Swedish success

The Volvo XC60 sits in the lucrative midsized SUV market and has proved to be hugely successful for the Swedish manufacturer with nearly a million sold since it was introduced nine years ago. And with the new XC60 that trend should continue upwards. Gone are the days when Volvo was all about pure practicality. It’s still big on safety, but there’s a real focus on being premium that’s immediately evident. The revamped front end gives the XC60 an elegance that’s lacking in this segment – save for the Jaguar F-Pace – and this ethos continues inside. Slide into the driver’s seat and you’ll find nothing but soft materials. The clean design is helped by the tabletlike touchscreen infotainment system that declutters the dashboard. Hold the boot button on the key for a couple of seconds and the tailgate lifts to reveal a large and useful boot – at 505 litres it is below the class average but will easily swallow a large shop and some suitcases. Safety is high on the agenda for Volvo, and as such the XC60 comes with loads of safety kit straight out of the box. There are plenty of sensors on the car that can help the driver brake if it senses a collision is imminent, while new for the XC60 is steering control that aids wheel inputs and uses the brakes to improve the car’s ability to swerve around danger. It’s immediately apparent that Volvo has put comfort at the top of the XC60 agenda. Our car was riding on optional air suspension and it rode beautifully with surprisingly little body roll in the corners. The SUV is at home on the motorway, munching miles in quiet comfort with ease. The D5 engine is a highlight, pulling hard when required but delivering easy economy in everyday driving. If relaxation is key, there are few in the class that can touch the XC60. The standard specification is highly impressive, with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and leather upholstery all standard, not to mention the impressive City Safety driver aid package. The Sensus infotainment system is responsive and the highdefinition screens are easy to read, though the layout isn’t particularly intuitive. This will be less of a problem for owners as Volvo says the system learns what menus you use regularly and puts them on the main screen to make navigation quicker and easier.