Car Review: Volvo XC60 (2017 model)

Long story short, as they say, the new Volvo XC60 is a fully competitive, technologically advanced, comfortable medium-sized premium SUV. The pick of the bunch is the petrol T5 option in the upmarket “Inscription” or “R-Design” trim level, and don’t forget to specify the driver’s seat extender for maximum bespoke luxury. If you must have a diesel then go for the more powerful D5 version.

All XC60s are permanent all-wheel drive which is pretty wasteful for road use, but no one seems to care about that, a mystery of modern motoring.

As usual with new cars there’s not a lot to get annoyed about in this new model. It’s really a matter of taste. This Volvo, only the second generation of the fairly ubiquitous XC60, doesn’t have the cachet of the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the market leader among the posher contenders, though I suspect the Volvo will be the more reliable and durable if history and driver satisfaction surveys are any guide.

I would concede that the Disco Sport had the better of the Volvo off road, but neither is likely to be used much for such purpose by their urban and suburban clientele. The Volvo is, though, more distinctive and interesting than the BMW X3, and a lot more handsome than the misshapen Mercedes-Benz GLC. Having said that, a Kia Sportage doesn’t give much away to any of them in looks, performance or ability and is an awful lot cheaper.

The spec

Volvo XC60 T5 AWD R-Design (2017 model)
Price: £40,400 (£48,075 as tested)
Engine capacity: 2litre petrol 4cyl, 8-speed auto
Power output (hp @ rpm): 254@5,500
Top speed (mph): 137
0-60mph (seconds):  6.4
Fuel economy (mpg): 39.2
Co2 emissions (g/km):  164

Still, Scandinavian style is cool now and the Volvo’s most innovative feature is a new pale blue “Driftwood” choice for the woodwork in the cabin, redolent of the beautiful and temperate western coast of Sweden, still a bit of a travel secret. They’ve also widened the headlamps into the grille, these with their T-shape lighting being called Thor’s Hammer by the more romantic of these modern-day vikings.

There’s some big styling wedges on the doors now which makes them much less slab-sided and apparently act as mini crumple zones. This may also be because the sills have been brought inboard, so users don’t have to step over a muddy wedge of metal to get in, and thus the doors have to be much deeper to make up for that. Thoughtful.

I have to say that given the big fuss about Volvo’s electrification strategy there’s not much sign of that in the XC60. There will be a plug-in hybrid petrol-electric model, the T8, coming soon but not yet, so the only XC60 available right now is one with the dear old internal combustion engine. Having said that, the D5 version has some clever engineering that makes it an extremely responsive unit, pleasant and sporty (and you can also set the engine and gears to your own preferences from economy to comfort to performance). About as good as a diesel gets.

Most impressive, though, is the car’s almost autonomous ability. You can see how much effort Volvo are putting into this and the “Pilot Assist” system will pretty much brake, accelerate and steer the vehicle for you on a boring motorway journey. Volvo aren’t the only brand to offer this, but they are certainly at the cutting edge.

I was impressed by the new Oncoming Lane Mitigation system, which extends the radar and software technology for extra safety in the event of you straying out of your lane into the path of oncoming traffic, one of the most devastating of accidents. Though I didn’t have cause to trial it, it will (so we’re told) steer you back towards the correct side of the road. Another excellent safety feature.

I hope Volvo’s Chinese owners Geely realise what a jewel of a marque they have in their possession, with all the potential to be a highly profitable contender in the truly premium end of the market, pioneering safety and new technologies – a world leader. Volvo even say that they want no one to be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020. The XC60 is certainly a fine advertisement for Volvo’s aims, but I still wonder – where is the all-electric version?