Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 2024 Review

The four-model 2024 Volvo XC60 line-up in Australia opens at $73,990 plus on-road costs for the Plus B5 AWD.

The Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright AWD driven here is next in the model walk, at $80,990 plus ORCs.

From there, the XC60 range moves to a more powerful B6 version with the XC60 Ultimate B6 Dark AWD (from $87,990) before arriving at the XC60 Recharge T8 Plug-in Hybrid AWD (from $92,990) and the flagship Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV AWD (from $101,990).

Logical rivals for the Volvo XC60 include the Audi Q5 (from $70,850), BMW X3 (from $83,100) and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class (from $103,370).

The 2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 is well sorted in terms of standard equipment, with 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights/tail-lights, four-zone climate control, keyless entry/start, an electric tailgate, woodgrain inserts and auto-dimming rear-view mirror all included.

Our test car runs an optional $2800 air suspension system, which is said to offer greater ride control plus the ability to lower or raise the static ride height from the boot area.

It also has a Lifestyle pack that costs $4400 and adds the cracking 19-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, plus an electric sunroof.

While these options balloon the price tag of our test car to $88,190 plus ORCs, the XC60 is fairly conservative with add-ons compared with competitors.

Every paint colour in the XC60 palette – of which there are nine, including the Thunder Grey metallic adorning our test vehicle – is inclusive of the purchase price too, which is noteworthy.

The XC60 is backed by Volvo’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia. Servicing intervals are slated every 12 months or 15,000km, with a five-year servicing plan setting owners back $3000.

It’s very safe, even if the 2017 five-star ANCAP safety rating isn’t as relevant as it once was given testing procedures have moved on since then.

Standard safety fare includes a full suite of airbags, plus lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, road sign display, driver attention detection and blind spot monitoring, among other advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

There’s also four outward-facing cameras and a 360-degree overhead display, plus front and rear parking sensors.

In practice, the Volvo lives up to the hype. Along with surefooted dynamics and an effective all-wheel drive system, the different electronic aids are well-metered with their inputs, chiming in effectively yet benignly.

Infotainment in the 2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 is controlled by a portrait-style 9.0-inch centre touch-screen display, matched by a separate digital display in the instrument cluster.

The centre touch-screen offers digital radio, sat-nav including Google Maps, plus the requisite Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The software itself is now an Android-based system, effectively allowing users to download apps including Spotify directly to the car.

The infotainment screen is relatively straight-forward to navigate and is simple in its menu layout, the caveat being that there is no accompanying hard-wired buttons and switchgear – everything is housed within the screen.

We’d always prefer physical buttons over touch-screen menus, but you soon learn to live with the Volvo layout.

The other feature missing is AM radio. It may sound like we’re nit-picking but it’s an essential service in Australia during emergencies.

The B5 version of the Volvo XC60 employs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that is found in numerous other models from the Swedish brand.

The four-pot makes 183kW and 350Nm in this application, sending drive to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Additionally, the engine runs a mild-hybrid system comprising a lithium-ion battery, which captures energy via regenerative braking, thereby assisting lightly with low-speed driving.

However, it is barely perceptible and delivers negligible fuel savings.

Acceleration from 0-100km/h officially takes 6.9sec, according to Volvo, while top speed is limited to 180km/h.

The Volvo XC60 features a 2.4-tonne towing capacity (the same as the larger Volvo XC90), opening up the opportunity to tow boats and light caravans.

Volvo claims a combined-cycle fuel consumption average of 7.4L/100km for the 2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 using the recommended 95 RON premium unleaded blend.

We averaged 7.6L/100km in a mix of conditions spanning almost 2000km, equating to a rough range of almost 800km from the 71-litre fuel tank.

In a word, the 2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 feels very sound on-road. It does everything strongly without standing out from its European cohort in any one area.

The driving position isn’t as low-set as other Volvos in our mind, and the ride errs more on the softer side of the ledger, with noticeable levels of body pitch and roll and less composure during faster changes in direction.

While these factors are probably a moot point for the XC60’s intended audience (families), it means it doesn’t feel as athletic or enjoyable to drive as the class dynamic benchmark, the BMW X3.

With air suspension fitted optionally to our test car, what the Volvo XC60 does do inherently well is ride comfort.

The tuning of the key controls and the ride itself are all geared towards comfort, with light low-speed steering and a casual, relaxed demeanour over pitter-patter bumps and larger washouts alike.

Similarly, engine and road noise are adequately hushed from inside the cabin.

It means that in regularly conveyance, and on longer journeys alike, the XC60 is a peach for comfort – a factor reinforced by its beautifully furnished cabin.

Volvo’s modular engine design (four-cylinder engines only, shared right across its ICE line-up) works surprisingly well in the XC60.

Our test car’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine produces peak torque from 1800rpm, working in concert with the smooth-shifting automatic to provide seamless low-speed go-forward.

At the same time it will spin quite freely through the mid-range, finding peak power from a heady 5400rpm.

The 2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 can comfortably traverse light gravel roads and awkward entrances, but truth is, it’s not really designed to do a lot more.

It’s special, quite simply. Black leather and timber inlays on our 2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 test car create an airy, contemporary cabin design that has aged remarkably well given the inception of the XC60 in 2017 – and further back, the very similar XC90 from 2014.

The front seats belie their slimness with excellent long-journey amenity and support, there are soft contact points at every corner and the quality of individual furnishings is terrific.

There are some clever, nice-to-have touches, too: an integrated ticket holder on the windscreen and individual interior lights for outboard rear passengers, for instance.

With that said, the XC60 feels a little behind peers when it comes to incidental storage. With a wireless phone charger now integrated in front of the centre console, there is a dearth of places to put odds and ends like your keys, phone or wallet.

Our Chinese-built test car’s circa-5000km mileage means the interior still feels relatively fresh and new, but a few months spent in an XC60 as a long-termer back in 2019 revealed that it wears incredibly well, even in the cut-and-grind of daily family life.

With another body regularly on-board for this loan, we found the XC60 a bit of a stretch for full-time family duties, especially if you’re using a rear-facing child seat, which requires the front passenger seat to be moved right forward (a common occurrence in many cars, but an obvious one here).

For older children, though, it does the job nicely – replete with added niceties including in-built child booster seats, dual rear air vents (vents in the B-pillars and the rear of the centre console) and a separate climate-control interface.

Further back, the 505-litre boot area offers a wide aperture and ample space for a couple of full-size suitcases. But, overall, the area is a bit tight if you intend on regularly throwing in a two-part designer pram.

One consolation is the temporary space-saver tyre fitted underneath. There are also nets in the side and a flat floor space, plus an electric tailgate.

The 2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 is by no means the newest kid on the medium SUV block, but it continues to age remarkably well.

In our minds, the slightly larger Volvo XC90 is probably a more rounded offering than the XC60, especially for families, with its huge boot and seven-seat layout.

That said, the XC60 remains as versatile and functional as ever, and Volvo has thankfully resisted the temptation to hike its price in Australia to unattainable heights.

The Volvo XC60 will ultimately be retired for the EX60 in the coming years as Volvo embarks on an aggressive electrification strategy, selling only EVs in Australia from 2026. Its replacement will have big shoes to fill.

2024 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 at a glance:
Price: $80,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 183kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 174g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)