With more Volvo to move and fewer ponies to pull it, the Inscription
proved to be the slowest S60 we’ve tested. The 3698-pound Inscription
got to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, or 0.9-second slower than the
standard-wheelbase T6 that weighed 14 pounds more. Still, that
zero-to-60-mph time, along with a 14.7-second, 97-mph quarter-mile
sprint, constitutes a good, solid performance. An above-average 0.90-g
rating on the skidpad was somewhat offset by determined understeer,
although the S60 Inscription showed measurably more roadholding and
braking grip than we recorded in our earlier test of the
standard-wheelbase T6 model, which rode on essentially the same tires.
So much for track numbers. Over the road, the longer wheelbase not only
adds 3 cubic feet of cabin volume behind the B-pillar, it improves the
ride quality over rough pavement. It also dulls the sense of
responsiveness that we’ve enjoyed in S60s with sport-suspension
upgrades. A sportier suspension is another thing luxury-oriented
Inscription customers can’t get but presumably don’t want.
The engine delivers torque aplenty and the transmission does a good job
of making use of it while returning a real-world 25 mpg in our hands,
smack on the EPA city rating and 1 mpg better than we got in the T6.
You’d need a gentle toe on the gas pedal to approach the EPA’s 37-mpg
highway estimate, but those motivated to choose this version of the S60
aren’t likely to be hard drivers and should get better economy than we
did.
