Volvo XC60 review @ MotorBar

“Be aware that the latest all-new
XC60 is a genuine alternative to
premium mid-sized SUVs from the
likes of Audi (Q5), Jaguar (F-Pace)
and Land Rover (Discovery Sport).
That’s some feat, and it deserves
respect...”

NOT SURPRISINGLY, THIS ALL-NEW XC60 SUV has much in common with Volvo's highly-rated large 4x4 — the seven-seater XC90 — including powertrains, advanced infotainment features and safety tech, and the same elegant Swedish design language.

And like the protective Terminator in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the XC60 will do everything in its power to keep you safe on the roads. For the record, the XC60 has just been crowned the safest-performing car of 2017 in the prestigious EuroNCAP Best in Class Safety Awards.

Priced from £37K to £58K, all XC60 models come with all-wheel-drive and eight-speed autoboxes; under their bonnets you'll find efficient Volvo-developed-and-built all-aluminium Drive-E 2.0-litre diesel (D4 190hp and D5 235hp) or petrol (T5 254hp) engines — there's also a 407hp T8 twin-engined hybrid plug-in that uses a potent petrol engine to drive the front wheels and an electric motor to power those at the back.

“Every XC60 comes
with Drive Mode control;
this allows the driver to
select from multiple
drive settings —
Comfort, Eco, Dynamic,
Off Road and
Individual (for tailoring
each element to your
own liking) —
engaging the one that
best suits the prevailing
conditions...”

Every XC60 also comes with Drive Mode control; this allows the driver to select from multiple drive settings — Comfort, Eco, Dynamic, Off Road and Individual (for tailoring each element to your own liking) — engaging the one that best suits the prevailing conditions. Each mode modifies the responses of the engine, autobox, steering, brakes, stability control, air suspension (if fitted), and even the climate control. All you have to do is flick a switch.

The XC60 certainly looks the business: its pleasingly athletic but non-aggressive blend of high-riding estate and SUV body styling is fronted by a long bonnet and slim, full-LED headlights with distinctive T-shaped daytime running lights fanning out from the edge of the imposing, piano black vertical grille.

Adding to the XC60's undeniable kerb appeal is a steeply-raked windscreen and a tail marked out by signature L-shaped lights and twin exhaust pipes. Measuring a road-friendly 4.7 metres from nose to tail, the XC60 packs in plenty of inner space behind its heavily sculpted doors as well as behind the high-lifting tailgate.

What awaits you in the front cabin is the Best of Scandi: contemporary, clean and elegant design defined by top-end quality, acres of soft leather and tasteful high-end trim. The centre stack is dominated by a 9-inch portrait-format touchscreen, through which most of the car's entertainment, convenience and safety functions are easily accessed and controlled using swipe, pinch and zoom functionality (infrared technology means it works even when you're wearing gloves).

The dual-zone climate control system is also operated by your fingertip but even if you've been brought up on cars with knobs and buttons to control the heating and ventilation, don't worry — you'll feel at home with this all-touch system and the intuitive full-screen displays from the moment you begin using it. Plus an advanced voice control system means you can easily adjust the music, navigation, or climate systems all without taking your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road.

Shapely, power-adjustable seats are nicely bolstered and über-supportive and well served by power lumbar adjustment and three-stage heating. The driving position is first-rate, helped by large windows with the bonnet and wing-tops clearly seen, making placing the XC60 easily judged. A rear parking camera makes reversing equally hassle-free, especially if you tick the box for the 360-degree surround view feature. The driver gets two memory settings for the seat and mirror along with a three-stage heated steering wheel — and it's a lovely-to-use all-satin black multifunction item with a mischievous avant garde touch added by its 'squared' centre boss.

“Awaiting you
in the front cabin is the
Best of Scandi: contemporary, clean and
elegant design defined
by top-end quality, acres
of soft leather and
tasteful high-end trim.
The dash is dominated
by a 9-inch tablet-style-
touchscreen, through
which most of the
entertainment,
convenience and safety
functions are easily
controlled...”

Sure the panoramic glass roof costs extra but it's worth every penny — the front section tilts/slides and there's a one-shot blackout sunblind. With it retracted the cabin is fabulously light and airy and feels even bigger inside although open or closed there's plenty of room to accommodate five in the big, comfy seats, all of which are set high and provide commanding views out from wherever you're sitting.

A long centre console running between the front seats injects a feel-good twin-cockpit atmosphere and is home to plenty of handy storage areas and cupholders plus the gear lever, keyless 'twist-action' starter switch (so much more tactile than an ordinary engine start push-button), the driving mode 'roller-wheel' selector, and the electric parking brake. All of it is beautifully finished and satisfying to use.

