it just looked small. So I looked at the XC60, I didn't really want another SUV in the family, but took out a T6 Platinum for a test drive anyway. It was really nice, drove wonderfully, lots of room etc. Then at a light I put it into sport mode, the light turned green, my wife screen and I was shocked at the acceleration and that got me thinking - if the SUV is this peppy, wonder what the sedan is like. I drove straight back to the dealer jumped in the S60 T6 and the rest is history. Yes the car is a bit tight in the back, my 6ft tall 14 year old struggles to get his clunky winter boots in (he's fine with runners), but I had to have the S60 - such a sleeper. :)
 
#65 ·
I looked long and hard at a few V70Rs. Found a couple that I considered. One looked good but was in Florida and my schedule didn't allow for a flight. Another one was too expensive and had little maintenance history. I knew I wanted a wagon so my choices were limited. That being said, I did test drive a 2015 Chevy Colorado 4x4. I hated it in every way imaginable. For something so large, the legroom in the back seat was miniscule. Under powered, terrible acceleration and the interior looked 20 years old.

I was hoping that Mazda would import the 6 wagon into the US - I would have been first in line to buy one - but that's not going to happen.
I considered the VW Golf SportWagen but I wound up selling my Mazdaspeed3 a lot faster than I anticipated so I couldn't wait. I am a little apprehensive toward VW due to their sketchy reliability of late.

I won't buy an Audi - I used to work for a German company and all of the company cars were Audis. I was the only one who owned a Japanese car and I got a lot of flak for it...but I was the one who consistently drove people to pick up/drop off their company cars at the dealership.

Drove a Mercedes and a BMW but didn't like them...so I checked out the V60 DriveE at the local dealership. I liked the car but felt it was a little underpowered so I went looking for an R Design and found one a few days later.
 
#68 ·
.. I was the only one who owned a Japanese car and I got a lot of flak for it...but I was the one who consistently drove people to pick up/drop off their company cars at the dealership.

Drove a Mercedes and a BMW but didn't like them...so I checked out the V60 DriveE at the local dealership. I liked the car but felt it was a little underpowered so I went looking for an R Design and found one a few days later.
Our other car is a Merc, now out of warrenty, no real issues fortunately but our check engine light just came on. So step one - I made sure the gas car was on properly waited a few days, check engine light still on. Called the dealer, which is owned by MB Corp, as is all the MB dealer in my area. They only diagnose vehicles Monday to Thursday, of course we needed something on either a Friday or a Saturday. Then I asked how much to plug in the computer and read the codes... $290 ! to tell me what's wrong. Needless to say, I went on the MB forums found an independent garage that services MB's, less than $100 to tell me what wrong and I could go in at 8am on a Saturday.

I haven't really needed it yet, just hope Volvo service is a bit more convenient!
 
#66 ·
Never have understood why wagons don't sell in the states. I suppose it goes way back, even with four kids back in the '60s my father refused to get a station wagon. Can't understand why he bought a Jetta wagon a few years back either.
 
#67 ·
Actually back when I was a kid wagons were everywhere. Then came the mini-van and put the wagon out of business, more room, more versatility. After that, wagons never came back. Then gas got very expensive, relatively. My wife always had a soft spot for wagons until I got her a Suburban, back in the 80's. When she drove this sportwagon it was love all over again.
Larry
 
#69 ·
The XC60 replaced a AMG Merc. It took eight visits to the dealer on warranty to fix a sat-nav problem, along with all sorts of arguing with customer service. Didn't think that CS would actually hang up on my wife on that one. That killed buying another Merc.

Audi, on the other hand, has fixed things out of warranty and paid all costs. Just hope that Volvo is as responsive.
 
#70 ·
The XC60 replaced a AMG Merc. It took eight visits to the dealer on warranty to fix a sat-nav problem, along with all sorts of arguing with customer service. Didn't think that CS would actually hang up on my wife on that one. That killed buying another Merc.

Audi, on the other hand, has fixed things out of warranty and paid all costs. Just hope that Volvo is as responsive.
My limited experience with my Volvo dealer has been quite good, I typically only let one dealer service my cars that way they also have accountability for any issues that could have been caused by a service visit. I also think it help's with resale, on all my cars, I have a binder with the full service history.

My Audi experience was also good, in fact they would come to my place of work, drop off a loaner and take my car for what ever needed to be done - now that is "service" !
 
