Compare the2024 Volvo S60VS 2023 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S60 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The S60’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S60 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S60 and 2 Series Gran Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S60 Plus/Ultimate 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 2 Series Gran Coupe’s 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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S60 offers an optional 360° Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 2 Series Gran Coupe only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the S60 and 2 Series Gran Coupe have rear cross-traffic warning, but the S60 has Braking Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the S60 and the 2 Series Gran Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, 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, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 2 Series Gran Coupe is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

The S60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 19 more horsepower (247 vs. 228) than the 228i Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The S60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 154 more horsepower (455 vs. 301) and 192 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 331) than the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the 2 Series Gran Coupe:

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the 2 Series Gran Coupe:

The S60 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 41 miles. The 2 Series Gran Coupe can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The S60 has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (15.9 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo S60 higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (3 to 7). This means the S60 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 2 Series Gran Coupe every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the S60’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the 2 Series Gran Coupe:

For better traction, the S60 has larger tires than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S60 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S60’s wheelbase is 8 inches longer than on the 2 Series Gran Coupe (113.1 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the S60 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

The S60 Plus AWD handles at .94 G’s, while the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe pulls only .91 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The S60 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 25.8 seconds @ .71 average G’s).

The design of the Volvo S60 amounts to more than styling. The S60 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is lower than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (.27 to .3) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the S60 get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the S60 Core is quieter than the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe:

The S60 has .9 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S60’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the S60 has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a power trunk, so its trunk has to be closed manually.

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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the 2 Series Gran Coupe, the S60 Ultimate/Polestar has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The S60’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Both the S60 and the 2 Series Gran Coupe offer optional heated front seats. The S60 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volvo S60 and the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, based on reliability, safety and performance.