Power, restraint in an elegant hybrid
Being first doesn’t always mean much. Consider gas-electric hybrid automobiles. Toyota and Honda have been selling them for decades. But how serious were they? For 2023, there’s only one automaker selling cars that are purely mild hybrid, hybrid or electric in the United States, and it’s not from Japan.
You’d never guess Volvo. This is a company that pioneered safety equipment. Yet with Toyota’s yearslong lead in hybrid technology, you have to wonder why the majority of the vehicles they sell aren’t hybrids, but all of Volvo’s are.
Now, Toyota competes in many more segments than Volvo, and at many different price points. But Toyota is among the biggest auto manufacturers in the world; Volvo is significantly smaller. So it’s easier for them to go all hybrid and electric. Of course, you can chalk some of that up to the competitiveness of Volvo’s corporate parent, Chinese automaker Geely Global.
The Volvo XC60 Recharge is a plug-in hybrid powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with dual electric motors that provides 35 miles of pure electric driving range. You can activate a hold function that saves the electric power for when you’d prefer to use it. In that mode, it acts like any other hybrid. Or you can drive exclusively in EV mode. But here’s the neat trick: If there’s no place to plug it in, you can recharge the EV batteries using the gas
engine. Sweet. But the system resets itself every time you turn off the car. OK, not so sweet.
Twist the starter knob and you’ll gain access to the XC60 Recharge’s 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque, good enough for a 4.5-second zero to 60 mph time. That’s not bad for a 4,700-plus pound midsize SUV. And its power delivery is every bit as refined as the rest of the vehicle.
The 2023 Volvo XC60 is impeccably tailored with a sober, refined, eloquent demeanor. Its clean form benefits from a Scandinavian simplicity that’s contemporary yet elegant. That’s especially true inside, where a large vertical touchscreen houses this vehicle’s controls with the exception of a smattering of audio buttons and steering wheel controls.
Ambiance is what we’ve come to expect from Volvo: modern Nordic restraint
crafted from exquisite materials that instantly convey their quality. The seats are supportive yet soft enough to ensure your comfort. The heated steering wheel and seats fire up with a blazing intensity one expects considering the vehicle’s home country. And the cabin proves fairly quiet, making the perfect concert hall for the Harman Kardon audio system. Of course, it’s filled with goodies, like built-in Google, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and ventilated seats.
When it comes time to cart cargo, you’ll find the XC60’s 37.8 cubic feet of cargo space will hold almost anything that Costco can throw at it.
While not designed for true off-roading, the XC60 Recharge is perfect for the way most drivers want an SUV: as a surefire foul-weather conveyance. Being that it has all-wheel drive, grip is fairly good, although we did get the tail to scrub off some speed while cornering. Body lean is noticeable but well-mannered, and the steering provides a scintilla of feedback — a rarity these days. Still, the car instills confidence, steers with precision and has enough gusto to always ensure you have enough power, but not too much.