2017 Volvo XC60 first drive review

There's a quiet composure to Volvo's XC60, a model with more responsibility than the majority of new cars. It may be those handsome proportions, the focused "Thor's Hammer" eyes or a mythical Nordic resilience making the crossover seem confident in its ability to handle the task ahead.

After all, this is the most important model in Volvo's range. Not only is the XC60 the brand's most popular car around the globe, it is also the best-selling luxury SUV in Europe.

A luxury car in every measurable way, the XC60 offers sharp looks, a beautiful cabin, innovative drivetrains and more technology than most of its rivals. But the brand has struggled to find as much traction in Australia, where it could be argued that Volvo isn't quite considered on the same plane as BMW or Mercedes-Benz.

It's hard to pitch precisely where the XC60 will sit in the local luxury scene, as Volvo can't say how much the XC60 will cost in Australia yet, or what features the car will have as standard.

We tested the model in Barcelona, where the brand put on a fleet of well-equipped Inscription models loaded with the full luxury and safety suites as well as a 12.3-inch digital dashboard, 9-inch iPad-style infotainment system, a 360-degree camera and more.

Much more.

This car's safety credentials are unquestionable, and buyers who want the most protection possible can have their XC60 fitted with systems that go beyond the usual autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and active cruise control systems to semi-autonomous driving features that actively steer you out of harm's way around town or on the motorway. Any car that will take action to avoid a potentially fatal head-on crash on country roads has to be worth a closer look.

Stepping inside the XC60, the car offers a beautifully presented cabin likely to convince some customers to commit to the car without a test drive. Our Inscription test examples feature light two-tone leather accompanied by open-pore blonde driftwood and the occasional lick of metal brightwork.

Open and welcoming compared with its German rivals, the XC60's cabin has an airy levity helped by an expansive panoramic sunroof and large windows. If a new Audi or Porsche make you feel like the technocratic commander of a galactic battle station, this XC60 is more like a luxuriant weekend away at a spa retreat.

Customers who aren't fond of the Ikea-meets-Birkenstock treatment - and those with small children - can have the cabin decked out in black leather with textured metal inlays that make driving a more formal occasion.

But there's a reason our test example is finished with light leather, sparkling navy blue paint and pretty 20-inch alloy wheels: there is no better way to present the XC60's charms.

The wood ties in beautifully with light and dark leather trim, and it all feels genuine, right down to the yellow Kevlar speaker cones tucked behind textured metal grilles.

There are plenty of places to stash your goodies, and neat-freaks will love the ability to tuck everything out of sight behind clever little blinds over the central storage space.

Plugged in to an optional 18-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo, Sensus offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as well as a range of apps including Spotify, which hails from Sweden. 

European customers can use the system to find, book and pay for parking and other services including vehicle maintenance, and there's a remote app that lets you lock the car, prime its four-zone climate control system and even arrange to have parcels delivered directly to its boot.

They also get a 12-volt power outlet and household power point for the back seat, though it's not clear whether Australia's local plug system will be integrated into local cars.

Riding on a wheelbase 90mm longer than before, the XC60 shares its core platform with the longer, wider and taller XC90. But the smaller model still has plenty of legroom in the front and rear, along with an excellent driving position that offers a wide range of adjustment to its heated steering wheel and seats.

Convenient touches include exterior sills that are integrated within the doors so that you don't get dirty legs when stepping into or out of the car, as well as buttons in the boot that allow you to fold the back seat flat with one touch, and to lower its rear ride height to make it easier to load equipment into the cargo space.

Opening the powered tailgate reveals an area that isn't the roomiest boot on the road, partially because Volvo has elected to equip the car with a high boot floor level with the tailgate opening. The brand says it has a decent 505 litres of cargo space, but only if you break with convention by including underfloor cubby storage in that figure. We wouldn't.

The XC60 is more convincing under the bonnet, where the car is equipped with a range of 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Australia is in line to get one of each at first, as well as a T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid model that offers 300kW of power and 2.1L/100km economy.

Our Spanish test cars included the T6 petrol model that uses a turbocharger and supercharger to make 235kW and 400Nm, outputs that allow it to reach 100km/h in 5.9 seconds. Using 7.7L/100km in combined highway and urban driving, the T6 feels confident, quiet and responsive on the road.

It's probably the pick of the bunch for Australian buyers, unless you plan to cover long distances on a regular basis.

In that case, the D5 turbo diesel model with its sequential two-stage turbo and clever PowerPulse lag minimisation system could be the ticket, as it uses an average of 5.5L/100km to make 173KW and 480Nm, hitting 100km/h in 7.2 seconds.

Quiet on the open road and well-behavied in town, the diesel is still grumpier than the sweet petrol unit. Acknowledging that diesel's days are numbered around the world, the brand says this is its last all-new diesel engine, though we still expect it to receive an update or two to stay relevant in coming years.

Both engines are hooked up to eight-speed automatic transmissions overdriven in the top two cogs. Smooth in most conditions, the Aisin-sourced transverse gearbox doesn't feel quite as decisive as ZF's rival unit when pressed into dynamic driving, the car offering up the occasional bumpy downshift at low speed.