The instrument panel is digital but laid out traditionally: speedo on the left with a large central speed readout just above the posted speed limit (exceed the limit and it flashes); rev-counter to the right with, at its centre, the engaged gear. There are four themes to choose from and there's a driver's information display between the dials — upgrade from the standard 8-inch driver's information display to the 12.3-inch instrument panel screen and you can display far more, including the SatNav mapping, which in turn lets you show more (apps, media, phone, messaging) on the central tablet.

Physical convenience is also well addressed with items such as the one-shot windows, powerfolding door mirrors (heated and auto-dimming), automatic drive-away locking, powered tailgate, etc, and there are plenty of thoughtful touches such as the 'under-wrap' doors that overlap the sills to keep your legs and clothing clean when entering or exiting in mucky weather, the electric parking brake's auto setting that applies the handbrake for you automatically (a real boon in stop-start traffic), and the large two-section glovebox with a chillable upper section. Some things never go out of fashion — like parking tickets; there's a clip on the screen pillar for just that.

Comms-wise there's Sensus 3D Navigation and Sensus Connect for accessing a wide range of apps and browsing the Internet. Also installed is a standalone Spotify app that does away with the need to use a smartphone altogether for music streaming while you drive. Your passengers will also appreciate the built-in modem that turns the cabin into a WiFi hotspot.

You also get Connected Service booking (which enables your XC60 to pre-book itself in for a convenient service) and Volvo On Call that lets you remotely 'talk' to your XC60 via your smartphone or smartwatch and do useful stuff like checking the fuel level, pre-heating or pre-cooling the cabin, sending a destination to the SatNav, or calling up roadside assistance or the emergency services after an accident.

“Comms-wise there’s
Sensus 3D Navigation
and Sensus Connect for
accessing a wide range
of apps and browsing
the Internet.
Also installed is a
standalone Spotify app
that does away with the
need to use a
smartphone altogether
for music streaming
while you drive.
Your passengers will
also appreciate the
built-in modem that turns
the cabin into a WiFi
hotspot...”

Safety-wise there's City Safety with Steer Assist (includes pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection, and front collision warning with fully automatic braking, including at junctions). Steer Assist also, in an emergency situation, detects objects in the path of the car and then adds to the steering input and brakes individual wheels to maximise the car's evasive potential while keeping it stable.

Oncoming Lane Mitigation provides automatic steering assistance to quickly guide you back into your own lane should you move out of your lane into the path of an oncoming vehicle or if there's something in your blind spot you haven't seen, while Run-Off Road protection automatically tightens the front seatbelts should the car inadvertently leave the road (if the worst happens, the front seat frames have collapsible sections to reduce vertical forces and help prevent spinal injuries).

Extras fitted to our test car bumped up the total price to £50K but even so it's still better priced and better equipped than some rivals. Fitted options included the Xenium Pack that adds a panoramic tilt-and-slide sunroof, 360-degree surround view parking camera, and automated parallel and 90-degree parking with front and rear assist.

The Intellisafe Pro Pack brings Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Information, Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Collision Mitigation as well as Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive technology (a driver-support system that takes the strain out of long journeys by helping with steering, braking and acceleration while keeping the car in its lane and in station with other traffic, even down to a standstill. It's optimised for motorway driving at up to 80mph although you still need to keep your hands on the wheel.

Audiophiles will be sorely tempted by the Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system — with 15 speakers and 1,100 watts, it can replicate the exact sound of the Gothenburg Concert Hall, a recording studio or a stage at the touch of a button and costs £2,500 but, as they say, it's music to your ears!

Other extras showcased on our test car included smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4-zone climate control, and handsfree tailgate opening and closing, and the Convenience Pack that includes a 230v/150w 3-pin plug socket, and powerfolding rear seat backrests and headrests.

We've been driving the 187bhp (190hp) D4 turbodiesel — the most popular choice with XC60 buyers. A week marred by a surfeit of congested traffic saw us record an overall average of 41.9mpg — given the official 55.4mpg combined cycle figure, and the time we spent bogged down in long motorway stop-start queuing (and our take-no-prisoners testing agenda), it's safe to say that many owners will beat our figure hands-down. What matters more, we'd argue, is that the 187bhp powerplant, which has two turbochargers working sequentially to maintain an uninterrupted stream of power at both low and high revs, keeps the engine eager throughout a broad powerband whether you're pootling around or pushing on.

“AWD gives the XC60
a decent amount of
off-road ability, including
a 400mm wading depth
— definitely enough to
cope with grassy fields
and rough tracks plus,
of course, you also get
added on-road driving
traction in muddy,
flooded, icy and wintry
conditions as well as
reassuring stability and
grip when you’re
towing...”

