One of the last cool looking station wagons (an oxymoron) was Dodge’s short-lived Magnum. Not many were sold as the wagon market was shrinking faster than a Shrinky Dink in a toaster oven.
Imagine, if you can, that wagon sales made up 20% of the car market in 1960 as Baby Boomers were just wee kids. Today’s parents opt for minivans and giant SUVs to do that for large families. Plus, many families are now smaller, reflected in recent stats showing the wagon market down to a measly 1.4%.
That’s not much. Why would any car manufacturer even bother?
Well, in Europe wagons still sell, plus Volvo in particular has a long history of making wagons. Safe ones at that. Volvo seems satisfied to continue the trend, even as it switches much of its fleet over to crossovers and SUVs like everyone else. Now, Volvo adds electric juice to help cut emissions and extend gas mileage with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions.
But get this, the wagons are no longer safe crushable boxes on wheels. They leave that styling, or lack thereof, to SUVs. The new V60 wagon oozes sportiness with a low 56.3-inch profile that even made 5-foot-5 me feel tall. One could even argue the swept back long-roof design reminds more than a little of that long-gone Dodge Magnum.
But where Magnum had a mighty V8, the V60 T8 AWD Polestar Engineered (just think V60) powers up with a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 that makes 312 horsepower. That’s not all. Nope, this baby drops in two electric motors and batteries to power the wagon up to 455 horsepower with a torque rating of 523.
Polestar, by the way, is Volvo’s all-electric brand with its own models, but using the technology it has developed, Volvo adds extra spark (sorry) and spunk to the V60 wagon.
For the record, Volvo increased its battery size and capacity, adding more cells. The upshot is a 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds while a full overnight charge on a common 120-volt wall outlet nets roughly 41 miles of electric range, plenty for around town driving. If you have a 240-volt charger a full charge takes but five hours.
I made a run to Madison (so gas and electric) and a couple jaunts across Milwaukee, mostly on electric. The EPA rates the V60 at 74 mpg in electric mode and 31 mpg in gas only. I got 40.8 mpg in my mix, while the computer was a more optimistic 41.9.
As with most hybrids of any sort, when the gas engine hooks up with the eight-speed automatic transmission you’ll barely notice, if at all.
Note too that one can futz with the big touchscreen to adjust driving levels to save battery life. There’s a Hold feature for instance that puts the V60 solely on gas power, or a Hybrid mode or even Pure mode for all-electric (recommended for city driving).
One more mode of note, Polestar. This is like Tesla’s Insane power button to boost electric power to its max level and makes the wagon feel more like a jet on takeoff than a car muscling away from a stoplight. Naturally that mode sucks up the battery charge quickly, so is best used for short bursts.
To preserve battery life, one can also activate further recharge via brake regeneration by shifting the wagon into B instead of Drive. Easy, and this leads to what many call one-pedal driving. Ease up on the accelerator and the car brakes slowly to a halt while charging the batteries.
Complementing the V60s sporty lines and power is precise handling that borders on BMW and Volkswagen quickness. That too can be adjusted via a hidden layer of the touchscreen, but why would one bother?
Superior braking helps woe down this racy long-roof too. There are 14.6-inch discs up front and 12.6-inch discs in the rear. Impressive! And for flash, along with dash there are gold-painted Brembo brake calipers.
Adding traction along with the R19 Continental tires is a full-time AWD system to put all that power safely to the pavement should streets turn wet or snowy.
How’s ride?
Glad you asked, it’s super on smooth interstates where the V60 cruises like a champ. Slip onto our broken city and county roads and the firmness can become a bit much, although I’ve ridden in much worse. Word on the street is the ride can be softened, but ironically with all the buttons and adjustments on the screen the shock dampening isn’t handled there. Apparently, one must physically adjust the shocks or have the dealer detune the ride for you.
My tester was a bright Crystal White that accentuated the wagon’s sleek lines, as white is prone to do. Inside this one was black and gray leather with flashy orange seatbelts and chrome and textured metal dash and door trim. Door releases and the Bowers & Wilkins speaker covers in the doors are satin chrome finished. The console’s top is black gloss.
Note there is no wireless phone charger on the console, but plugs are inside the center armrest.
Overhead is a monster-sized panoramic sunroof with shade, all adjusted by a quick finger slide on an overhead sensor. One surprise, there were no rear side window sunshades, something I’d expect in a luxury wagon.
On the plus side, Volvo offers a heated steering wheel and heated front and rear seats, but again, surprisingly no cooled front seats. Volvo’s well-shaped and supportive seats are powered, naturally, and easy to adjust, including a lower leg cushion extension aimed at aiding long-legged drivers’ comfort.
While there also are much bigger touchscreens being used now, Volvo’s infotainment screen is certainly large enough and vertical, so easy to see and get at. Yet Volvo’s system hides a lot beyond the main screen so one must scroll to find it, for instance, all the various driving modes. Those heated seat and steering wheel icons on the main screen also could be larger and forewarned so that climate changes are always two degrees at a time.
Rear seats are comfy as my teen grandson and a friend will attest as we cruised to Madison and back for a gaming convention. Storage behind the rear seat is generous too and there’s now a standard power hatch at the rear and a pass-through between the rear seats for skis, etc.
Safety remains a Volvo virtue, although now similar to most cars and trucks as safety features have become de rigueur in the industry. Standard here are blind-spot alert, lane departure assist, accident mitigation and oodles of airbags.
One minor whine. While the steering wheel is tilt/telescope I was bewildered that it was not a power tilt/telescope model, considering the wagon’s starting price, $72,345. The tester added just a luggage cover for $380 to put the total at $72,725. No extra charge for the paint, something other luxury makes are now charging up to $6,000 for special colors.
As with most models, there are two lesser trims and instead of being PHEVs they are gas-only wagons that come with a lifted ride height more reminiscent of a crossover or SUV. Those are the V60 B5 Plus Cross Country and V60 B5 Ultra Cross Country. They start at $51,495 and $56,595 respectively. Those models pack just the 2.0-liter turbo I4 that makes 247 horsepower. That’s rated at 24 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.
Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid V60 is stellar there, plus you get the extra power and longer driving range than with gas only.
Ultimately the sleek V60 wagon is for families that enjoy the drive more than just sitting higher as in a boxy SUV or crossovers. V60 is a sleek sportster for driving enthusiasts. Forget it’s a wagon!
FAST STATS: 2025 Volvo V60 T8 AWD Polestar Engineered
Hits: Sporty long-roof looks, precise handling, PHEV delivers 41-mile electric charge, excellent braking, full-time AWD. Panoramic sunroof, heated wheel and front and rear seats, big touchscreen, good audio system, stylish luxury interior, power hatch, plus a full bevy of safety equipment. Excellent mileage.
Misses: Touchscreen (beyond main screen) is distracting to use while driving, too many functions embedded in screen, firm ride, no power tilt/telescope steering wheel or cooled front seats. Could use flat-bottom steering wheel and dual sun visors.
Made in: Torslanda, Sweden
Engine: 2.0-liter turbo I4 w/dual plug-in electric motors, 455 hp/523 torque
Transmission: 8-speed Geartronic, automatic
Weight: 4,494 lbs.
Wheelbase: 113.1 in.
Length: 188.1 in.
Range: 41 miles per plug-in
Cargo: 26/61 cu.ft.
MPGe: 74
MPG: 31 (gas)
Combined: 40.8 (tested)
Base Price: $72,345 (includes delivery)
Invoice: N.A.
Major Options:
Luggage cover, $380
Test vehicle: $72,725
Sources: Volvo, www.kbb.com