#72 ·
Dear all, I want to thank you all for your inputs and posts as you helped me make my decision to join Volvo community as an proud owner of 2014 Volvo T5 S60 Premier.
My first car was Hyundai Sonata (2009 V6) car had served me extremely well and after 160K miles it was time to look for the replacement.
Before purchasing Volvo I looked at and test drove:
2015 Mazda 6 - really liked handling and the styling both interior and exterior - really disliked the engine (under powered) and later on, after test driving other cars, started disliking its interior fit and finish.
2015 Hyundai Sonata - loved the equipment and the price of fully loaded car. Big issue was that 2.0t engine did not have beige interior available in the highest trim. Great car, handling is light years away from where it was in the last model and it kind of looks nice inside and out.
2015 Subaru Legacy - nice car but the interior is UGLY and looks like an attempt to make a modern looking car that already looks outdated.
2014 IS 250 - could not fit in it as I am 6'7"
2015 TLX - looks cool, like the compact look but the interior felt cheap and dual screens in center console spelled too much of unnecessary tech for my taste.

When I first sat in 2013 S60 I fell in love, the interior design, fit and finishes were done in a great way. After test driving I was really happy but then I started seeing 2014 redesigns and the new front look and the TFT dash really made me want to get 2014. I was able to locate one in MN and purchased it 3 weeks ago. Drove the car from MN to CA and it was like being on the honeymoon. I just could not get enough of its precise handling and the wonderful growl of the engine that even though is not a rocket it fits and fulfills my needs really well. After three weeks I am still in love and I could not be happier with it.
 
#73 · (Edited)
Dear all, I want to thank you all for your inputs and posts as you helped me make my decision to join Volvo community as an proud owner of 2014 Volvo T5 S60 Premier.
My first car was Hyundai Sonata (2009 V6) car had served me extremely well and after 160K miles it was time to look for the replacement.
Before purchasing Volvo I looked at and test drove:
2015 Mazda 6 - really liked handling and the styling both interior and exterior - really disliked the engine (under powered) and later on, after test driving other cars, started disliking its interior fit and finish.
2015 Hyundai Sonata - loved the equipment and the price of fully loaded car. Big issue was that 2.0t engine did not have beige interior available in the highest trim. Great car, handling is light years away from where it was in the last model and it kind of looks nice inside and out.
2015 Subaru Legacy - nice car but the interior is UGLY and looks like an attempt to make a modern looking car that already looks outdated.
2014 IS 250 - could not fit in it as I am 6'7"
2015 TLX - looks cool, like the compact look but the interior felt cheap and dual screens in center console spelled too much of unnecessary tech for my taste.

When I first sat in 2013 S60 I fell in love, the interior design, fit and finishes were done in a great way. After test driving I was really happy but then I started seeing 2014 redesigns and the new front look and the TFT dash really made me want to get 2014. I was able to locate one in MN and purchased it 3 weeks ago. Drove the car from MN to CA and it was like being on the honeymoon. I just could not get enough of its precise handling and the wonderful growl of the engine that even though is not a rocket it fits and fulfills my needs really well. After three weeks I am still in love and I could not be happier with it.
Congrats and Welcome! I got my 2014 T5 around Christmas and it is head and shoulders above anything else I've owned. I've got about 7,000 miles already, and it's an excellent road companion. The 5 cylinder has tons of character, makes tons of torque and is extremely dependable.

I agree with your assessment of the other cars you considered. I drove a Mazda6 and the IS 250, and I had the same reaction. Mazda was nice, but I wanted more power and the IS 250 was just plain small, not to mention slow (I'm tall as well at nearly 6'-4").
 
#77 ·
Wife and I wanted a sedan and considered BMW, Audi, Lexus and Volvo. Test drove the Lexus 350 and found it fun but a bit flashy and too low to the ground. A friend with 3 BMW cars less then 3 years old told us how many times he has had one of them in for service and we quickly decided BMW was out. Every car I have owned up to this point has been a Toyota and I haven't had ANY issues so Volvo reliability was important. Test drove a T6 and felt it was close to what we wanted. Found a T6 R Design and that put me over the edge - great balance of sporty-ness, luxury, and value. Not too flashy but IMO just as nice as Lexus and BMW.
 
#79 · (Edited)
When I was Shopping for a car a year and a half ago I was looking for something that was fun, reliable, fuel efficent (more than my explorer I sold lol) and something comfortable for daily driving.

I had it narrowed down to 2 cars:
2013 Ford Focus ST3
2012 Volvo S60 T5

I loved everything about that Focus ST except for 1 major thing. After 10 minutes of driving those leather Recaro Seats were killing my back. Otherwise the Car was fantastic with the turbo and 6 speed manual. Not the best sounding engine IMO and I'm still not sold on Direct Injection motors and long term reliability.

I Choose the Volvo S60 because it had the most comfortable seats ever, perfect for daily driving. I love the sound and pull of the T5 motor. I knew it would be a car I could drive to 200k miles easily with tried and true components. The only thing I wish it had was a manual transmission. I also picked the Volvo because I still have my 2003 SVT focus and my fiance already has a 2012 focus so it was time for something different! And it's a sexy looking car :D

Currently at 51K miles with no problems and enjoying every mile.
 
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