• Cabin is roomy front and rear
• Boot is usefully large, too
• Foot-operated electric bootlid

How much space is there?

Compact saloons aren’t best known for being generously sized inside, but the S60 does well on this score. It’s quite large compared with rivals such as the Jaguar XE, and has a comparatively long wheelbase, which means that space is generous in the front and rear seats

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The optional panoramic roof adds light into the cabin, which is good for creating space, but does eat into headroom for rear seat passengers.

Boot space and storage

The boot’s capacity is 442 litres of, which puts it on a par with the Audi A4 (480 litres), BMW 3 Series (480 litres), Jaguar XE (450 litres) and ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (335 litres). It does have wide boot opening and a low loading height, which makes accessing all the S60’s available space easy. The rear seats fold (optionally), and that increases the length of the boot significantly.

If you opt for the PHEV the boot is slightly smaller because of the associated battery. You only lose 36 litres worth of space, and it’s still larger than the boot found in the BMW 330e.

Hands-free boot opening is fitted as standard to every S60. You just kick your foot beneath the rear bumper and the bootlid will open. Inside the cabin there are a couple of decently-sized cup holders, plus under the armrest a well-sized storage area including USB connections, and a 12-volt socket.

Is it easy to park?

The S60 isn’t a large car by any means, and visibility out of the front is good. Rear visibility is a bit impaired because of the small rear window, but all models come with a 360-degree parking camera. When reversing it allows you to select from a few different camera angles, which is useful if you don’t just want the standard rear-view one.

Safety

• Full five-star crash test score from Euro NCAP
• Class-leading amount of safety kit fitted as standard
• Volvo is leading the way with standard-fit features

Although the S60 hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, its sister car, the V60 estate (seen in the video below) has, and it scored very highly indeed. Volvo has traditionally led the way in safety tech, and the S60 is no exception. It comes with a City Safety suite of collision-avoidance aids that includes Automatic Emergency Braking, which warns you if a collision is likely and will automatically apply maximum braking force if necessary. 

It also comes with Oncoming Collision Mitigation, which detects and reacts to vehicles travelling towards you, helping to avoid collisions with oncoming vehicles. All versions of the S60 also come with Run-off Road Mitigation and Run-off Road Protection, which help prevent the car inadvertently running off the road and protect the car’s occupants should this be unavoidable.

Another advanced safety aid is Steering Support, which can provide additional steering input to help you avoid an object in an emergency. This operates between 37-87mph and helps steer the car safely back onto its side of the road should it inadvertently move from its lane into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

Watch the closely related Volvo V60 Euro NCAP crash test video