- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.4DTT, 5 cyl.
- Engine Power
169kW, 470Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 6.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2009)
2014 Volvo Xc60 D5 R-design Review
I purchased a new XC60 MY 14 D5 R Design in November. I have previously owned top spec Land Cruisers, downsized to a diesel Territory and needed something with an even smaller footprint, but with room in the back for 3 granddaughters.
- Stylish and classy, Very comfortable seats, Versitile load area, Reasonable consumption in the city
- Expensive with full feature set, but you can negotiate
Had a really good look at both the Audi Q3 and BMW X3. My mate has both in MY14 spec for his and hers, so I didn’t have the pain of salesmen telling me what I wanted! All of them deliver genuine quality, reliability and European prestige.
Very happy with the Volvo. It looks stunning in premium black paint with "big" wheels and full sunroof. I choose a diesel, though my son who also has a D5 recommended that I buy a T6 for better performance.; Well the Polestar D5 is fast enough for me in Melbourne, where the speed limits change all the .time and 2 speeding convictions are sufficient! It has real get up and go when required; and very smooth pick-up, though with petrol below a dollar he may be right
The Volvo scored for me with style. I can afford an R Design, but lower spec models look pretty good too. The big dimension winner for Volvo was space across the back seat for three; with boosters for two (5 and 7 yrs.) and room for a full size seat in the middle; plus a really good load compartment area; not of course, as big as the Territory or Cruiser, but much bigger for families than the Q3 or X3.
The interior of the XC60 is very comfortable and I reckon the R Design seats are as good as any I have sat in; which are very many, across rentals, mate’s motors and others vehicles we have owned including high range prestige.
Fuel consumption is adequate for us. We predominantly drive in the Eastern suburbs on short journeys and record 9.5 litres per 100 k, which I reckon is more than reasonable in real world driving.
Handling is fine and I have no complaints about the on 20 inch wheels. The XC60 isn’t quite as sharp as the Territory, but miles ahead of Landcruisers and I reckon on a par with X3 and Q3s.
However like James Ward I have a couple of minor criticisms. Why on earth would Volvo delete the digital speed read out from ECO and Elegance displays, so silly, Volvo please rectify and offer me revised software.
The buttons on the centre console take some getting used to, and I too have lost calls. Occasionally the multipurpose display gets locked on one display, but maybe it just slows down changing from say radio to rear cam for some unknown reason. Also the keyless entry very occasionally does not operate first time, but these are really irritations not fundamental flaws.
To sum up, for metropolitan buyers who want the high visibility benefit of an SUV, the Volvo is a great buy. Looks good, drives well and is stylish in any company. Shop hard for a good buy, go interstate if need be, there are bargains out there.