Compare the2022 Volvo S60VS 2021 Lexus IS Series

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

© 1999 - 2025Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2025/04/29

Both the S60 and IS Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S60 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The IS Series’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The S60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The IS Series doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S60’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The IS Series doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the S60 and the IS Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo S60 is safer than the Lexus IS Series:

	S60	IS Series
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	192	220
Neck Injury Risk	25.7%	35%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	429 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	395/518 lbs.	599/675 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	41%
Neck Stress	146 lbs.	152 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo S60 is safer than the Lexus IS Series:

	S60	IS Series
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	212 lbs.	474 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	575 lbs.	691 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	490 lbs.	806 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The S60’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the IS Series’ (12 vs. 6 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the S60 for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the IS Series (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 15 percent more Volvo dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the S60’s warranty.

Reliability

The battery on the S60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the S60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The IS Series’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the S60’s reliability 21 points higher than the IS Series.

Engine

The S60 has more powerful engines than the IS Series:

	Horsepower	Torque
S60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	247 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
S60 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	400 HP	472 lbs.-ft.
IS 300 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	241 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
IS 300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6	260 HP	236 lbs.-ft.
IS 350 F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	311 HP	280 lbs.-ft.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the IS Series:

			MPGe
S60
	AWD	T8 Electric Motor	70 city/68 hwy
IS Series
			MPG
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/31 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	350 F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the IS Series:

			MPG
S60
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/33 hwy
IS Series
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/31 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	350 F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

The S60 T8 can drive on battery power alone for up to 22 miles. The IS Series must run its internal combustion engine to move.

Regenerative brakes improve the S60 T8’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The IS Series doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the S60’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip (not available T8). The IS Series doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The S60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The IS Series doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the S60 Polestar’s brake rotors are larger than those on the IS Series:

	S60 Polestar	IS Series
Front Rotors	14.6 inches	13.2 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	11.7 inches

The S60 stops shorter than the IS Series:

	S60	IS Series
60 to 0 MPH	110 feet	117 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	139 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S60’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the IS Series (113.1 inches vs. 110.2 inches).

The S60 R-Design AWD handles at .91 G’s, while the IS 300 AWD pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S60 Polestar executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the IS 300 AWD (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 25.9 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The S60 has 5.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the IS Series (96 vs. 90.2).

The S60 has 1 inch more front hip room, .2 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 3 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the IS Series.

Cargo Capacity

The S60 has a larger trunk than the IS Series (11.6 vs. 10.8 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S60’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The IS Series doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the S60’s power trunk can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The IS Series doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Towing

The S60 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The IS Series has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist on the S60 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The IS Series doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The S60 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The IS Series doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the S60 and the IS Series have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the S60 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The IS Series prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the S60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The IS Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The IS Series doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Both the S60 and the IS Series offer optional heated front seats. The S60 T8 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the IS Series.

The S60 Inscription offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the IS Series.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo S60 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The IS Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The S60 T8’s optional Park Assist Pilot can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The IS Series doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the S60 is less expensive to operate than the IS Series because typical repairs cost much less on the S60 than the IS Series, including $63 less for a water pump, $487 less for a starter, $258 less for fuel injection, $125 less for front struts, $849 less for a timing belt/chain and $950 less for a power steering pump.

See Available Inventory