304 horsepower generated by a turbocharged 3.0L six-cylinder isn’t such a bad standard output for the 2011 Volvo S60. Of course, Volvo wants to sell 90,000 S60s per year around the world. A huge chunk of those sales will come from the 2.4L turbodiesel or the 2.0L turbodiesel, neither of which will find their way into Geely’s Volvo’s North American showrooms.

Long gone are the days when Volvo’s were purchased purely for safety and solidity. Style is a major consideration for buyers of Swedish products – Volvo, IKEA, and the Sedin twins not excluded. The previous generation Volvo S60 hung around for a decade. Forgetful people that we are, the consumers’ collective beholding eye no longer sees the visual appeal of the P2-based S60 of 2000. Think back to your first sighting, however, and you’ll remember how shocked you were that Volvo, the box builder, designed a car with such strong shoulders and so pugnacious a rear end.

The glamour of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class doesn’t match up well with the new S60. BMW’s otherwise excellent 3-Series doesn’t utilize simplistic design any longer, certainly not in sedan form. The Infiniti G will come across large in the S60′s presence. Inside the Audi A4, a potential Volvo S60 customer will find life dark and dour. Is this all to mean the 2011 Volvo S60 is better than the Marketplace’s best-selling alternatives?

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2011 Volvo S60 · Add new tag · Audi A4 · BMW · BMW 3 Series · Mercedes-Benz C-Class · Swedish · Volvo · Volvo S60