Not only does the S60 have concealed trunk hinges, it also offers these handy release levers for the rear seatbacks. Not sure why more cars don't have these, but they make loading something larger into the trunk much easier.
Climbing into the rear seat and releasing the seat backs from the inside isn't any great chore, but having exterior releases isn't exactly a massive feat of engineering either. I also noticed that the trunk is pretty large for a car in this class, or at least it looks that way since there aren't any significant intrusions. Overall, it's a well thought out setup that gives this sedan an added measure of practicality.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line
revs29 says:
05:44 AM, 02/10/12
Those look very well made and designed. My 2003 Accord has trunk located seatback releases, but unfortunately they're long pieces of thin plastic and I've managed to break both of them off with overstacked luggage over the course of 10 years. my old 99 Accord had them and the cables were braided steel...cost cutting got me good.
ed124c says:
06:43 AM, 02/10/12
I would like to see the concealed trunk hinges.
I can't get a bead on the realease levers above. To me they(?) look like a stereo amplifier. How about a better photo?
baggs32 says:
09:16 AM, 02/10/12
Didn't someone already post about this? I wonder where Volvo got this idea? The Mazda6 has had these for almost 10 years now. The Ford Fusion, Edge, and Focus have them. Hmmmm...
jstandefer says:
10:13 AM, 02/10/12
"I wonder where Volvo got this idea? The Mazda6 has had these for almost 10 years now. The Ford Fusion, Edge, and Focus have them. Hmmmm..."
The first generation S60 had this back before the Mazda6, Fusion, and Edge existed. And the Volvo S80 had them before the first Focus and before Ford bought Volvo. So I don't think they learned it from Ford.
The first gen S60 had a better design, in my opinion. They were located in the side walls of the trunk and were completely flush so they didn't intrude on trunk space.
esoterica says:
12:55 PM, 02/10/12
+1 jstandefer. Maybe the gooseneck trunk hinges get in the way of these being put in the same location as the prior S60.
pack3enz says:
09:50 PM, 02/12/12
I sell Volvo cars (alongside Mercedes-Benz), and they have done this for a very long time. Also, the front passenger seat can be folded forward to accommodate even longer items.
The releases used to be on the upper corners of the rear seats - their "shoulders", if you will. The problem was that denying access to the trunk, via the valet key, required locking the trunk and the two separate tumblers provided at each internal seat latch, respectively. Placing the release in the trunk eliminates unnecessary parts inside the car, and reduces securing the trunk with the valet key to one action.
Such a mechanism remains a stand-alone (but frequently-ordered, even for stock inventory) option on the Mercedes-Benz E-class, but has been retained in the much-improved Premium 1 package on the revised 2012 C-class (a car where, like the S60, it is needed most).