It all started with the XC90 and extended through to the S90, V90 Cross Country, the more attainable XC40 and now more recently, the brand’s popular XC60. As the most recent Swedish product to grace local shores, I was quite excited when the range-topping T6 AWD R-Design arrived at the Autodealer office for a weeklong test.
Exterior and interior design
In many ways, the XC60 is a scaled-down XC90 in terms of its interior and exterior design. From an exterior perspective, its proportions are absolutely spot-on for a vehicle in the premium SUV segment with an emphasis on sophistication and in the case of the R-Design model, a hint of sportiness.
It is still unmistakably Volvo though, with styling hallmarks such as the Thor’s Hammer LED headlamps and in the case of my test unit, a glass black mesh front grille, large 21-inch R-Design alloy wheels, brushed silver rear-view mirror caps and integrated exhaust tips
From an interior perspective, Volvo has really gone all-out to distinguish itself from its German and British competitors. Dominating the interior is the nine-inch portrait-mounted infotainment system and the 12.3-inch digital instrument binnacle which completely digitises the driving and multi-media experience.
While in many ways the infotainment system is bettered by the new iDrive system from BMW and the latest MMI/Virtual Cockpit from Audi, it still offers a more smartphone-like experience and once you’ve adapted to its functionality, it becomes quite intuitive.
The rest of the interior is really a rather lovely place to be with some of the best seats in the business and a general fit and finish that really makes one feel as I they’re driving something premium, which is exactly what the brand has tried to execute with its new products.
In the case of my press unit, there was a host of both standard and optional semi-autonomous driving systems and various driver safety technologies. The Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, six airbags, Adaptive Cruise Control and City Safety tech in combination with the car’s stellar performance in the Euro NCAP crash safety test means that the XC60 is one of the safest vehicles that you can currently purchase.
Driving T6
Volvo is slowly phasing-out its diesel powertrains in favour of hybrid and petrol-powered vehicles going forward and therefore, this T6 model that I had on test is likely the more relevant powertrain within the line-up, despite the fact that I believe that the D5 is probably the more sensible choice. The T6 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo and supercharged four-cylinder motor which produces an impressive 235kW/400Nm and is mated to a slick eight-speed Geartronic gearbox.
With four-wheel drive and a kerb weight of close to 1 900kg, the XC60 quite a hefty piece of kit, but it will still sprint to 100km/h in around six seconds while providing a reasonable 216mm of ground clearance, making it relatively capable off-road, provided you do without the aforementioned low-profile 21-inch wheels.
There are likely more impressive and indeed, efficient powertrains available within this segment, however, the whole driving experience in the T6 is just so effortless, with strong low-to-mid-range torque and a linear power delivery.
The one area where the powertrain comes in to question is in the consumption stakes, where I managed 12.0-litres/100km during my week, which provides reasonable range with a 71-litre fuel tank, but still leads me to believe that the D5 turbodiesel is the XC60 to have.
Verdict
At R784 484 sans options for this range-topping T6 AWD R-Design model, the XC60 test unit was certainly not cheap, however, the range starts at R666 924, meaning that a top-spec XC40 isn’t too far from the base model XC60. The upper echelons of the XC60 range far undercuts the bigger XC90, making the XC60 the real sweet spot within Volvo’s ever expanding product line-up locally.
