Volvo XC60 Review 2022

February 2017

Volvo announced second generation XC60

It features three new advanced driver-assistance features aimed at keeping the driver out of trouble.

4,688mm long x 1,902mm wide (2,117 with mirrors) x 1,658mm high.

These are designed to provide the driver with automatic steering assistance or support – when required – to help avoid potential collisions. Volvo believes that these new features will make the new XC60 one of the safest cars on the road.

City Safety has been updated in the XC60 to include steering support, which engages when automatic braking alone would not help avoid a potential collision. In such circumstances, the car will provide steering assistance to avoid the obstacle ahead. City Safety helps to avoid collisions with vehicles, pedestrians and large animals. Steering support is active between 50-100 km/h.

Volvo Cars has also added a system called Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which helps drivers to avoid collisions with vehicles in an oncoming lane. The system works by alerting a driver who has unwittingly wandered out of a lane by providing automatic steering assistance, guiding them back into their own lane and out of the path of any oncoming vehicle. This system is active between 60-140 km/h.

April 2017

Volvo XC60 available to order in the UK

Prices starting at £37,205 for the D4 AWD Momentum and £37,900 for the 254PS T5 petrol AWD Momentum.

A choice of three 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engines are initially available – the D4 and D5 PowerPulse diesels, and the T5 petrol. A T8 Twin Engine petrol-electric plug-in hybrid is available from late 2017.

Every XC60 comes with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission as standard. The D4 offers 190PS, combined fuel consumption of up to 55.4 mpg and CO 2 emissions from just 133 g/km. The D5 has 235PS, combined fuel consumption of 51.4 mpg and CO 2 emissions of 144 g/km. It also benefits from PowerPulse, a Volvo invention that uses compressed air to spin the engine's two turbos when they would otherwise be dormant, such as very low engine revs, boosting responsiveness.

The T5 offers 254PS, combined fuel economy of up to 39.2 mpg and CO 2 emissions from 164 g/km.

Volvo's Sensus infotainment system is also standard. This brings a 9-inch portrait-style touch screen, satellite navigation – including lifetime annual map updates and Real-Time Traffic Information (RTTI) – and an intuitive voice-activation system. It even provides access to the internet and a range of cloud-based apps such as Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher and Yelp.

July 2017

Polestar upgrades for the XC60 launched

With the Polestar enhancement, the new Volvo XC60 T8 delivers 421PS, matching the optimised XC90 T8 as the most powerful Volvo models ever built.

The Polestar optimisation improves five key areas of the powertrain while retaining the Volvo warranty, official fuel consumption and a pure electric range of up to 28 miles for the T8.

A total of four XC60 models are available for Polestar optimisation in the UK, including the T8, T5, D5 and D4. For the D5, the Polestar optimisation boosts peak power from 235 to 240PS, and peak torque from 480 to 500Nm. The 0-62mph time is also cut from 7.2 to 7.1 seconds.

January 2018

Volvo XC60 is 2017’s safety car in Euro NCAP testing

The XC60 scored a near-perfect 98 per cent in the Adult Occupant category, and in its Large Off-Road class it showed a clear advantage in Safety Assist with a score of 95 per cent – 20 percentage points higher than the nearest Large Off-Road competitor.

Each year, Euro NCAP publishes a ‘Best in Class’ to indicate which vehicles have performed better than their competitors launched in the same calendar year, using a weighted sum of scores for accurate comparison in each class, across four areas of assessment: adult occupant, child occupant, pedestrian and safety assist.

March 2018

Voted 'World Car of the Year 2018'

February 2019

New B4 and B5 models launched

These mild hybrids for the first time offer customers Volvo’s advanced kinetic energy recovery braking system, which is coupled with its existing internal combustion engines to create a new integrated electrified powertrain, under its new ‘B’ badge.

The B5 comes as mild hybrid petrol or diesel variant, a B4 diesel mild hybrid as well as a B6 petrol mild hybrid. The B5 petrol will be available with front wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

Volvo has also upgraded its existing T8 and T6 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrains, while at the same time confirming that plug-in options will now be available on every model it produces.

This new powertrain, electrified via brake-by-wire energy recovery, offers drivers up to 15 per cent fuel savings and emission reductions in real world driving.

The new brake-by-wire system interacts with the energy recovery system and reduces fuel consumption and emissions by recovering kinetic energy under braking.

The upgraded T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid with up to 420PS features a new battery and brake-by-wire advanced battery charging. The range of the T8 powertrain has increased by around 15 per cent and this powertrain is available on all 90 and 60 Series cars.

An upgraded version of the smaller capacity T6 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid is also combined with the new battery and brake-by wire-technology. This powertrain also offers an approximate 15 per cent range increase and is available on the V60 estate and S60 sedan.

