Volvo XC60 Review & Road Test
December 2, 2009 by Paul Maric
An amazing SUV ruined by a hefty price tag
Model Tested:
- 2009 Volvo XC60 D5 LE; 2.4-litre, five-cylinder, diesel; six-speed automatic – $65,450 ($77,180 as tested)
Options:
- Metallic Paint $1,550; Drive Assist Pack $5,190; Teknik Pack $4,990
Sexiest SUV on the market; on and off-road performance; engine; features
Price; fuel consumption
CarAdvice Rating: 
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the guy in the black BMW 5 Series, he flipped me the bird for accidentally cutting him off in traffic and I could see him mouthing it, “bloody Volvo driver”.
That was my first experience as a Volvo driver, behind the wheel of an XC90 soon after its Australian debut. Until then I was convinced it was simply an old wives’ tale. But it’s true; you’re treated differently if you drive a Volvo.
Fast forward to today and it’s finally here, Volvo’s long awaited XC60.
If you’re anything like me, you were creaming your jeans at the thought of Volvo’s 2006 XC60 concept car. The stunning lines and ultra-modern interior promised a lot. Unfortunately the trend with most car companies is to produce an incredible looking concept car and then under-deliver when it starts rolling out as production ready.
Luckily, Volvo has bucked the trend, with the final product remaining a spitting image of its concept product.
If you think the XC60 looks good in pictures, it looks even better in person. Our Terra Bronze test vehicle made all vehicles surrounding it in the car park look like they belonged in the dark ages.
A defined front establishes a muscular stance, while the rear embodies all that is Volvo – quirkiness and unique angles.
When you open the driver’s door, you’re greeted with the perfect interior. It’s almost impossible to fault. The leather clad steering wheel sits perfectly in the hand, while the floating centre console contains the right number of buttons, nestled in logical locations.
All vital controls, ranging from cabin temperature through to audio track selection are displayed on the display at the top of the dashboard. Fitted as an option to our test vehicle was Volvo’s satellite navigation system that slots above the audio and temperature controls.
The satellite navigation is hard disk driven, opposed to DVD driven. The advantage of a hard disk based system is quicker search times and improved route calculation speeds. It also frees an addition slot in the CD player, where the mapping DVD would have once lived.
The navigation is controlled by remote control or via buttons located behind the steering wheel. The only downside of the latter is that the controls are impossible to see and take time to get used to prior to use.
While automatic windscreen wipers are standard fitment, Volvo is yet to master – or even offer – automatic headlights. The feature is now standard on many other SUVs in this segment, yet missing from the Volvo line-up.
Interior room is great for the driver and front passenger. Kids and teenagers will find leg and shoulder room accommodating in the rear seats, although adults will be slightly cramped.
The rear seats are fitted with two, two-stage child boosters (outer two seats) that accommodate younger children with safety in mind. The seats are designed to ensure children maintain seatbelt encapsulation in the event of a collision.
The leather clad seats are very accommodating and feel very upmarket. The leather doesn’t feel cheap like the leather fitted to some of the competition, but the Sandstone Beige leather fitted to our test vehicle was starting to show signs of use, attracting any sign of dirt.
Boasting the widest opening in its segment, the XC60 features an impressive 490 litre luggage capacity that increases when the rear row of seats is folded flat into the floor.
Our test vehicle was fitted with both of the available option packages. The Drive Assist package includes: Lane departure warning, Adaptive cruise control and Blind Spot Information System. The Teknik package includes: Satellite navigation system, active bi-xenon headlights, Bluetooth and park assist reverse camera.
Other standard features fitted to the D5 LE include: Panoramic sunroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, electric passenger seat, rain sensing windscreen wipers, interior air quality system, high-performance audio system, 6 stack CD-player, front and rear parking sensors.
The XC60 D5 starts at $58,950, while the LE bumps the price up to $65,450. The Drive Assist and Teknik packages pushed the retail price of our test vehicle up to a somewhat staggering $77,180.
Behind the wheel, the XC60 drives and handles above and beyond its weight range. The 1.8-tonne SUV accelerates with gusto courtesy of a twin-turbocharged 2.4-litre five-cylinder diesel engine. Producing 151kW and 420Nm of torque, the next generation of Volvo diesel is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that shifts with ease and caters for a tiptronic manual shift mode.
