Volvo XC60 review

Since its launch, the Volvo XC60 has played a big part in the Swedish brand's transformation from estate-car specialist to SUV success story.

Sitting above the Volvo XC40 in the brand's line-up, the XC60 is based on the same mechanical underpinnings as the car maker's flagship SUV, the Volvo XC90. The XC60 is shorter, several thousand pounds cheaper and comes with five seats rather than seven.

This generation of the XC60 arrived in 2017 but has had several updates in its lifecycle, including styling tweaks and a new infotainment system in 2021.

Its rivals range from the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 to the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Lexus NX. Higher-spec versions of the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-60 tread on the XC60’s toes too.

All those models are spacious and practical with strong, efficient engines, so is the Volvo XC60 up to the challenge of competing with the best family SUVs? Read on to find out...

There are three engines available for the Volvo XC60 – a mild-hybrid petrol called the B5 and two petrol plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), the T6 and the T8.

The B5 produces 247bhp and is pretty quick, achieving a 0-60mph time of 7.8 seconds in our tests. However, when you’re on the move and need a burst of acceleration, it can sometimes require a bit of planning because the automatic gearbox hesitates before changing down when you plant your foot.

The T6 has a stout 345bhp, and managed 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds at our private test track. The T8, with 449bhp, has an official 0-60mph time of 4.6 seconds, which is a remarkably rapid time for such a big car.

Both PHEVs can get up to motorway speeds using their electric motors alone and have official electric-only ranges of 49 miles – although on our real-world route, an XC60 T6 ran out of charge at 34.9 miles. In the same test, the Lexus NX managed 30 miles while the Mercedes GLC 300e covered a healthy 57 miles.

The standard suspension fitted with most XC60 trim levels does a good job of dealing with speed bumps and road imperfections with a smooth edge. However, expansion joints and ragged potholes tend to send a nasty jolt through the car – a problem exacerbated by larger alloy wheels (we wouldn’t go above 20in).

If you opt for a top-spec XC60 Ultra, you get air suspension instead. That gives the car a generally composed and well-controlled ride, softening the edges off peaks and troughs at high speeds. An Audi Q5 equipped with air suspension is even comfier.

On XC60s with air suspension, it's possible to select different levels of firmness, but it doesn't make a huge difference to the ride comfort.

If you want a competent-handling family SUV that's easy to drive in town, you'll find the XC60 perfectly fit for purpose, but once you've been round a few faster corners, you'll realise it's no driver's car.

It grips hard and contains body lean neatly when pressing on, but the light steering doesn't build a great sense of connection to the front wheels. The BMW X3 is far more composed and much easier to position on the road.

The PHEV versions (T6 and T8) are even more sluggish to change direction because of the added weight of their batteries. The Lexus NX is better in that respect. The T8’s abrupt power delivery causes the XC60 to pitch back on the relatively soft suspension more noticeably than the lower-powered versions, so the car can sometimes feel slightly overwhelmed.

All versions of the XC60 have four-wheel drive as standard to help you in slippery conditions. Despite that, for true off-roading ability you'll be better off with a Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Apart from a bit of vibration when idling, the B5 petrol engine is smooth once on the move, and engine noise settles to a barely perceptible thrum when you’re cruising. The T6 and T8 models can run almost silently on electricity alone if there's enough charge available, with hardly any whine from the electric motors during acceleration.

You’ll notice a slight boom from the XC60's standard suspension when you encounter a pothole. Models with air suspension deal with bumps more quietly. There's a bit more road noise than in premium-brand rivals on motorways, where you'll also hear wind noise from around the door mirrors.

The Audi Q5 is a more peaceful long-distance machine, but the XC60 is still more hushed than a Honda CR-V. The brakes on all versions are pretty easy to use smoothly, plus there’s regenerative braking on all versions to help slow the car down from the moment you take your foot off the accelerator. The PHEVs have a stronger braking effect that can almost bring the XC60 to a stop.

"The Volvo XC60 T6 PHEV has a longer real-world electric range than a BMW X3 xDrive30e or Lexus NX 450h+. I found that handy keep costs down on my urban commute. It's also effortlessly fast." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

When you sit behind the wheel of the Volvo XC60 you look down on most other road users. For many buyers, that’s a key attraction of high-riding SUVs. The only family SUV rival with such a high up driving position is the Land Rover Discovery Sport – and that gets a less supportive seat. 

All XC60s have electric seat height and lumbar adjustment, but you have to slide the seat back and forth, and recline it manually unless you step up to Plus trim. The central and door armrests are in a near-perfect position for most drivers to rest their elbows on.

The standard 12.3in digital driver's display is clear and can display the sat-nav map but there’s little in the way of lay-outs or configurability.

Dashboard buttons are kept to a minimum, which gives the interior a clean and uncomplicated look but means you have to use the touchscreen or voice control for most functions. Physical buttons and knobs – which the Audi Q5, the BMW X3 and the Mazda CX-60 have – are far less distracting to use when you're driving.

There's an excellent view out of the XC60, partly down to its big side windows and door mirrors. It also has relatively slim windscreen pillars that make it easy to navigate roundabouts and junctions. Even your over-the-shoulder view is good by big family SUV standards.