October 2019

Polestar version of Volvo XC60 announced

Boosts combined output of T8 2.0 litre PHEV from 390PS to 405PS (engine power alone up from 303PS to 318PS + 87PS from electric motor). Software changes to the automatic transmission bring quicker gearshifts and a more precise shift programme that minimise gearchanges when cornering quickly. Brembo brakes. Öhlins adjustable shock absorbers which use a dual-flow valve for accurate response to changes in the road surface and driving conditions, ensuring an excellent balance between handling precision and ride comfort. A strut bar between the front suspension towers also helps to improve steering response and handling. The XC60 benefits from the same upgrades on the R-Design Pro specification, with the addition of metallic paint (a heated steering wheel is standard on the XC60 R-Design Pro). 21-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels with a sporty five-Y-spoke design with contrast polished and black surfacing.

December 2020

Volvo XC60 engine line-up refreshed with hybrid power

Volvo’s XC60 mid-size SUV is now available with a full range of electrified powertrains. The XC60 is now offered purely with hybrid power, from mild-hybrid petrols and diesels to petrol-electric plug-in hybrids.

Every mild-hybrid powertrain in the XC60 range combines a powerful 2.0-litre engine with a 48-volt battery and a KERS kinetic energy recovery system to reduce fuel consumption and improve driveability and response, especially at low speeds. An integrated starter generator also provides faster, quieter restarting of the engine.

This mild-hybrid set-up can be combined with front-wheel drive in the 197PS B4 diesel and 250PS B5 petrol for optimum efficiency, or with all-wheel-drive for extra stability and security, especially in slippery conditions. The 235PS B5 diesel and 300PS B6 petrol mild-hybrids are offered exclusively with all-wheel drive.

The XC60 is also available with three plug-in hybrid engines. These combine a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine that drives the front wheels and an electric motor that powers the rears, ensuring the plug-in hybrid’s exceptional efficiency is twinned with the reassurance of all-wheel drive.

Recently introduced to the XC60 range, the entry-level plug-in is the Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T6. Despite having a total of 340hp from its petrol engine and electric motor for stirring performance when needed, its high-voltage battery enables it to travel up to 32 miles on electric power alone, with no tailpipe emissions and without using a drop of petrol. Its CO2 emissions from 55g/km are the lowest of any XC60, while WLTP Combined fuel economy is up to 113.0mpg. It also sits in the 14% BIK band for company car tax, making it a cost-effective choice for company car drivers.

The Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T6 is available in popular R-Design and Inscription trim levels, along with keenly priced Inscription Expression (£50,695 on-the-road), which makes a plug-in hybrid XC60 more accessible than ever.

Sitting above the T6 is the 390PS Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T8, which is available in highly specified R-Design Pro and Inscription Pro form. The range-topper is the 405PS Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T8 Polestar Engineered, which has a series of powertrain, suspension and brake upgrades to make it the most dynamic of all XC60s.

Every plug-in hybrid XC60 has a 11.6kWh high-voltage battery that can be completely recharged in two and a half hours.

April 2021

Orders open for updated Volvo XC60

Volvo says the model’s eye-catching Scandinavian design has been refined with a new-look front grille, new lower front bumper and air intakes, and a refresh of the lower rear bumper. The exhaust pipes are also now hidden, as part of Volvo’s wider design changes that showcase the company’s continued journey to all-out electrification. Completing the visual updates are new alloy wheel designs and new paint colours – Platinum Grey, Silver Dawn and Thunder Grey.

Connectivity is key for today’s customers and Volvo is taking on-board technology to a new level with the introduction of its industry-first Android-powered infotainment system to the XC60. Designed to seamlessly blend into your digital lifestyle, the new system gives quick and easy access to Google services and apps, including Google Maps for navigation, Google Assistant for voice recognition and the Google Play Store for installing a wide range of apps for in-car use. The package includes the required data for four years, while convenient over-the-air software updates are also now possible.

Wireless smartphone integration is now provided as standard via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Across the range, wireless device charging is also a standard feature, together with four USB ports so multiple devices can be connected at once. In addition, the XC60 gains an upgraded 12.3-inch driver information display with improved graphics to present key performance and car status information.

There is more technology-based innovation to safeguard against collisions: a rear auto-brake function automatically engages if a collision risk is detected when reversing, dramatically cutting the chance of a parking scrape; and the optional Pilot Assist driver-assistance system has gained more sophisticated accident-avoidance capability with the addition of an emergency stop assist function.

The updated XC60 exemplifies Volvo’s leading position on electrification, being a fully electrified model range. The powertrain choices are three Recharge plug-in hybrids and four mild-hybrids (two B5 and one B6 petrols, and a B4 diesel), with power outputs from 197hp to 405hp. All versions are all-wheel drive except for the B5, which is available in front- or all-wheel-drive form.

The upgraded XC60 is on sale in the UK now, with the first customer deliveries expected in June. On-the-road prices start at £41,745 for the 250hp B5 Momentum front-wheel-drive version. Details of PCP and PCH finance offers, and availability through Care by Volvo, Volvo’s convenient subscription service, will be announced shortly.