Fuel consumption is rated at a combined 7.6-L/100km but was impossible to achieve on test, with the final fuel consumption finishing at 8.8-L/100km. The test vehicle was still relatively new, so I’d put that down to needing some extra time to run in.
The well weighted steering offers BMW-like feedback, reciprocating every bump in the road. During cornering, the steering firms in a bid to offer a sporty drive.
Handling is sedan like. If you throw the XC60 into a corner, it holds tight and drills torque into the pavement, barely batting an eyelid at the ordeal. Brake feel is fantastic with progressive feedback and respectable performance.
As an SUV, you would expect the XC60 to perform both on and off-road. There was only one way to find out, so I ventured off-road to see if it was indeed as capable on-road as off-road.
With 230mm of ground clearance, the beautiful Swede held its own on all terrain thrown at it.
Steep hills were taken care of with great ease, as were ruts and grassy fields. Hill descent control is optional ($475) but is highly recommended if you are planning on taking the XC60 off-road.
One of the steep descents I attempted required a substantial amount of brake input. Manually selecting first gear didn’t offer enough engine braking to overcome the descent. Hill descent control assists by variably braking individual wheels in a bid to control descent speed.
Dust suppression is good with dust only entering the cabin during regular door opening and closing.
Aside from the lack of engine braking, the XC60 handled itself incredibly well off-road. It went above and beyond what one would expect of an SUV.
Volvo is known for its dedication to safety and has certainly upheld the trait with the XC60. City Safety is standard fitment across the XC60 range. City Safety uses a laser to monitor up to eight metres in front of the vehicle. If it detects a collision, the system will automatically brake the vehicle and avoid a collision in its entirety.
In addition to City Safety, all XC60 models include: Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Trailer Stability Control (TSA), Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), flashing emergency brake lights, dual stage driver and front passenger airbags, Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), front seat airbags, full length curtain airbags and Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS).
I was getting ready for a barrage of angry drivers flipping me the bird and cursing me for driving another Volvo, but I think the design got the better of them. 10 years ago nobody would have thought Volvo would be where they are now with an arsenal of impressive machinery.
Volvo has an absolute winner on their hands with the XC60. It’s absolutely impossible to fault and offers great fuel consumption, plenty of features and excellent performance both on and off the black-top.
It had me confused then why our family friends ended up ditching the XC60 and buying a Honda, despite how much I applauded the XC60 for its overall rapport.
It’s now apparent that all comes down to price. While the XC60 may be the best car I’ve driven this year, it’s simply too expensive. Comparable vehicles from BMW and Audi offer bigger diesel engines with more torque for around the same price.
The old adage, ‘you get what you pay for’ rings true in this regard. The Volvo XC60 is worth every penny of its price tag, but unfortunately outprices itself in the crowded Australian SUV market.
Ratings:
CarAdvice Overall Rating:
How does it Drive: 
How does it Look:
How does it Go:
Specifications:
- Engine: 2,400cc DOHC five-cylinder (20 valve)
- Power: 151kW @ 4,000rpm
- Torque: 420Nm @ 1,500rpm
- Induction: Turbocharged & Direct Injection
- Transmission: Six-speed automatic
- Driven Wheels: All
- Brakes: Discs with ABS, EBA & EBD
- Top Speed: 210km/h (Claimed)
- 0-100km/h: 8.9 seconds
- CO2 Emissions: 201g/km
- Fuel Consumption: 7.6L/100km
- Fuel Consumption: 8.8L/100km
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 70L
- Fuel Type: Diesel
- ANCAP Rating: Five-star
- Airbags: Front, Side & Curtain
- Safety: ESC with Traction Control
- Spare Wheel: Space saver
- Cargo Capacity: 490L
- Tow Capacity: 2,000kg (Braked)
- Warranty: Three-years / 100,000km
- Weight: 1,888kg (Tare)
- Wheels: Alloy 18-inch
Luckily you didn’t get a flat tyre out there in the Outback with only a spacesaver. Bloody 4wd eurotoys…looks like the right unit for toorak or mosman though…
This issue of the space-saver spare tyre is my one real gripe about the XC60 (and incidently also the Q5 and X3). While (up to a point) I can understand why the space-saver is there as standard equipment, not to offer either a factory or dealer backed extra-cost option for a full size spare is unbelievable for a so-called “softroader”. Two other minor issues still remain – the empty space in the middle of the centre console if you don’t opt for the expensive GPS system (although on the plus side, I pleased Volvo has finally caught up with their opposition and is offering a hard-drive based GPS system), and the silly location and action of the electronic hand brake. Why can’t they use a simple button somewhere on the centre console like every one else with an electronic hand brake.
