2012 Volvo S60 T6 AWD

When you think of Volvo, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is safety.

After driving this red rocket, the words performance beautiful fast and fun work too.

This is the 2012 Volvo S60 T6 AWD R Design the most powerful production Volvo to date. What does the R mean for you? Chassis changes as well as stiffer suspension bushings, which are supposed to reduce the feeling of isolation from the road.

Add-stiffer springs, a front strut-tower brace and a lower ride height and you have a pretty great Swedish car, owned by a Chinese company.

(Photo by STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Volvo makes the best seats in the business and these are the specially bolstered version. The interior is great. Everything looks and works like a charm, including a sweet sound system.

The Volvo scoots from 0 to 60 in 5.3 seconds. And the brakes bite well, although the stopping distance isn’t tops in class.

The six-speed transmission is a work in progress. This car has so much power that it never seems to find the perfect gear. I suspect a 7 or 8 speed is in the pipeline.

The Volvo shines in the safety department. It comes standard with City Safety, which automatically brakes at speeds up to 19 mph when the system detects a crash. You can spend a little more and get the Technology Package, which gives you Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake, which slams the brakes for you when it senses human shapes in you way.

How does this R Design stack up against the competition like the BMW 3 series or Acura TL or Audi A 4? It looks as good or better than the cars mentioned, but it’s pretty stiff completion overall. The new 3 series is pretty great, and so is the Audi.

When you have cars as nice as these to choose from, it comes down to personal taste. You won’t be disappointed with this Volvo or the other cars in this class.

Here are the specs:

BASE PRICE$43,475

VEHICLE LAYOUTFront-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan

ENGINE3.0L/325-hp/354-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 24-valve I-6

TRANSMISSION6-speed automatic

CURB WEIGHT3850 lb (mfr)

WHEELBASE109.3 in

LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT182.2 x 73.4 x 58.4 in

0-60 MPH5.3 sec (MT est)

EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON18/26 mpg

ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY187/130 kW-hrs/100 miles

CO2 EMISSIONS0.93 lb/mile

ON SALE IN U.S.Currently