The Volvo XC60 is a good example of doing it right. Crossover vehicles are all the rage at the moment, and they’re quickly replacing trucklike SUVs as the vehicles to have among buyers looking for versatility and bad-weather capability coupled with urban sensibility. The XC60 has all of the features that make the latest round of luxury crossovers popular: all-wheel drive, a raised seating position, luxurious appointments for five passengers and a generous cargo bay. However, it’s also got a number of qualities that make it all Volvo, like cutting-edge safety technology and a distinctively Swedish cabin.
Volvos have a strong visual identity, and the family look translates well onto the XC60. The familiar belted grille is the focal point of the front end. The trapezoidal shape of the grille blends with sharply defined beveling in the hood that expands out into a clear shoulder line that runs to the back of the vehicle. The greenhouse is low for a vehicle this size, and the silhouette is chunky but more svelte than the average SUV. On the XC60, this line is softened by a tapered waist that gives the car a trim, athletic look. At the rear, Volvo’s signature tall taillights are raised to cradle the rear windshield, and a simulated skidplate wraps around the base of the bumper and illuminate with energy-saving LEDs.
The interior is all about sporty Scandinavian sensibility. Volvo’s ubiquitous “flat-panel” center stack is use, of course, and it’s framed by a clean, uncluttered cabin. Shrink the XC90’s interior by thirty percent and you’ve got the XC60’s cabin. Satin-silver trim accents all surfaces, and a handy dash-top display provides vehicle info. A DVD-based navigation system is bundled with a reverse camera and links through the dash display. HD radio, Sirius satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity are standard equipment, and Volvo will upgrade the sound system with a 650-watt Dynaudio Dolby Pro-Logic unit if you’d like. A panoramic glass roof is also available as a no-cost option for the first few months of XC60 production.
A choice of six-cylinder engines is offered. The XC60 3.2 is motivated by the same 3.2 liter inline six-cylinder engine that powers the S80 luxury sedan. With 235 horsepower on tap and a choice of front- or all-wheel drive, the 3.2 is a proper workhorse, and a surprisingly efficient one as well, with fuel economy ratings of 18/27. If you’d rather take your crossover out to play, the XC60 T6 offers a 3.0 liter turbocharged inline six with 281 horses. Both engines offer all-aluminum, double overhead cam construction. Volvo’s six-speed Geartronic automatic transmission is standard in the T6, as is all-wheel drive.
A nearly unprecedented range of active safety devices are along for the ride. The Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) is almost expected in a Volvo product at this point. Volvo also equips the XC60 with Trailer Stability Assist, which is designed to prevent loss of control when the XC60 is pulling the 3300-pound trailers that it’s rated to drag.
The XC60 goes a step beyond all of that with City Safety, however. This “driver support system” uses a windshield-mounted laser sensor to monitor objects up to eighteen feet from the vehicle’s rear bumper. At speeds of 19mph or below, if the vehicle or object in front is closing too fast, indicating that the driver hasn’t noticed a collision is about to happen, City Safety will pre-charge the brakes, then apply them if the driver doesn’t react. At speeds below 10mph, the XC60 will come to a stop before impact. It’s a spooky way to keep you and your passengers safe; the XC60 simply stops itself. City Safety works as well as advertised, at least in controlled tests. We didn’t attempt any real-world, uncontrolled tests, of course. City Safety is designed to reduce or eliminate the low-speed parking lot and inner-city collisions that make up a large percentage of crashes.
At higher speeds, the City Safety sensors work with the vehicle’s restraint systems to adjust seatbelt and airbag deployment to the severity of the collision.
Out on the road, when things aren’t courting disaster, the XC60 is a confident and comfortable driver. The suspension is short on surprises, with a sophisticated MacPherson strut front, multi-link rear setup. There might be a bit less “sport” in the handling than Volvo would like for you to believe there is, thanks in part to a rather portly two-ton curb weight. That said, the XC60 won’t disappoint. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes are standard.
As a further perk, Volvo recently announced its Complimentary Factory Scheduled Maintenance program, which is available on the XC60. For the first three years or 36,000 miles, Volvo provides the first four maintenance visits to the dealer, making oil and filter changes, fluid top-offs and diagnostic checks for free.
XC60 pricing starts at $32,395 for the front-wheel drive XC60 3.2.
Downlodable pictures.
By Chris Jackson
MyCarData
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