Where is the handbrake on this car?
The electronic hand brake is what I would describe as a lever-type thingy located on the right-hand side of the steering wheel, just below the rotary light switch (you can see it in the 4th photo down). You push it in to engage and will automatically release as you drive off. Being tucked down low on your right-hand side, its out of your line-of-sight, and every time you want to use it, you have to take your eyes off what ever you are looking at and go searching for it. Very unnatural. By contrast, the Q5 (and every other car I’ve seen with an electronic hand brake) has a simple button on the centre console on your more natural left-hand side.
Great review, great car. The T6 is brilliant to drive, quite quick (about 7.2), and provided you dont have that terrible two tone upholstery, the interior is classy and pleasant. Exterior could have had a little more zing, I thought, and for god’s sake, why push that copper colour? Another underrated volvo, IMO, let down by crap marketing in Oz. They havent got a bad car in the lineup, have they? (let’s forget questionable handling of the c70)
CA – will disagree on one point in your review. You say its expensive – and yes I agree that $77,000 before on road costs (I’m assuming) is a high number. But compared with what? You sit down with a spreadsheet and add up a apples vs apples comparison of standard features and option costs with both the Q5 and X3 and you will find the XC60 will generally be the cheapest of the three – by a considerable margin.
Aargh! The XC60 has that mystery plastic rectangle on the grille too! What is it’s purpose?
http://www.automobilesdeluxe.tv/quest-ce-que-cest/
suggests radar guided cruise control. Wouldnt know, but now that you have pointed it out, I will obsess about it. thanks.
Active cruise control… Same as Mondeo Titanium and XR5..
Works amazingly well, off the freeway (foot poised over brake pedal) and the car in front slows to 60 and the Mondeo does exactly the same…… Frrreaaakkyy…….. :p
If it offers “great fuel consumption”, why is “fuel consumption” one of the negatives?
You may need to re-read the review, Tom21.
While the ADR fuel consumption was “great”, the achieved fuel consumption wasn’t. I put it down to limited km’s on the test vehicle.
I agree with Peter. Volvo really need to step up the marketing effort. Be like Holden and invade every channel with one ad every 7 mins. They have awesome products but no one know about them. I asked my mate recently and he said all Volvo’s were boxes, i asked him how long ago had he seen one. He said 2005.
The problem is though, despite public perception of GM being a fail company, Holden actually has a well respected and “cool” status in Australia. It might be marketing genius, or vehicle styling, heritage/whatever else.
I just don’t think a company such as Volvo could achieve that.
At first look of that center console thumb nail i thought “aston martin”
considering both were Ford owned companies that isnt so surprising.
I’m not surprised that the xC60 has great fuel consumptions. Volvos are know for being drunkards. That is not their high points. Safety is. Looks like a great ride and from the specs a pretty smooth one too.
Just received our D5 10 days ago and really happy with it. Mix of performance,economy safety, handling, driveability and function is fanstastic. I don’t agree with the reviews comments on it being expensive. Sure if you load it up, like most of the competitors it’s big $, but most of these items you don’t need such as drive assist, tecnic pack and bi xenon (std headlights are very good already). Ours was $62K on road with tint, towbar, bluetooth, premium stereo and 18inch wheels. For that money you can’t even drive a base model Q5 or x5 out of the showroom. They are both smaller inside, less powerful, with smaller engines and even dearer on the options. A Passat wagon or Subaru outback with similar levels of spec are both around $60K and no where near as well finished. Anyway, overall we think it’s pretty great for all of our needs (and wants).
Cheers
they are only expensive when you compare them against Korean, maybe Japanese. There really is no comparison. Volvo (aside from better badge) also has better looks, leather, interior layout, stereo, before you consider whether they are better to drive or better mechanically (which I dont really know, coz I dont know anything about current Korean cars), or for safety. Then again, if you are not interested in any of those things and just want a SUV of that size, then I’m sure a korean one would be adequate, and you wouldnt lose as much $$ in depreciation.
