CHARGES UP
FEW car makers would think of making changes to their bestselling model before it has even reached its second birthday. But Volvo decided that its XC60 diesel was lacking one thing – electrification.
So the XC60 diesel is now available as a mild hybrid to give it that little bit of extra oomph, increase its miles per gallon and appeal to drivers who want to give at least a passing nod of approval to the battle to clean up the planet.
So, with an electric motor coupled to the existing 2.0-litre, 197bhp engine, the combined power train now offers drivers up to 15 per cent fuel savings and generous emission reductions.
The new brake-by-wire system interacts with the energy-recovery system and reduces fuel consumption and emissions by recovering kinetic energy under braking. And if all that sounds complicated, it’s nothing to worry about because the whole thing works without any interaction from the driver, in fact you wouldn’t even know it’s there – it just delivers results.
There’s no plugging in and no range anxiety, you just get the benefits. And making the second generation of the XC60 diesel a mild hybrid is very much a “gilding the lily” process, as this car is touchscreen which also comes with full European mapping with traffic information and lifetime map updates. And the virtual speedometer and rev counter can be configured to suit the driver, either in full size, or reduced to allow a map of the route you are following to sit in between them.
With its seamless eight-speed automatic gearbox the XC60 offers refined, quiet driving with an abundance of torque always on hand. And while its forte is mid-range driving it’s a car which is quick off the mark too providing a rewarding experience for whoever is driving, particularly if you use the paddles behind the steering wheel.
There’s no sports setting on the auto box but you can alter the car’s driving mode, with a choice of eco, comfort, individual settings, dynamic and off-road.
Fortunately for me, the car driven here came with Volvo’s winter pack (£525) which included heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated windscreen and heated wiper blades, so with that and the all-wheel-drive system I was definitely ready for winter motoring. And being a Volvo it came with every safety feature you can think, of and then some.
This is not cheap at more than £43,000, but it’s a package it’s hard to find fault with.