Accelerating off the line to 62mph takes a crisp 8.4 seconds and there's plenty of torque on tap (295lb ft) to keep it unstressed; for its part, the eight-speed autobox provides seamless changes up and down the scale. Cruising motorways — here or abroad — is not a problem thanks to the D4's 127mph top speed.

Impressively comfort-oriented is Volvo's obvious take on the rear cabin. It's even more spacious than you might have been expecting and the well cushioned seat bases and backrests make you feel right at home from the moment you sink into them.

You sit high off the floor (and higher than those in front) so enjoy good views out and good lower leg comfort on long journeys. Plenty of foot and knee room means space for stretching — and there's a full fist of headroom despite the panoramic roof, which extends all the way back past the rear headrests.

Even the middle seat is pleasant to travel in, providing as it does meaningful lower back support. Making life easy are dedicated air vents, mesh seatback pockets for magazines, a wide central armrest with a pop-out, horizontal twin cupholder rack and good-sized lidded tray — and it's set at the perfect height for resting elbows.

Accessories include infant and child seats, child booster cushions, iPad holders, a media server, two 7-inch rear media screens, and even a dog harness, so the entire family can settle in. Neat touches include hidden storage compartments beneath both outer rear seats (the perfect size and shape to take an iPad or similar), usable deep door bins, and decent reading lights. And naturally there's privacy glass to both sets of rear side windows and the rear screen.

Spring the standard-fit powered tailgate without touching it (use either the dash button or key fob, both of which will also power it shut again — and fast) and you can access the regular-shaped boot; there's 505 litres for luggage but stack to the roof and it'll take 635 litres. Press the button in the boot's side to powerfold the rear 60:40-split seatbacks down and you'll expand this to 1,432 litres with a seamless and totally flat loadbay floor.

To make loading and unloading even easier, tick the box for the handsfree option that lets you open the tailgate simply by putting one foot beneath the back bumper. More thoughtful touches include the luggage blind roller covers that rises to follow the line of the D-pillars for easier access, a ski hatch, a netted side pocket for smaller items and another set of buttons in the boot side — use these to raise or lower the boot floor to the most convenient height.

What the XC60 can't carry inside it can carry on its roof — the roof bars support 100kg and 350- to 520-litre roof boxes are available. Even bikes can be accommodated: a roof-mounted carrier will take one, while two bikes can be carried in a towbar-mounted holder. And what won't fit anywhere else can be towed — up to a braked 2,400kg.

“Spring the powered
tailgate (use either the
dash button or key fob,
both of which will also
power it shut again —
and fast) and you can
access the 505-litre boot;
stack to the roof and
it’ll take 635 litres.
Press the boot button to
powerfold the rear
seatbacks down and
you’ll expand this to
1,432 litres with a
seamless and totally flat
loadbay floor...”

AWD gives the XC60 a decent amount of off-road ability, including a 400mm wading depth — definitely enough to cope with grassy fields and rough tracks plus, of course, you also get added on-road driving traction in muddy, flooded, icy and wintry conditions as well as reassuring stability and grip when you're towing.

With the air suspension fitted and running in Comfort mode, all passengers will be thankful for the compliant and restful ride. And, unlike some rivals, the XC60 rides smoothly over poor blacktop; deep walled (235/60) 18-inch Michelin tyres help.

While the standard steel suspension set-up is fine, there are other choices: R-Design models come with stiffer springs and faster-acting dampers for a sportier ride; or you can opt for the Active Four-C chassis which adds electronically controlled air suspension with adaptive dampers.

As the Four-C system constantly adapts to the driving conditions, benefits include improved handling and ride comfort, automatic self-levelling whatever the load distribution, an easy entry and exit mode which lowers the car by 40mm when the engine is turned off, automatic lowering at speed for improved aerodynamics, and increased ground clearance off-road (+40mm).

For the driver, who may have other ideas about pace, engaging Dynamic Mode steps-up the engine, gearbox, accelerator, brakes and steering responses, lowers the ride height by 20mm and firms up the adaptive damping to improve handling; it even sets the driver's information panel to a performance-themed display.

Off the beaten track the air suspension is the best bet — select Off Road and ground clearance is increased by 40mm and the engine, gearbox, accelerator, all-wheel drive and stability control are adjusted for maximum performance on slippery surfaces; it also activates Hill Descent Control, disables Stop/Start and sets the driver's information display to compass, altimeter and speed limitation. For more direct driver input, nudge the selector lever to the left for sequential manual shifting.

Defined by classy Swedish design both inside and out, the roomy, comfortable, refined and safe XC60 is a relaxing and luxurious place in which to travel and a delight to live with day-to-day. Don't leave home without one! ~ MotorBar

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