Volvo XC60 D5 AWD SE Lux Nav Geartronic
What is it?
This is Volvo’s premium crossover SUV introduced in 2008 but now receiving a facelift to keep it fresh.
At a glance you might miss exactly where the changes have been made, but a revised grille and front driving lights, and changes to the exhaust tips and rear lights have left the XC60 looking rugged and refined.
Switch to a manual and economy leaps from 44.1mpg to 53.3mpg
It avoids the bling that you might find on some of its German rivals and doesn’t shout too hard about its performance as the Range Rover Evoque does, ending up sitting in a niche of understated confidence that suits the car down to the ground.
Open the doors and you’ll find a revised dashboard that has eschewed the traditional round dials in favour of a large digital screen that works remarkably well. Press a button or two and the screen changes from showing clear white dials to a soothing eco green display or a foot-down, charge-hard red sport mode.
The centre console is taken up by a panel of buttons that wouldn’t look out of place on the International Space Station, with the sheer number being a little overwhelming. However, most of the important features can be accessed directly and safely from the steering wheel.
Nothing has changed with regard to interior space, but all five passengers get plenty of head and legroom, with some superbly supportive seats making for a relaxed experience.
Under the bonnet of this D5 model sits a 2.4 litre diesel engine which, combined with the six-speed automatic gearbox, somehow manages to drag 1.9 tonnes of XC60 to 60 mph in just 7.8 seconds. Such is the isolation from the outside though that you never feel as if you’re moving quite so rapidly.
The suspension soaks up the bumps and imperfections in the road extremely well while cruising, but it gets a tad too crashy at low speeds. Every crack, bump and surface change thumps through the cabin, despite the relatively small 18 inch wheels fitted to the test car.
Given how capable end refined the XC60 is in most circumstances, you may just be able to overlook that if you’re spending most of your time pounding the motorways.
