In many ways that's a shame because in T5 form it has a fair bit to offer a potential buyer trawling this corner of the market, being noticeably better value than its main German rivals as well as being usefully quicker than most thanks to a turbocharged five-cylinder engine. So, in an effort to boost its appeal, Volvo has given the S60 a mild makeover with some subtle external tweaks and revisions to the interior including a new centre console and redesigned front seats.

The first bit of good news is that the T5's already healthy engine has grown from 2.3 to 2.4 litres, thanks to a longer-throw crank. Add in the effects of the larger turbo borrowed from the S60 R, and variable inlet valve timing as well as the tweaked variable exhaust timing system, and the headline 7bhp increase to 256 might seem modest. But the real gains are in torque, which grows from 243lb ft to 258. It's also available from much lower revs and at 1800rpm there's already 224lb ft on tap rather than the 177 of before. To cope with this extra power, the T5 now uses the stronger six-speed manual 'box from the S60 R. So there's serious grunt for the already overworked front wheels to handle. The on-paper spec seems promising but out on the road some flaws start to show.

All the cars on the press launch were fitted with the ΂£2100 Sports Handling option, which includes 18in split-rim alloys, speed-dependent power steering and a revised version of the Four-C active chassis/damper system first seen on the S60 R.

With Four-C you get to choose between Comfort and Sport settings via a button hidden down by the gear lever; you'll soon tell which one you've selected as one works and the other doesn't. With Sport selected you immediately notice that the ride is firmer to the point of being annoyingly so on pockmarked urban tarmac.

Even on flowing backroads it always seems as if the dampers are set several notches harder than the ideal setting for the springs. Volvo admits it actually wanted it this way to show this is a sporting saloon but for me it's mis-judged as it's too crude. Leave it in Sport and you might actually end up going slower through bumpy sections as your body cries 'enough' in the face of the constant pummelling.

Switch to Comfort and the damping alters dramatically, giving a far more settled ride over the same patch of dodgy tarmac that the Sport setting struggled with. But the interesting bit is what happens if you take the car by the scruff of the neck and throw it down the same challenging roads - the expected wallowing never materialises.
What exactly is going on here was later explained by Bo Kruger, one of Volvo's chassis specialists, who has been working on Four-C since the mid-'80s.

It turns out that in Sport mode the Skyhook technology is turned off and the electronic dampers' only aim is to keep the wheels in contact with the tarmac at all times. During hard cornering, braking and acceleration, each damper adjusts to give maximum resistance to roll and pitch, effectively raising the spring rate momentarily on that particular corner.

In Comfort mode all effort goes into maximising ride comfort with Skyhook re-engaged. The clever bit is that when Four-C senses aggressive use of the steering wheel, brakes or accelerator, it immediately switches to Sport again so, in effect, you get the best of both worlds by leaving it in Comfort mode.

Put Four-C to the back of your mind and the T5 provides excellent grip, surprisingly little in the way of torque steer (but little in the way of steering feel, either), strong performance from the punchy, charismatic engine, together with superb braking thanks to the increased diameter front discs and larger callipers. Even the quality of the gearchange has improved.

The only thing the S60 seems to lack is some sort of star quality to put it at the top of buyers' shopping lists. It doesn't shine brilliantly in any one particular area and in today's ultra-competitive marketplace that's not good enough if you want to stay ahead of the pack.