The electrification architecture not only gives the Volvo S60 T8 a powerful power combination, but also gives it a four-wheel drive system that is more playable than traditional four-wheel drive. After adjusting to pure electric mode, the gear is changed to "B" gear, and the experience of braking by relying on kinetic energy recovery in electric vehicles can also be achieved on it. The mode also gave me a bit of a rear-drive feel, and if I could control the accelerator pedal a little more delicately, I could even do the drift by power. In addition, the reason why I can feel the continuous strong explosive force when accelerating at full speed is also due to this four-wheel drive system, after all, the drive motor arranged on the rear axle can provide 240 Nm of torque at the moment of pressing the accelerator pedal, which to some extent makes up for the lack of torque in the low speed range of the engine. Personally, I think the biggest role of the four-wheel drive system is still stable, which is also a point where I am most satisfied with this Volvo S60 T8, you don't need to consider the road conditions when you want to drive it intensely, the state of all-wheel drive makes me not have to worry about tire slippage and cause the vehicle to get out of control. And I drive a four-wheel drive BMW 3 series in the rain but very careful, after all, it is only a set of timely four-wheel drive system, once a tire slips, the reaction speed of the electronic system, the intervention speed of the four-wheel drive system are relatively large tests.
Almost every teenager who dreams of becoming a driver has requirements for his car to accelerate fast enough, the cornering limit is high enough, and the body is flexible and do as he pleases, which is what everyone calls "good control".
After entering the automotive media industry, more and more cars are driven, different power, different prices, from different countries, but my favorite is always only two, the previous generation of BMW 3 series and the previous generation of BMW 3 series. The reason is simple, the handling is excellent and the price is affordable (hard work is enough).
By the time I was faced with a car purchase option, the last two generations of the BMW 3 Series had long since been discontinued and replaced by the new BMW 3 Series (G chassis). Almost all my peers (including me) have a surprisingly consistent evaluation of the new BMW 3 Series, more comfortable and gentle, and this change in tuning orientation is doomed to lose me, the prospective owner, after all, I can't accept a "greasy" BMW after stubbornly pursuing control. Fortunately, the highly competitive car market will never lack differentiated products, bmw 3 series can become more comfortable, naturally there will be more sporty models, taking advantage of the convenience of work, I also found the "partner" that better meets my needs, that is, volvo S60 T8.
Control side by side
Before driving the Volvo S60 T8, I didn't really expect much, after all, the impression of Volvo has always been more homely, comfortable tuning orientation, and the power feeling of the Volvo S60 T8 is its first surprise to me. Explosive is my first impression of it, flexible driving mode, full force on the accelerator pedal, I even have an illusion of driving performance car. Of course, its explosive power is also different from the traditional fuel performance car, not the sudden burst of a certain speed range of the traditional fuel performance car, but from the moment I stepped on the pedal, it continued to make my adrenaline soar. During the acceleration, I stared at the speedometer almost the whole time, after all, this acceleration performance could easily make me receive a speeding ticket.
Under the scrutiny, the power of the Volvo S60 T8 gives me the second impression of smoothness, it does not behave at all like a new energy vehicle driven by an electric motor at low speed, and even the timing of the engine intervention can only be detected by listening to the sound of the engine or looking at the instrument. After the engine intervenes, the timing and speed of the transmission's gear change are difficult for you to detect the process of shifting. In addition, I also found the gentle, quiet side of the Volvo S60 T8. In daily or energy-saving mode, there is no obvious push back feeling in flexible, four-wheel drive mode, and the acceleration process is relatively smoother and more comfortable.
Regarding the power feeling of the Volvo S60 T8, I think it can be described as "salty and sweet". At full acceleration, it allows me to fully enjoy the thrill of 381 hp, 640 Nm, and when driving smoothly, it can make you feel the other side of gentleness.
Bmw 3 Series gives me the feeling of a pure fuel car, when fully accelerated, even if the ZF 8AT can respond quickly, quickly complete the downshift, the engine speed rises rapidly, but the turbo lag is also an inescapable reality. In addition, the rear acceleration ability of the BMW 3 Series is also slightly insufficient.
