VOLVO XC60
THE Volvo XC60 is a medium SUV that puts luxury, comfort and practicality first, but also brings some seriously good looks, a fantastically Swedish design approach inside and a fantastic drivetrain to the party. You certainly get your money’s worth with it.
And we are not alone in singing the praises of the XC60. Earlier this year, the XC60 midsize SUV was named World Car of the Year 2018 at the New York Auto Show.
Recognised as Euro NCAP’S best overall performer in 2017, the XC60 has seen upgrades to its already impressive safety equipment. The patented Volvo City Safety Autonomous Emergency Braking system has been enhanced with steering support for when automatic braking alone may not help avoid a potential collision.
In addition, Oncoming Lane Mitigation with Steer Assist which helps mitigate head- on collisions and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Steer
Assist functionality, has been added to reduce the risk of lane- changing collisions.
It would be nice to extoll the virtues of the design efforts which have gone into this award-winning SUV, but this would leave no room to go through the comprehensive range offering. Suffice to say, if you can recognise understated quality and refinement as being part and parcel of anything coming out of Scandinavia and more critically, Sweden, then while the statement may be broad-stroke, it is certainly pertinent and valid.
There are five models of XC60 available, each with AWD and running a two-litre displacement engine. There, the common ground ends.
The D4 engine is a twin turbocharged diesel which is shared with the D5, though power and torque are significantly higher in the D5. The T5 is a petrol engine with a turbo, while the T6 ups the ante, being a two-litre engine assisted by a turbo and a supercharger. The hero engine is the T8 – a two- litre petrol, with a turbo and supercharger as well as an electric plug- in hybrid system.
Different engines can be applied to different levels of specification in the XC60 range: the Momentum can take a D4 or a T5 as can the next model up Inscription. The topof-the- line R-design allows the D5, T6 and T8 Twin Engine.
There are 23 customisation options available across the range for optimal personalisation of a vehicle that is already comprehensively – some would say – lavishly equipped.