Volvo XC60 2017 Review

It’s hard to see how Volvo could go wrong with the new XC60. To be frank, the new model is more elegant, better proportioned and not as overpowering as the XC90.

And cosmetics aside, the XC60 represents a lot of good things the XC90 doesn’t. It rides better, it’s quieter than I recall from my one drive of the XC90 and in Australia it’s more affordable, needless to say.

For the local launch of the new model Volvo let us loose in the hills of Adelaide on the way out to the Barossa Valley. It was a miserable day for weather, but the XC60 was unfussed by the crosswinds and showers.

We started with the D4 Inscription variant, essentially a mid-spec model powered by the lower-output diesel four-cylinder, which proved to be very refined. Other than softer power delivery and a little turbo lag it featured few of the traits we've come to expect from four-cylinder diesels. The D5 engine with Power Pulse was not available for motoring.com.au to sample, unfortunately. It promises to be better still than the D4, not only for performance and smoothness, but also driveability. Having said that, many buyers will be perfectly happy with the D4 engine.

We also drove an XC60 in the same (‘Inscription’) trim level, but fitted with the T5 petrol engine, which was well-mannered, sporty and a willing revver. From 4000rpm through to redline it pulled cleanly and swiftly at wide-open throttle, with no untoward harshness. On a moderately demanding run through the hills out of Adelaide to the Barossa Valley it used fuel at the rate of 14.0L/100km – a sign of being properly put to work. While it copes well higher in the rev range, the T5 engine also works comfortably in the lower reaches for gentler driving around town or at touring speeds.

The eight-speed automatic transmission was a capable partner for both engines, but while it came with a sequential-shift function (via the lever), neither car tested came with shift paddles, which would have been nice to have, particularly in the case of the sportier petrol model.

Secure roadholding
Dynamically, the XC60 mustered plenty of grip on the wet roads of the drive program. The Volvo turned in neatly, but without the ultimate level of body control offered by some of its prestige rivals. While the ride properties erred more on the side of comfort than dynamics – the suspension soaking up bumps nicely – the XC60 was prone to reduced body control in Comfort mode, particularly on a trailing throttle. This was in evidence as an occasional touch of wallow during sudden changes of direction or longer dips and bumps in the road.

Riding a little firmer than the D4, the T5 on one occasion did skip briefly over a couple of mid-corner bumps – in Sport mode. The light steering suits target buyers, but there wasn’t a great deal of feedback.
Overall, however, the Volvo's cornering ability was safe and secure, and during the wet, blustery conditions it was very poised at the straight-ahead, needing little course correction.

Due to the weather it was hard to assess the XC60 for noise suppression, but it seemed to do very well isolating the occupants from wind, road and powertrain. The engines in particular were muted at touring speeds and during in-gear acceleration. Volvo’s D4 diesel in the XC60 was far quieter than I recall of the D5 diesel in the XC90 driven for that car's global launch a couple of years ago.

Although the seats were not aggressively contoured and the cushioning borders on firm, they are well shaped for comfort and support nonetheless. The driving position was generally very functional and commanding, although I could have done with a little more reach adjustment in the steering column.

Appealing design
Where the XC60 will win hearts and minds is in the showroom – when prospective buyers take one look at the various trim and colour options available. Not normally one to be sucked in by all the comforts of home – in a car – I was nevertheless knocked out by the XC60’s cabin design and finishes.

Apart from the sweeping lines in the door cards, to use one example, the XC60 is crammed full of tiny details that will delight owners (and possibly their friends, neighbours and relatives… until the novelty wears off). There’s an embossed Swedish flag in one line of bright trim running along the dash, for example. It actually conceals its function as an expansion joint, because the varying types of decorative trim material Volvo is using to coordinate with the soft materials in the dash expand in the sun at different rates. This is the kind of design detail a clever salesperson will be presenting to the awestruck customers while his or her sales manager fetches a contract of sale and a pen.

The whole presentation of the interior is very attractive, whether it’s the high-res graphics, the portrait-format infotainment touch screen, or the specific materials. One colour combination that could look really good is a jet-black dash top in a fine-textured material with coordinating dimpled aluminium trim across the dash. All in all, the interior presentation is outstanding (although I’m not a fan of the woodgrain look in the D4 model tested).

If all this sounds a bit ‘House & Garden’, the XC60 is also a fairly practical package as a car, not just an aesthete’s shrine. The infotainment screen already mentioned is easy to use, as are the instruments, and the controls are easy to operate. A little trial and error is all that’s needed to make sense of the various infotainment functions, and the science of ergonomics has been appropriately exploited for the XC60. In fact, it almost makes the XC90’s functions seem a little ‘try-hard’.

Pragmatic packaging
Climbing in and out poses no problem, due to the XC60’s friendly H point, but the ‘wrap-under’ doors only go so far in keeping your clothes from picking up mud and road grime, as I found at the conclusion of the drive.

In the rear seats there’s plenty of knee room for adults (17mm more than the previous model’s, we’re told by Volvo’s subject-matter expert), and enough headroom for an adult of average size, even with a sunroof fitted. There are adjustable vents in the centre console as well as in the B pillars.

The boot contains a space-saver spare in the T6 variant we checked, so that may constrain just how much off-road terrain the average XC60 owner will want to tackle, but it’s not like the Volvo is designed for the really rough stuff anyway. Volvo’s cargo blind for the XC60 rolls out in horizontal plane, but can also be unlatched on either side and raised at the rear-most point in a channel either side of the D pillars to conceal (or protect from the sun) any larger items. A T6 R-Design model demonstrated the XC60’s air suspension (not fitted to the two cars motoring.com.au drove) and how it can lower the rear of the car by 50mm for easier loading.

So with the new XC60, Volvo has just about got it spot on for the car’s target buyers. In the same breath the XC60 is another stepping stone for Volvo along the path to sustainable motoring. The XC60 is a car to be praised, and from having driven the latest Audi Q5 there’s no doubt in my mind that the Volvo is competitive with the German SUV. If there’s one question remaining, it’s this: how will the XC60 shape up against the new BMW X3, due here before the end of the year?

2017 Volvo XC60 D4 Inscription pricing and specifications:
Price: $80,790 as tested
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.4L/100km (per Korean standard)
CO2: 143g/km
Safety Rating: TBA

2017 Volvo XC60 T5 Inscription pricing and specifications:
Price: $83,790 as tested
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 187kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.8L/100km (per Korean standard)
CO2: 179g/km
Safety Rating: TBA

Related reading:
>> Volvo names its price for new XC60
>> Volvo XC60 2017 Review
>> Volvo XC60 2017: Video Review

Images: T6 R-Design