It says something about Volvo's vision for the XC60 that it does not feature shift paddles. This isn't a car intended to be the ultimate driving machine, positioning itself instead as a comfortable, composed and confident place to while away the miles.

Our test examples all featured four-wheel air suspension likely to be optional on Australian cars, a system that did a remarkable job of soaking up the occasional bump on Spain's largely smooth roads. The XC60 offers five driving modes (Eco, Comfort, Dynamic, Off-road and Individual) that affect the behaviour of its driveline and suspension, varying the car's ride height and damper behaviour to suit a range of environments.

Differences between the settings are deliberately subtle. Engineers elected to imbue the car with a relaxed overall character and a composed but not overly sharp dynamic setting that customers might choose to use on an everyday basis, rather than impressing mates for five minutes in the first week of ownership.

It works.

Our test cars felt confident on a variety of Catalan roads that did not raise any major flaws in their driving behaviour. No, it's not as dynamic as a Porsche Macan or Audi SQ5, but it was never intended to be. The XC60 is an excellent snapshot of what a luxury SUV should offer in 2017. 

This is an accomplished car, one that deserves consideration from Australia's growing number of luxury car buyers.

But the challenge may be attached to its badge.

Europe's best-selling medium-sized prestige SUV sits at the bottom of the sales charts in Australia, outsold in its class by the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Lexus NX, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Porsche Macan and Range Rover Discovery Sport. The big XC90 has the same problem, ranking behind all of the above marques as a well as Volkswagen's Touareg. The XC60 holds around 20 per cent of the European market share in its segment but just 7 per cent in Australia.

It probably didn't help that until recently, Volvo's big idea to boost its Australian image was to try to beat a bunch of Falcons and Commodores at Bathurst, using V8 engines that represent the polar opposite of the brand's forward-thinking intentions.

The question is not whether the XC60 represents a significant achievement for the Volvo, as that much is clear.

Whether Australian buyers will overlook classic luxury marques to give it a chance is an another matter.

Safety first

Volvo's XC60 will be one of the safest cars on Australian roads. While the brand cannot say exactly how much the car will cost or what features will be standard, it's fair to say the available technology on the model is impressive.

Volvo says it has halved the number of serious injuries for occupants in the last 10 years, and its aim is that no one will be killed or seriously injured driving a new Volvo in 2020 and beyond.

Models equipped with the brand's new Intellisafe Pro package will feature Adaptive Cruise Control with Pilot Assist - a mild semi-autonomous driving system capable of steering the car in many circumstances. Even so, the brand is at pains to point out that its features are there to help driver - not to do the job for you - and that you should keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times.

The new model can be fitted with a new Blind Spot Information System with steering assistance that will steer you away from hazards while changing lanes, as well as new City Safety Technology with steering support that will automatically brake to avoid hazards, then help you steer around them.

A new Oncoming Lane Mitigation feature aims to prevent potentially fatal head-on collisions. Rather than simply watching the centre line in the same manner as most lane departure warning systems, this feature scans the road ahead using camera and radar technology to watch for other vehicles, automatically steering you back into the correct lane at speeds up to 140km/h.

Run-off Road Mitigation can steer you back onto the road to prevent the car leaving its lane. If the car does leave the road, its systems will quickly analyse its circumstances to prepare for a range of pre-programmed scenarios such as dipping into a ditch, becoming airborne and landing in rough terrain, priming systems such as its seatbelts to prepare for a prang.

The car keeps a constant watch for pedestrians, cyclists and large animals, and it has eyes in the back of its head that watch for rear-end collisions, tightening the seatbelts and strobing its tail-laps at following drivers at risk of hitting your car.

It is even capable of warning other vehicles of slippery conditions and road hazards - if you skid out, it will put an electronic marker down to warn other Volvos of less than ideal road conditions, and if you pop your hazard lights on, the car can wirelessly warn other drivers of an upcoming hazard on the road. While it's not clear exactly which features will be available when the car arrives in October, the model paints a fascinating picture for the future of road safety.

Hybrid Hero

The local XC60 range will be crowned by the T8 Twin Engine R-Design, a model that blends hybrid performance with a dash of sporting intent.

Powered by a hybridised version of the T6's 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine, the T8 uses a lithium-ion battery and rear-mounted 65kW electric motor to produce stirring 300kW and 640Nm outputs. Better still, the plug-in hybrid machine has an all-electric range of 45 kilometres and official fuel consumption of just 2.1L/100km, making it the most effect model in the range.

Able to it 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds, the hybrid R-Design rides on bold 22-inch alloys with sticky Pirelli P-Zero tyres that fit its sporting image. The engine is likely to form the basis of an upcoming Polestar high-performance model, and we also expect Volvo to offer an all-electric XC60 before the end of this model's life cycle.

2017 Volvo XC60 D5 and T6 pricing and specifications         

Price: TBC

On sale: October 2017

Engines: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel (D5) or petrol (T6)

Power: 173kW at 4000rpm (D5) or 235kW at 5700rpm (T6)

Torque: 480Nm at 1750-2250rpm (D5) or 400Nm at 2200-5400rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive

Fuel use: 5.5L/100km (D5), 7.7L/100km (T6)

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