I have an 04 S60 I bought back in December. Nice car. Never gave me any problems as of yet. Bought it with a like 90k miles and 103ish on the clock now.
Nice car, but very bland and boring from my taste. I am used to little more fun cars, but needed something decent in a pinch.

I have been considering an R model now to get the jump in HP and handling mostly, but a little more agressive looking vehicle too.
Any things to consider with the S60R? Parts and maintenance any more then the normal 2.5T mode? Just as easy to work on?

I was looking at 07's. I drove some autos and wasnt overly impressed with the pickup, so I am looking at a manual now for a decent price. Just trying to determine if I am going to go from a reliable machine to a headache by upgrading.

Thoughts from current owners?

 

Well, if you have the money, go for the S60R, you wont regret it, especially in manual .That is the only way to really keep the torque moving.. Plus a nice ECU upgrade from IPD is a great way to boost the power even further..
http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-S60/Perf...p-74-403-2193/


Its vastly different to the normal S60 and really feels the part (by Volvo standards)... Better handling, adjustible ride, power steering, throttle response etc.. The AWD coupled to all the torque feels great....
The s60r shouldnt really cost much more to maintain than the s60, just get one in good condition and relatively low mileage..

 

Yea all the ones I looked at are 07's with 40-50K miles on them.
All seem to be one owner cars.

Nothing specific to look for in these? From the little info I found on them, something like the angle gear is weak?

 

The angle gear/collar gear. Lots of trouble there. Although I have 70K on my '05 SR 6M and not one problem. Read up on Swedespeed. There is a big R specific forum there.

I have to agree with Nicolaselias. Get the R then tune it via iPd. You wont regret it.

 

I think I might go the legacy gt route tommorow. Some other forums I go on state they locr the idea of the R, but the haldex system in general and lack of nods steered them away. I really liked the drive of it but wasn't floored by its performance by ny means.
Guess we will see what I do. My butt fell in love with those seats tho!2

 

Volvo really made some excellent seats for those cars...
I don't think the legacy is meant to be the same market as the s60r.. Different target market certainly, and while I am a subaru fan, I would definitely push you for the s60r in this respect...

Haldex is definitely a positive and not a negative... It is one of the best AWD systems on the market, with excellent torque vectoring and control etc...

I know it lacks some of the "mods" other companies have but what do you need?

Brakes - Nothing you can really do to make those 4 piston Brembos any better. Superb stock braking

Suspension - Sway Bar upgrade is about the only thing that is worth doing..
Dropping low is also an option if you like that kind of thing

Engine - Between the IPD tune, and a new downpipe you are going to be at ~350hp.. Not sure how much more you want than that but you can throw on a nice ram air/short ram intake system for extra noise and a small performance upgrade...

In the end, its your vehicle and choice, but particularly on looks and comfort the S60R beats the Legacy any day...

 

Well the deal fell through on the Legacy anyway.
I drove it and deff felt faster then the R, however it didnt feel as lux for sure.
Im still pondering picking up this 07 tommorow. Its mine and sitting if I want it, but IM still on the fence.

 

I'd say test drive a few R's.. I only ever drove one and it was anything BUT sluggish.. Had great pickup and the turbo spooled really quick after about 2300rpm...

Also, fiddle around with the 4c settings.. Throw it into sport or advanced and you will feel the throttle response increase etc...

Also, the manual is more fun but any 06 or newer automatic should be fine

 

I honestly didnt tinker with the 4C settings. I will try that next. Just drove one manual and 1 auto.

Sluggish to me might be different to others. I have owned a few highly modded turbo cars. So My butt dyno may be skewed.

The angle gear problems and slave problems. . . . from research seems to be more of a Pre06 problem? Or is this across the board on the newer ones too?