Consumer Reports tested the S60 in the 5/01 issue, Road & Track tested it in their 4/01 issue, and Car and Driver in their 1/01 issue. Before forking over that kind of money, I'd suggest you go to your local library and read the reviews.

I've had a couple of S60s, an S80 and a '02 V70 as service loaners. I also was impressed. I thought the ergonomics were much better than my own V70. I also thought the brakes were "grabby" as noted in most of the reviews. If you are coming from a 740, you'll discover a phenomenon called "torque steer" with a lot of power and FWD. It takes some getting used to.

You also might want to visit the NHTSA complaints file, online at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/index.cfm

and appreciate the number of safety complaints for recent Volvos, and compare the number with the number for recent years of BMWs and Lexus. BMW outsells Volvo by a substantial margin in the US.

I like my Volvo so I dont want to completely discourage you, but if I were interested in a sedan in the S60's price range, I'd also look at the BMW 3-series (RWD or AWD), the Lexus IS300 (RWD), the Audi A4 (AWD) and the SAAB 9-5 (FWD). I'd also suggest skipping the C-class Mercedes, I just don't think it's worth the money in comparison with all the others. The Lexus is the bargain of the bunch, they're being deeply discounted at the moment.

Good luck!