Volvo S60 T8 and BMW 3 Series in the power experience can not be said to be good or bad, can only say that one is the benchmark of traditional fuel vehicles, the other is to give full play to the advantages of the electrified architecture.
The handling of a car is closely related to its body posture when cornering at high speed, the accuracy of steering, and the trackability of the rear. The standard shaft size determines that the Volvo S60 T8 has a shorter and more flexible body, coupled with the SPA architecture to give the body ultra-high torsional rigidity, driving it can obviously feel the body posture is very stable when driving at high speed corners, and the rapid response of the rear even makes me have the illusion of controlling the front and rear of the car at the same time. In addition, the BMW 3 Series steering of the G chassis is soft, which is conducive to improving driving comfort, but to a certain extent, it sacrifices the sense of driving participation, while the Volvo S60 T8 still maintains the calibration of sports orientation, without any vacancy, and the steering strength is closer to the level of the performance car. Precise steering, combined with a flexible bodywork, the Volvo S60 T8 allowed me to regain the "man-car- in-one" sense of control.
The premise of "people-car integration" is to have good enough hardware as a basis, which I also saw on the Volvo S60 T8. For example: flat than 40 19-inch Michelin PS4 high-performance tires, this tire I still see more it appears on the performance model, grip and lateral support have a good performance; then the front double wishbone suspension, rear composite vane spring suspension, which is also many performance "steel cannons" will use the suspension form, its control of the body attitude will be better than the ordinary family car front McPherson / rear multi-link better. Another point that makes me feel very deeply is that the center of gravity of the whole vehicle is lower than that of the same level of models, which may be related to the arrangement of the battery, which also gives the vehicle a higher cornering limit.
If you talk about the control of the same price of fuel vehicles alone, the BMW 3 Series still has its own uniqueness, but the cancellation of the rear anti-roll bar and the adjustment of the comfortable approach really make me unacceptable. In other words, it is not that the control of this generation of BMW 3 Series is not good, but that I have high expectations for the control of BMW 3 Series, and the current performance does not meet my expectations. The Volvo S60 T8 did surprise me in a few short days, and I personally think that its control has reached the heights of the BMW 3 Series. Maybe the first thing I did when I brought it home was to go to a track day event, and when I said that, I was inexplicably a little more expectant of track day.
Higher configurations with better materials
After working in the automotive media industry, I had to approach new cars almost every month, week, or even every day, because of the smell in the car, which made me start to resist some models, and even some models would make me ignore the good aspects of it because of the smell inside the car. Maybe ordinary people are not so sensitive to the taste in the car, but I have a very high demand for the materials in the car when I smell formaldehyde. One is that I can't accept any odor in my car; on the other hand, in order to let the driver's family have a more environmentally friendly and safe environment, and Volvo's environmentally friendly materials really make me feel good about this S60 T8.
Although the manufacturer guidance price of volvo S60 T8 top-end models (2022 T8 E-drive hybrid four-wheel drive Zhiya Sport Edition) is as high as 461,900 yuan, after enjoying terminal discounts and purchase tax reductions and other policies, its landing price is almost the same as the top model of BMW 3 Series (2022 330Li xDrive M Sports Night Suit), or even lower! However, the configuration of the Volvo S60 T8 is significantly higher, and the additional configuration includes practical configurations such as parallel assist, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, and 360-degree panoramic imagery. For me, who often needs long-distance business trips, these configurations can not only effectively alleviate the fatigue of long-distance driving, but more importantly, add a safety guarantee for long-distance driving that is prone to fatigue.
After decades of market testing, the BMW 3 Series has always had a place in the luxury mid-size car market, not only because of years of word of mouth, but also its product power can not be underestimated. But I also can't deny that the Volvo S60 T8, which takes full advantage of electrification, has achieved a benchmark in driving control, which is in line with my expectations for control.
Of course, buying a car can not only take care of their own enjoyment, but also need to consider parents, lovers, to provide a safe and comfortable travel environment for the family is the responsibility of the car at that moment, Volvo S60 T8 will obviously be more suitable for me with a family than bmw 3 series. Coupled with the fact that I have not won a big name in three years, I was kindly named a "big name insulator" by my friends, and the "green card" sent by buying the Volvo S60 T8 naturally became the last straw to crush the "BMW 3 Series".