Consider that the engine has 210 ft/ilb torque (the high pressure
turbo models had 220 up to 98) and I think it is going to perform
fine. We have a normally aspirated 95 wagon and use it all the
time for family trips (even though I have a 98 S70 T5). It keeps
up with traffic OK. A light pressure turbo should more then keep
up. When we do take my T5 it hardly even "feels" the extra load and
it just flattens out uphill roads. The light pressure turbo is not
really all that much less powerful then T5s so I think you should
be fine.
In the past the GLT models (basically now called the 2.4T) had the
same suspension as the T5s (but a T5 could be had with a sport
suspension). I would think the ride would be similar and any
differences might just be the tire characteristics (easily changed
if you do want the T5).
As far as experience, I drove an S60 with the 2.4T this weekend
at a Volvo promotion here in the Bay Area. It was qquite fast.
Also drove the base model and the T5. They had 3 tracks setup:
braking, handling, speed. The speed track was to see how fast
you could get through the track. They used 2.4Ts for this track.
With myself and a co-driver (instructor) I found the car had
plenty of power. I've probably never driven faster (but mostly
because of the instructor yelling "full power, full power, brake,
brake, full power, full power, abs, abs". People were thrashing
the cars all day long and they just took it (brake torque launches
and setting off the ABS on every lap). Pretty impressive.
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