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Volvo XC60 SUV

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Volvo XC60 SUV Review

Price range:

$56,950 - $76,980

Car Verdict rating:

Good:

With sharp looks, superb cabin, and a comfortable ride, we think the T5 (the entry level variant) is a great buy - one of the better SUVs on sale today.

Not so Good:

The XC60 is heavier than most with rear legroom that isn’t class leading and a low speed ride over rough surfaces.

car review

Volvo XC60 SUV Competitors

Land Rover Evoque 40 from: $53,395 car review	BMW X3 40 from: $62,200 car review	Audi Q5 40 from: $63,400 car review
MINI Countryman 35 from: $37,700 car review	Land Rover Freelander 2 35 from: $44,990 car review

view all competitors

Volvo XC60 SUV Review

Design and Engineering	Good	In February 2009 the Volvo XC60 arrived in Australia, with an update in early 2011 bringing about a refreshed interior and a number of changes under its handsome bodywork. In true Scandinavian style, the XC60 features a deeply contoured V-shaped bonnet, waisted side profile and sexy rear tail lights. Volvo’s marketing spin claims the designers have successfully ‘blended the sporty dynamics of a coupe with the practicality of an SUV’, and for once we’re inclined to agree. We think this could very well be Volvo’s best looking product.
Design and Engineering	Not so good	The top of the range XC60 models weigh in at 1900kg plus, making the Volvo XC60 a lot heftier than the smaller Volkswagen Tiguan for example.
Interior and Styling	Good	Functional, stylish, beautiful – yes the XC60’s interior ticks all three boxes. This is a very appealing cabin. The ‘floating’ console is angled slightly towards the driver and we like its distinctive design, the layout of all controls is very intuitive, the soft touch plastics on the dash and door trims look and feel great and the front seats are some of the best in the business. There are plenty of storage options in the cabin and we appreciate the electronic park brake which is much better than a foot-operated parking brake and takes up less space than the traditional hand brake lever. The second row bench seat features ingenious integrated child booster seats which are super easy to operate and a low centre tunnel ensures the middle passenger in the second row has decent foot room. The boot is a healthy 495 litres, or 1,455 litres with the 40/20/40 split folding rear seats down. On the move the cabin remains impressively quiet, even in the diesel variants.
Interior and Styling	Not so good	Whilst the shallow glass house helps to create a great looking product, it does less for visibility although it’s by no means unbearable. The slightly tight second row legroom means the XC60 can’t match a number of its competitors.
Performance	Good	Four different engines are on offer, two petrol and two diesels. The T5 features a four cylinder 2.0-litre petrol turbo with 177kW of power and 320Nm of torque. While the 3.2 AWD comes with a naturally aspirated in-line six 3.2-litre petrol engine producing 179kW of power and 320Nm of torque. The T6 AWD comes with a six cylinder 3.0-litre petrol turbo making 224kW of power and 440Nm of torque and last but not least the diesel D5 AWD comes with a five cylinder 2.4-litre that produces 151kW and 420Nm torque. Official fuel consumption ranges from a low 7.6 litres per 100km for the D5 AWD to an average 10.5 litres per 100km for the T6 AWD. The entry level T5, whilst only 2.0-litres in displacement, with direct injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing technology it’s well and truly up to the task when you put the right foot down. It’s happy to be revved but stays refined while the six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox shifts cleanly and smoothly. The D5 all-wheel-drive features a great motor that has plenty of torque on offer; from around 2300rpm through to 3500rpm the D5 is fairly spirited. The diesel engine is a little noisy when pushed hard, but, you never really have to push the engine to get the best out of it.
Performance	Not so good	The T5’s dual-clutch automatic gearbox felt sluggish on down changes while driving the XC60 hard. The T5’s official fuel consumption looks impressive on paper for a SUV at 8.7 litres per 100km, but during our test we managed on averaged just over 10 litres per 100km.
Ride and Handling	Good	Unlike most of the competition the XC60 strikes a good balance between ride comfort and handling capabilities. Great body control gives the driver a secure feeling on the open road, making it a very comfortable and relaxing SUV for travelling serious kilometres in. The chassis has been tuned by engineers who understand the Luxury SUV target market; the steering has good on-centre feel and the brakes work well on tarmac and gravel.
Ride and Handling	Not so good	Whilst the handling is impressive for Volvo, it can’t match the level of driver enjoyment of the class best. However we should add that enthusiast drivers might say it isn’t as sharp and poised as one competing German player, we’d also say, hey if you want a bona fide sports car, why are you looking at a comfortable luxury SUV?
Buying and Owning	Good	The XC60 is a great daily driver that is very safe. Volvo has introduced the world’s first low-speed crash-avoidance technology; it has also picked up design awards thanks to the smart exterior and distinctive interior. The XC60 T5 grade is also impressively good value, this least expensive XC60 is FWD rather than AWD and for most buyers this shouldn’t be an issue at all. Option pricing is also notably better value than a number of competing German luxury brands.
Buying and Owning	Not so good	As is the trend these days the XC60 opts for a space saver temporary spare rather than a full sized wheel, which favours urban buyers.