[fifty+]

Hello to you all out there.
I've been the reasonably proud owner of an S60 for almost a year now and am generally happy with it. However, I find the large turning circle a real pain, particularly in some of the small car parks in the UK.
I guess this is something which I will have to live with (and, to be fair, it was something I noticed when I took a couple of test drives before purchasing), but, nevertheless, it is an annoyance.
I guess this may not be an issue with you guys in the US or Oz (wide open spaces and all that), but wonder if it annoys any Brits?

 

[Tech]

It is a problem here in the U.S. as well.

 

[brianf]

I have to agree. That thing must have a 40 foot turning radius. You have to plan half an hour in advance to park it.

Unfortunatly I never test drove my 2004 S60 AWD when I bought it. That alone would have caused me to get another Benz.

brianf

 

[madador]

Front wheel drive cars have wider turning radii

 

[LoveMyS60]

Brian,

Perhaps it's just the nature of the cities we live in, or the places we need to drive, but it's never bothered me all that much. Yes, sometimes, i get frustrated, but usually it's not that big of a deal. Certainly not a "deal breaker" for me.

However, if it's causing you that much trouble, I've read somewhere (here, SweedSpeed, VolvoSpeed, VolvoForums, etc) of people that have found ways to improve this.

It basically comes down to:

- Hammer more room in the wheel well
- Get thinner tires
- Move steering stops back a bit.

In reality, the radius isn't as big of difference in actual distance as you might think. I had a Cadillac Catera before this car, which is actually an Opel Omega, designed and built in germany w/ Cadi badges stuck on it. For owners fortunate enough to have a trouble-free car like myself, it was a BEAUTIFUL ride. It handled like the german car that it is.

Anyway, it was RWD, and had stunning handling, and the turning radius was something like 34" compared to 39" for the Volvo. Yes, it seems like a lot more, but in reality, it's just a few feet.

 

[Nigelattwood]

I had an S60 and found the turning circle to be OK for a front wheel drive, I now have a 2006 V70 with 17" wheel and that is a real barge to park circle must be 6 feet wider than the S60.

I met a guy the other day who has just swapped his 17" rims for 16" and wears the circle is 4 feet better. Any one else experienced this before I cough up several hundred quid?

 

[fritzlovesmary]

our other vehicle is a chevy avalanche, so the turning radius on our s60 doesn't bother me too much - at least i don't have to "re-adjust" driving and turning habits when driving either one of them

.
fritz

 

[stnjohnson]

We noticed it when we test drove my wife's S60. I drive a 4 door Titan and I swear the s60 turning radius is worse or at best the same. I'd just all together prefer a RWD, this being one of the reasons, but it's not a deal breaker for me here in the states.

 

[chriscz]

I originally test drove the S40 and the dealer made it a point to have me check out the steering radius. When I drove the S60 i found it needed a much wider arc and the dealer said that was normal. Still a whole lot more car than the S40, so happy with my choice.