2024 Volvo S60 Recharge Review: Plug-In Hybrid Rewards With More Than Just Range

It's not that the 2024 Volvo S60 Recharge missed the EV memo, just that the automaker has already hedged its bets when it comes to the green motoring revolution. The white Recharge badge on the trunk of this stately sedan makes clear what its two fuel doors drop heavy hints about: when it comes to propulsion, here, Volvo drivers have a choice.

In fact Volvo's entire range is already electrified in the U.S., though don't confuse that with fully-electric. A mixture of mild hybrid internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and full battery-electric options currently power the automaker's sedans, wagons, crossovers, and SUVs, sating desires to eke out a little more gas economy all the way through to zero-emissions.

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The 2024 Volvo S60 Recharge finds itself in the middle of that portfolio. An unexpectedly potent PHEV, the handsome sedan pairs classic good looks with some of the best of both worlds from old-school gas and brave-future electric. That's a sweet spot most automakers have given up on.

While the regular S60 starts at $42,450 (plus $1,195 destination) in mild hybrid form, the S60 Recharge plug-in hybrid commands a $9,500 premium from the get-go. $51,950 (plus destination) gets you the Core trim; you'll pay $2,950 for the Plus, and the trim walk tops out at $58,595 all-in for the S60 Recharge Ultimate.

All three use Volvo's T8 eAWD drivetrain, which pairs a 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine with an electric motor. The former powers the front wheels; the latter handles the rear axle. In total, there's 455 horsepower and 523 lb-ft of torque to play with: enough, Volvo says, for a 4.3 second 0-60 mph time.

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Volvo's decision to bump up the battery capacity for its PHEVs has paid dividends for electric-only range. While the S60 Recharge may still fall short of the zero-emissions driving of, say, the upcoming EX30 electric crossover we tested late last year, the hybrid's 41 miles of EV-only range is solid. With a full tank of gas, the EPA says the sedan should do 530 miles before refueling — and potentially deliver 74 MPGe along the way.

Efficiency is up, yes, but make no mistake: the Volvo isn't some hair-shirt experience of purely eco-piety. In Pure mode — which prioritizes running down the battery first — it's smooth if not especially thrilling, no great surprise since you're only tapping a fraction of the powertrain's overall grunt; Hybrid mode juggles gas and electric, while Constant AWD, as the name suggests, makes sure you always have maximum traction.

Power mode is the most fun, though, trading efficiency in favor of fun. Volvo's 0-60 estimate feels like it's on the conservative side, the S60 Recharge surging away from a standing start with a charmingly throaty growl. There are two levels of brake regen — standard, which feels like a regular automatic car, and the transmission's "B" mode which slows you more aggressively, though not to a full stop — while the steering weights up noticeably. While the PHEV isn't a light car, it feels eager and the heft is handled well in corners.

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For charging, the S60 Recharge will work with Level 2 chargers equipped with the CCS connector, but not Level 3 DC fast chargers. That's par for the course with most plug-in hybrids. Expect a full recharge to take 5 hours (or significantly longer if you only have a 110V outlet nearby). By default, the Volvo will handle its application of battery power itself, but there are options to not only save the remaining charge for later use but also actively top up the battery from the engine. That's definitely less efficient overall, though.

Volvo's cabin design is a known quantity at this point, with little having changed all that significantly since the 2016 XC90 we first drove all the way back in 2015. It's a testament to that SUV — and the reinvention it kicked off at the Chinese-owned-but-steadfastly-Swedish automaker — that, almost a decade later, it still feels classy and reasonably competitive.

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The S60's real wood and metal definitely help, along with switchgear that — crystal Orrefors shifter aside — errs on the simplistic side. More recent additions, like the glorious wool blend fabric option that's available alongside leather on the Ultimate trim, shift the "what is modern luxury" conversation a little further, though the imminent arrival of the EX90 SUV and its cabin heavy on recycled materials will likely do that even more convincingly.

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If there's a place the Volvo is showing its age, it's the infotainment system. Though now Google-based, with native Google Maps, Google Assistant voice control, and Play store access, it's still presented through a 9-inch touchscreen which feels small compared to what rival luxury cars are equipped with. A 12-inch digital instrument display sticks with the pared-back aesthetic.

The Volvo's interface isn't bad, but there are compromises that might rankle if you were an owner. The absence of wireless Apple CarPlay, for instance, and the fact that you can't have a regular reversing camera and a 360-degree view on-screen simultaneously, only one or the other. Or, the fact that the S60 Recharge's drive modes and battery usage options are buried in a Settings menu. Volvo used to have a shiny little dial to switch between them, down in the center console, but now touch is the only option. 

Then there's the sizable center tunnel, which eats significantly into center rear seat legroom. No, there's no mechanical connection between the engine at the front and the axle at the rear, but Volvo squeezes the S60 Recharge's 18.8 kWh battery down the center of the car.

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Balancing that frustration are some of the less obvious benefits the S60 brings. The 2,000-pound tow rating is healthy, but not as aggressive as the seat and steering wheel heating, which are not only rapid to warm but definitely toasty at their maximum settings. The rear window defrost is similarly speedy. Volvo's active safety tech package is fulsome, too, with lane keeping and blind spot warnings with cross-traffic alerts standard. Ultimate trim gets a 360-degree camera, front/rear/side parking sensors, and the hands-on adaptive cruise and lane-centering Pilot Assist package.

The future — both of the auto industry in general, and of Volvo specifically — may be electric, but the S60 Recharge offers a compelling vision of how going gradually and gracefully into EV might look. For the average American driver, the sedan's electric-only range is more than sufficient for daily errands. At the same time, the reassurance of a combustion engine and the convenience of refueling at any gas station can't be underestimated for those still wary of taking the zero-emission leap.

BMW makes a similar argument for its 330e xDrive sedan, though with significantly less power and half the electric range. Beyond that, the sad PHEV truth is that hybrid luxury sedans are in short supply, and BMW's excellent — though all-electric — i4 is probably the next for your shortlist. Despite Volvo's fleet-wide electrification ambitions, it's unclear when (or even if) the S60 will get a full EV replacement.

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For now, though, there's something undeniably appealing about the 2024 S60 Recharge's blend of luxury, performance, and flexibility. That pays clear dividends as a daily-driver, even if the Volvo falls more into the "grand tourer" school of asphalt enthusiasm, rather than being an outright sports sedan.