Compare the2024 Volvo S60VS 2023 BMW 5 Series Sedan

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 5 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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S60 and 5 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 5 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 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 5 Series Sedan 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 5 Series Sedan 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 5 Series Sedan 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 5 Series Sedan’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the S60 and the 5 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, 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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 135 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 5 Series Sedan is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the S60 has a standard 800-amp battery. The 5 Series Sedan’s 570-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 5 Series Sedan’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the 5 Series Sedan:

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the 5 Series Sedan:

The S60 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 41 miles. The 5 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 5 Series Sedan 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 5 Series Sedan (3 to 7). This means the S60 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 5 Series Sedan every 15,000 miles.

The S60 stops shorter than the 5 Series Sedan:

The S60 Plus AWD handles at .94 G’s, while the 540i pulls only .87 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 530i (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the S60’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan’s (37.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The S60’s turning circle is 3.7 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan xDrive’s (37.1 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

The S60 is 8.4 inches shorter than the 5 Series Sedan, making the S60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 5 Series Sedan (.27 to .29) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the S60 get better fuel mileage.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S60’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The S60 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The 5 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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the S60’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the 5 Series Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

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 5 Series Sedan’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The S60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar’s 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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the S60 is less expensive to operate than the 5 Series Sedan because typical repairs cost much less on the S60 than the 5 Series Sedan, including $229 less for a water pump, $415 less for a muffler, $24 less for front brake pads, $105 less for a starter, $27 less for fuel injection, $266 less for front struts, $879 less for a timing belt/chain and $492 less for a power steering pump.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volvo S60 and the BMW 5 Series Sedan, based on reliability, safety and performance.