First Drive: Volvo XC60

In the last couple of years, every model Volvo has designed, engineered and sold has been a hugely desirable car: I give you the XC90 with its huge iPad, the S90 saloon with its gorgeous exterior design and V90 estate that has reinvented a classic. 

The brand has stuck dogmatically to Scandinavian design principles of light woods, plenty of space, clear and simple surfaces, and a range of cars that reflect a life of adventure and the great outdoors. And now they’ve revamped the XC60 mid-sized SUV. This car is in scary waters: the competition is the strongest in any car sector – Jaguar F-Pace, BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes GLC, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Porsche Macan… it must be a marketing director’s worst nightmare. 

But Volvo is, well, Volvo. You buy a Volvo because you don’t want something German, or something overly performance-oriented; it’s an expensive purchase but it comes from the heart. As Volvo’s MD told me at dinner, “you’ve just got to get them in the cars”, then they see what Volvo is all about.

It’s true, too. Volvos look, feel and drive differently. The new XC60 is a beautifully styled SUV, with the new family taillights that spread horizontally across the rump of the car adding depth and class to the design. At the front, the LED headlight strips now extend all the way to the grille which has a similar effect.

There are three trim levels: Momentum, R-Design and Inscription, and four powertrains, all linked to all-wheel drive: the D4 and D5 diesel (the latter with PowerPulse, which is a gas canister that activates to spool up the turbo and eliminate lag), T5 petrol and T8 Twin Engine, which is Volvo’s plug-in hybrid moniker. 

We tested the R-Design D4 AWD, which will be the best-seller, with over half the sales volume in the UK (Volvo predicts 12 per cent hybrid sales but says this is highly conservative – the previous version ended up accounting for 20 per cent of sales).

R-Design gives you a really lovely cabin, with leather and nubuck clad sports seats, gearshift paddles on the perforated leather steering wheel, metal mesh inlays and a 12.3in driver’s information display screen, which is a smaller version of the XC90’s iPad-style screen.

That’s on top of a healthy dose of standard equipment: satnav, two-zone climate control, heated front seats, power-operated tailgate and Drive Mode, with econ, comfort and dynamic settings.

You twist the engine start button, carried over from the XC90; another small but noticeable differentiator between Volvo and its stablemates. The D4 engine, mated to an eight-speed auto, is surprisingly perky, revving happily with a light throttle response. Volvo wants the XC60 to be the “dynamic” SUV derivate, but that steering is bizarrely quick to load, with too little resistance built into the rack. The throttle and brake pedals are also featherlight in their responses, which is not akin to the character of an SUV, but might please those who value assistance over feedback.

The 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel really is an impressive engine, however, with the unhindered power delivery belying its 190 horsepower output. You’d really only want the D5 if you are after the smoother drive; the new PowerPulse canister system eliminates most of the turbo lag. As for the hybrid; watch this space - we’ve yet to drive it, but if you’re on a company tax scheme, £170 a month should give you something to think about.

It being Volvo, every XC60 comes with a host of cutting-edge safety attributes: Steer Assist, which provides emergency steering and braking input to swerve round an obstacle while maintaining control; Oncoming Lane Mitigation, which steers you back into your lane if you come out into the path of an oncoming vehicle, and the BLIS system but this time with Steer Assist. All are part of Volvo’s Vision 2020, which states no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020.Volvo has also introduced its Pilot Assist, semi-autonomous drive system, carried over from the XC90. This will only work if the driver keeps his/her hands on the wheel, up to 80mph, and controls steering and vehicle speed.

Volvo has to be applauded for continuing to keep its brand so unique and a viable choice that stands out in a very crowded sector. If it were me, I’d take this over the German opposition, and even the F-Pace, which I never thought I’d say. With four boys, however, the Discovery Sport in seven-seat version still gets my hard won cash… either that, or we ditch two children.

The Numbers: 

Engine: 1,969cc 4-cyl diesel

Transmission: 8-spd auto, AWD

bhp/lb ft: 189/295

0-62mph: 8.4sec

Top speed: 127mph

Price as tested:  £48,480