Volvo S60 vs Lexus GS
What's the difference?

Volvo S60

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2024 price

View pricing & specs

Lexus GS

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2018 price

View pricing & specs

Maserati Quattroporte

Mazda 6

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A35

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz C43

Mercedes-Benz C63

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz E53

Mercedes-Benz EQS

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Summary

2024 Volvo S60

2018 Lexus GS

By Emily Agar

By Peter Anderson

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L

V6, 3.5L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded/Electric

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

1.4L/100km (combined)

9.3L/100km (combined)

Energy consumption

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Electric range

90 km

Battery capacity

18.80 kWh

Seating

Likes

Elegant proportions and styling
Feature-laden
Superb on-road driving experience

Super-smooth V6
Lots of interesting tech
Lovely (if old-fashioned) interior

Dislikes

Sedate cabin compared to rivals
Works best as a four-seater
Not a lot of storage options

Thirst
Media system
No Apple CarPlay/Android Auto

2024 Volvo S60 Summary

Sedans have long been supplanted by SUVs as the family favourite but they still have their charms for those drivers who like something that feels more dynamic on the road.

Enter the limited edition Volvo S60 Recharge Black Edition which sees the return of a plug-in hybrid powertrain for Volvo’s only sedan.

I’ve been family-testing the PHEV variant to see just how practical a sedan is for the modern family, and whether it's rivals, the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C200 have anything to worry about.

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2018 Lexus GS Summary

Ah, yes, the Lexus GS. Toyota's luxury off-shoot had high hopes for the new big boy when I first saw it a few years ago. Not thousands-of-sales high hopes, but the company thought a rear-wheel drive luxury sedan stacked with gear you didn't even know you wanted would be a dead-set winner.

And to be fair, they were right. I ran a GS as a long-termer and it was impeccably-mannered. In hybrid form. It wasn't sparkling, but my goodness, it used barely any fuel; especially impressive given its size.

As the sun is surely setting on the GS, it's time to have a look and see if it's a match for the BMW 5 Series or the Mercedes E.

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Deep dive comparison

2024 Volvo S60 2018 Lexus GS

Verdict

The Volvo S60 Recharge Black Edition proves sedans can still be sexy and an excellent family car, providing your family is on the smaller side. I only have one kid, so it's perfect for our activities and gear. It’s wonderful to drive and has a great features list but it's not without its quirks.

My son thinks it looks cool, and we enjoyed bellowing out a few renditions of the original Batman theme song this week. He has had a lot of comfort in the back seat, too.

Verdict

Weirdly, given all the good things I've had to say about the GS F Sport, it doesn't quite hang together. It's missing that certain something the Europeans have in their chassis, particularly the BMW 5 Series, and with ageing interior tech, it's struggling to keep up.

It's a car built for specific tastes, and they're more California than Straya. And that's perfectly okay, but unfortunately, that doesn't translate to a stampede of buyers. Having said that, none of its German rivals (or its beleaguered Japanese counterpart, Infiniti) could claim wild sales success either.

The GS is a terrific car, underrated but also just not quite there for my taste. The GS F, though, that's another thing altogether.

Volvo S60 vs Lexus GS What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Volvo S60 vs Lexus GS
What's the difference?