Am very interested in the D5, but have been put off by the cost. We’ve been quoted $74k for the D5LE so would be interested to know how much the dealers come down under negotiations. At camsand’s drive away price of $62k would put this car squarely in the picture. Can I ask where you purchased from?
curiousmind – try to answer in the absence of camsand. I suspect the $62k drive away for his XC60 is for the base XC60 – not the XC60 LE. Even so, that still a very good price for him and I suspect the car may have been either/both an ex demonstrator or the old superceded D5 diesel. The $74k you’ve been quoted drive away for a 2010 XC60LE D5 is pretty much the standard list price. How much are dealers willing to move with negotiation? Right now – unless its an ex demonstrator or a 2009 model – very little because with the current 50% depreciation allowance for business buyers thay are practically selling every XC60 they bring into the country. In the New Year with the end to the 50% allowance, things may improve for private buyers in particular. Don’t quote me, but you should be able to get off $2-3K without much effort. If you are expecting the $62k drive away for a LE, forget it. During your negotiations don’t forget to liberally pepper your conversion with the letter “Q” and the number “5″.
I dunno…
I have a XC70 which weighs the same (check out the specs !) and has better visibility (compare the view from the back seat or in the back corner while in the drivers seat !) with an interior which is much nicer laid out all for about the same price.
The XC60 interior looks awful with the display pod on the top. If you don’t get Nav, it looks even worse. Using all the same parts as the S80 and V/XC70 but angled, just has a unrefined look about it.
I would buy another XC70 but never a XC60…
I’ve driven the petrol XC70 (which I thought was really good, but would be better with a T6) and the T6 XC60. I thought the XC60 was a slightly more fun drive, a little more agile feeling and better acceleration. That said, I was punishing it a little. The 70 had a better interior layout to my taste, a little more luxurious, like the s80, and with more space. I would say that appearances aside, it is probably a better all round proposition. I couldnt sell the missus on it, though (looks too much like a wagon and a little big for her). Grrr…these modern free thinking women!
Looks great. Volvo’s are always made well. They were created to be used and abuse. Furthermore they have trail-blazed some amazing features for safety.
The car is not that expensive if you dont get the Le pack Tech Pack and driver assist. the car is then 66k drive away. Buy a Navman and suck it up. Best SUV in australia right now. I have driven them all.
Looking at the Euros on the market, the XC60 would definitely be my choice.
X3 – is old
GLK – no flair to it, looks old
Q5 – boring, although Audi is my favorite brand I must say that the design is
getting very boring. Why do they all have to look the same? Seen the new A8? Looks like an over sized A4.
Back to the Volvo. It looks really good inside and out, it got off road capability and drives like a sedan (I haven’t driven it, but read quite a few reviews).
Of course this is just my opinion
Finally I’d like to pay tribute to the photographers at car advice, the photos in your reportage are really great!
The reason for the lack of auto headlights is to do with the law in Sweden which requries all drivers to have their headlights on 24/7. So auto ones are bit pointless.
Although there are all the safety options available, it is strange that you can’t get the ventilated seats like you can in the 70/80 series. Being able to warm and cool the seats is a feature I love on my XC70. If you must have leather (and personally I would still prefer a nice cloth – but stupid luxury buyers apparently want the image of leather…), the vented seats are great for hot weather. Sounds like a gimmick but I assure you it isn’t !!!
Guess I may be a stupid luxury buyer, but leather looked after with some good leather care stuff every few months looks great forever, and if the kids are prone to spilling their milkshakes or puking, then leather brings real advantages in the clean up dept..I would like the ventilated seats though, in leather!
Great Review! I picked up the XC60 D5 MY10 a couple of weeks ago and it has exceeded my expectations, mostly because I was not expecting the gutsy performance and great fuel economy of the twin turbo diesel in the MY10! All the reviews I had read prior to buying only reviewed the old D5 engine, and said it was a bit lack lustre in the go department. Fuel economy is also very good, first trip in the country I did 210km and averaged 6.9l/100k which I think is terrific, busting the 41mpg mark! The XC60 D5 My10 is a very good package on all fronts!