S60 so far.

[BUDFORCE]

So I thought I would just make a post about my S60, my thoughts, plans and a few questions. I am trying to get my 1 year old son to sleep so I am multi-tasking (they say blokes cant do that).

So, I have had my 2013 S60 T3 for around a month, it wasnt actually a planned purchase, unfortuantely my old car (07 Mitsubishi Lancer Equippe) developed a very odd an intermittent total brake failure, so I am afaid it had to go. I did really like that car though, I had it for 8 years, so needless to say I was gutted to see it go.

I got the Volvo as a replacement, similar style 4 door saloon, 50 more HP than the Mitsubishi, great. Test drove it, felt ok, as far as you can test drive something with the sales guy in the car with you. Bought it.

First maiden voyage was a mix of motorway and the country roads round where I live. Motorway was first and felt very good, very smooth, a 6th gear for cruising (not that I could actually work out how to use the cruise control) all good so far.

Got in onto the proper roads where I could throw it around a bit and was, well not massively impressed. The best was I could describe the feeling, it was like driving your living room.

Despite the 50 more HP, the Volvo is 300kg over my old car, and man can you feel it. I think in a straight line the Volvo is faster, but not as much as I had thought, cornering felt aukward, and numb, almost like I was being driven by the car then the other way around.

Anyway, few hundred/thousand miles later, I had gotten used to a lot of that, and also figured out how to turn the traction control to "sport mode" an improvement no doubt. I still however get a sick feeling in my stomach of complete lack of control when I throw it into a corner expecting some loss of traction and understeer for the "computer says no" and takes over any chance of me having some fun. I am half expecting a little computerised voice reminding me that I am, after all, driving a Volvo.

Maybe I will get used to it....

So on with the positives, it is actually a nice car if you want to drive sensibly, which honestly, despite what you might think from what I have just written, I do about 99% of the time. Very refined, very smooth. Cruise control is a massive plus for those average speed cameras. I dont regret the purchase.

I have already put reverse parking sensors in, and to be fair, Volvo got massive kudos for having the sensor points already marked out on the inside of the bumper and, although I had to check it all out with a meter, was it a coinsidence the reverse light cable was the only one coloured green?

Wheels are going on next, those 16" silver 7 spoke things Volvo supplied are just ugly. I am going conservative for 17" wheels, but there is another thread on that.

After that I have a bootlip spoiler coming, its carbon fibre one over the cheap plastic ones you can buy on ebay, it's the one supplied with the T6/R-Design version, although I somehow doubt its an original Volvo one..

After all that is done, I may, look at getting a mild re-map done. I note the T4 version puts out 180bhp on the same engine. I am not 100% sure about this though, I will be doing my homework first.

And that's it.

I do have one question though, is there any way to default the traction control to the sport mode on start so I dont have to change it every time?