Volvo returned to high performance in 2004 with their "R" types - the S60R sedan and the V70R station wagon. The 2005 S60R sedan had few changes from the previous model year.

Externally, the S60R exhibits subtle differences from its more sedate siblings. There are the various Rs planted around the car - for example, on the spokes of the unique five-spoked R type rims, through which the exclusive R imprinted four-piston Brembo disc brakes flash. Or you might notice the quarter-inch lowering of the S60R compared to a regular S60. Or the unique front fascia's bumper, which allows more air to the twin-intercooled turbocharger and reduces lift by 25 percent.

That turbocharger feeds a heavily modified version of Volvo's 208-hp, 2.5-liter turbocharged inline five. The modifications produce 300 hp at 5,500 rpm and a beautiful torque curve of 295 pound-feet from 1,950 to 5,250 rpm. Flowing through a new close-ratio six-speed manual transmission, the S60R does the 0-60 leap in 5.5 seconds - this is not your father's or grandmother's Volvo! That's German-car territory.

Volvo didn't stop with the engine. The company spent time and treasure developing an electronic suspension system that couples to an all-wheel-drive layout - in Volvo speak, Four-C: Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept. A computer-controlled hydraulic-electronic dampening system allows the driver to select the level of suspension compliance. Three settings - Comfort, Sport, and Advanced - are accessible through a dash-mounted switch. Comfort works well for highway cruising, Sport for most driving situations (allowing for minimum body roll), and Advanced for fast, smooth, racetrack-like twisties.

While Four-C works well, reviewers found the steering too vague for a car of this performance level. The brakes, as befits Brembos, are strong and fade resistant. Other complaints were based on the seating. While the special R interior is stunningly Nordic in its elegant simplicity, the seats left some reviewers lacking an intimate connection with this high-performance machine. The EPA rates the S60R as 18/25 mpg city/highway, while one reviewer observed 20 mpg all around.