Compare the2024 Volvo S60VS 2023 BMW 3 Series Sedan

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S60 and 3 Series Sedan 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 3 Series Sedan’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’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

The S60 has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the 3 Series Sedan’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the S60 has standard Cross Traffic Alert and Braking Intervention automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. BMW charges extra for Cross Traffic Warning on the 3 Series Sedan and the 3 Series Sedan’s Cross Traffic Warning does not include automatic braking.

Both the S60 and the 3 Series Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, 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 BMW 3 Series Sedan:

	S60	3 Series Sedan
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	207 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 BMW 3 Series Sedan:

	S60	3 Series Sedan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	103	107
Hip Force	212 lbs.	252 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	271	305
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	490 lbs.	544 lbs.

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

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 3 Series Sedan has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the S60 has a standard 800-amp battery. The 3 Series Sedan’s 720-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The S60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 73 more horsepower (455 vs. 382) and 154 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 369) than the M340i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the 3 Series Sedan:

			MPGe
S60
	AWD	T8 Electric Motor	74 city/73 hwy
3 Series Sedan
			MPG
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/33 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/32 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the 3 Series Sedan:

			MPG
S60
	FWD	B5 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/35 hwy
	AWD	B5 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/33 hwy
		T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/33 hwy
3 Series Sedan
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/33 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/32 hwy

The S60 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 41 miles. The 3 Series Sedan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the S60’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the 3 Series Sedan:

	S60	3 Series Sedan
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S60 has larger tires than the 3 Series Sedan (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R18). The S60’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 3 Series Sedan (235/45R18 vs. 225/40R19).

Suspension and Handling

The S60 Plus AWD handles at .94 G’s, while the 330i xDrive pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The S60 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the 330i xDrive (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 26.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the S60’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the 3 Series Sedan’s (37.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the S60 Core is quieter than the 330i (68 vs. 69 dB).

Passenger Space

The S60 has .3 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more front shoulder room than the 3 Series Sedan.

Towing

The S60 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The 3 Series Sedan 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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the 3 Series Sedan, 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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the S60’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the 3 Series Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the S60 is less expensive to operate than the 3 Series Sedan because it costs $36 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the S60 than the 3 Series Sedan, including $276 less for a water pump, $235 less for a muffler, $21 less for front brake pads, $115 less for a starter, $96 less for fuel injection, $362 less for front struts, $723 less for a timing belt/chain and $361 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volvo S60 and the BMW 3 Series Sedan, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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