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We stopped for a quick photo with Deanne and the new Volvo S60 on a trip around Utah Lake. Spring is coming someday.

Craig Conover, Daily Herald

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The new Volvo S60 Recharge in Thunder Grey.

Courtesy photo

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The new Volvo S60 Recharge in Thunder Grey.

Courtesy photo

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The new Volvo S60 Recharge in Thunder Grey.

Courtesy photo

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Inside the new Volvo S60 Recharge.

Courtesy photo

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Early last May, Volvo came out with a bold new vision: Its 2023 lineup of vehicles would consist of mild hybrid, hybrid or pure electric powertrains, and its vehicles will be completely electric by the year 2030.

This is quite a vision for vehicles out here in the “Wild West” part of the country. There are still many questions left to be answered regarding whether our infrastructure and the motoring public in general will be ready for this change.

For its part, Volvo has to be given some credit as it has partnered with Starbucks and is adding 15 locations of DC fast chargers between Denver and Seattle. The first four chargers were installed at the Provo Starbucks in East Bay and came online in early September 2022.

Here in Utah, the month of March was fraught with weather of all types, from rain to blizzards and heavy snowstorms. This made it extremely difficult for the fleet services that deliver our test vehicles to transport them from Denver to the Wasatch Front, which resulted in us keeping the 2023 Volvo S60 for an extra week.

Sometimes adding fuel to a vehicle for another week can be brutal to the pocketbook, but not so in the Volvo S60 Recharge. In fact, after two weeks with this sleek new offering from the Swedish carmaker, we still had just over half a tank of fuel remaining from when it was dropped off at our home, and we had enjoyed almost 750 miles of driving pleasure.

How was this accomplished? We were diligent in plugging the S60 into our Level 2 home charger each evening, ensuring we had a full charge for the coming day. It charged each night to either 44 or 45 miles of electric power.

For the most part, we used the S60 for our daily drive to work, going out to eat, making a grocery run — that kind of thing. We did take a longer trip around Utah Lake on a Sunday just to get out and enjoy some sunshine (even though the temperatures were still on the frigid side).

On most days, we either didn’t use up all the electric miles or we barely used them up and dipped into a bit of the gas. At the end of the two-week period, we were averaging 41.9 mpg in the mid-sized sedan, an extraordinary number for anyone.

The awesome thing about the S60 is that its 2.0-liter direct injection fuel engine produces 312 horsepower and its additional electric motor adds 143 more horsepower, providing a total of 455 horsepower. This equation pretty much added up to “fun.” Who wouldn’t like an over-400 horsepower sedan that is all-wheel drive, handles like a dream and takes on a snowstorm with ease?

Possibly, the small amount of gas we used provided that little extra punch of power when we needed it.

On top of its legendary performance and gas milage, the S60 has an enormous amount of luxury and creature comforts packed into its interior. This also kept us wanting more time in the sedan each and every day.

The seats were clad in a new, exclusive tailored wool blend that is only available in the Recharge model and is made from 30% wool and 70% polyester. This creates an experience of contemporary yet sustainable luxury.

There is also an included air purifier on the Ultimate edition that prevented up to 95% of small particles from entering the cabin, helping us enjoy the best air possible. This would be a great addition in the spring as it would help to keep out pollen and other such impurities when driving.

The seats were heated, of course, along with the steering wheel, which we used every day with the weather staying cold through March. It’s the small things that really help on those cold days!

The infotainment system in a Volvo is outstanding. They all feature a huge 9-inch-wide touch screen that resembles an iPad in portrait mode and is the center star of the dashboard. It controls all the different functions in the S60.

An all-digital driving display was also included. At 12.3 inches, it is very large, and we loved the way the center of it could be set as navigation, allowing the infotainment screen to be used for other options like comfort, sound and even Apple CarPlay functions. Volvos now also come standard with Google maps included as part of their package.

About the only real luxury extra the Ultimate did not come with was an upgraded sound system. Upgrading to the Bowers & Wilkins premium system costs $3,200. Is it worth it? That would have to be a personal choice, but it did sound really good, giving us our own private sound room to drive around in.

On the safety side, Volvo lives up to its reputation, adding everything from parking sensors with cameras to adaptive cruise and lane keep assist for long-distance drives as standard issue.

This would definitely be on our A list of hybrid vehicles as it allowed us to drive — for the most part — on electricity every day. At the same time, if we wanted to go on a longer drive such as a vacation, we would not be required to plot ahead of time all the places where we would have to stop and charge, effectively eliminating all types of charging anxiety for the trip.

Base price: $57,960

Destination charge: $1,095

Price as driven: $63,690

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