Every XC60 comes equipped with front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera, making it easier to pilot the car’s considerable bulk into tight parking spaces. Models in Plus trim and above benefit from a 360-degree bird’s eye view camera. At night, bright LED headlights are on hand to light your way clearly.

The XC60's 9in infotainment touchscreen is set into the dashboard in portrait orientation, with a home button at the bottom. However, some of the icons are rather small, making them tricky to hit in a hurry.

The sat-nav system uses Google for its maps, and provides a clear and detailed display with real-time traffic information. DAB radio, wireless phone-charging, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay come as standard. However, despite the system running an Android operating system, Android Auto smartphone mirroring is not available. Instead, you have to download apps to the car.

The standard 10-speaker stereo sounds great, but music fans will appreciate the 13-speaker Harman Kardon system fitted to Plus models.

The 1,100-watt 14-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo on top-spec Ultra delivers seriously crisp and punchy sound quality, but you’ll have to really love your tunes to consider moving up to this trim level just to get it.

When it comes to interior quality, Volvo can now count itself among the best in the business, and the XC60 is as classy and elegant inside as the bigger Volvo XC90. That's seriously impressive, and there really is precious little to grumble about.

The liberal use of wood or metal trims, especially from high-spec Ultra models up, lends the interior a wonderfully polished premium feel.

Some of the interior panel gaps are not as millimetre-perfect as they are in the Audi Q5 but every surface feels suitably upmarket, reassuringly solid and more luxurious than top-spec versions of the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-60.

"I found having to use the Volvo XC60's touchscreen for even basic functions frustrating. The rotary controller in the BMW X3 makes operating its infotainment system much less distracting." – Steve Huntingford, Editor

As befits such a big car, the Volvo XC60 gives even very tall occupants plenty of space to stretch out. The front seats slide back a long way to accommodate people who are especially long in the leg, and there’s loads of head room. The Land Rover Discovery Sport is even more generous with interior space.

As for storage, there’s a deep bin beneath the centre armrest and a cubby by the gear lever with a sliding cover to keep valuables out of sight. The door pockets are easily big enough to each take a one-litre bottle of water each.

The PHEV versions of the XC60 have shallower storage areas in the centre console and under the front armrest.

The XC60 isn’t the most spacious family SUV in the back, but there’s still enough room for two 6ft passengers to sit behind someone of equal height, and more knee room than in an Audi Q5.

A Discovery Sport offers an extra centimetre of space here and there, while a Honda CR-V allows a 6ft occupant to stretch out their legs more. Head room in the back of the XC60 is impressive, even if you add the optional panoramic glass roof. You get as much space as in a Lexus NX without a sunroof. 

The XC60 is broader inside than many key rivals. Shoulder room for three adults sitting side by side is surprisingly good, but whoever gets the middle seat will find it rather narrow, and will have to straddle a raised tunnel along the floor.

The XC60's rear seats split and fold down in a 60/40 configuration, with a ski hatch for sliding in long items between two rear passengers. It’s a shame the seatbacks don't split in a 40/20/40 layout – a more flexible configuration available in many rivals, including the Mazda CX-60.

Fold-out boosters for smaller children in the outer two back seats are available as an option, but you can’t have sliding and reclining rear seats (which are standard on the Discovery Sport and CR-V, and optional on the Q5). The Lexus NX has a reclining rear backrest as standard.

The XC60 B5 has 483 litres of boot space, which is about 10% less than you get in the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Lexus NX. The boot is quite shallow.

Boot capacity drops slightly to 468 litres in the PHEV versions – the T6 and T8 – but the X3 PHEV (the xDrive 30e) loses a far bigger percentage of its boot space to its batteries and ends up with a smaller boot than any XC60.

Even so, there's still enough space in the XC60 for most families’ needs. We managed to slot eight carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf in non-PHEV versions (matching a CX-60 and CR-V), and seven in the T6 and T8 (the Lexus NX 450h+ managed seven too). There’s no lip at the boot's entrance, and folding down the rear seatbacks gives you a long, flat load bay.

"I found the absence of a load lip on the Volvo XC60 helpful when lifting heavy items into, and out of, the boot. It's a boon at the garden centre." – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

The Volvo XC60 is priced competitively against the Audi Q5, the BMW X3 and the Mercedes GLC, and PCP finance offers are often very competitive for the class. You can get some pretty good cash discounts, so it's worth looking out for offers on our New Car Deals pages.

Officially, the XC60 B5 pumps out a little less CO2 than the equivalent Q5 and remains closely competitive with an X3. If you're considering an XC60 as a company car, it’s worth noting that the PHEVs (the T6 and T8) will bring by far the lowest BIK tax bills. The Mercedes GLC 300e commands an even lower BIK rate thanks to its longer official battery range.

Just be aware that the PHEVs will need to be charged up regularly to achieve anything close to their official fuel-economy figure. With the battery depleted in a T6, we saw just 30.2mpg on our real-world test route, which is not much better than the mild-hybrid B5's 29.6mpg on the same route during a different test day.

If you buy an XC60, we’d stick with entry-level Core trim because it gives you all the essentials and quite a bit more on top. Two-zone climate control, cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, and heated leather seats all come as standard. You'll need to add metallic paint if you want it, but that's about it.

Mid-range Plus is worth considering for a few more luxuries. It comes with a more upmarket interior, fully electric seats, four-zone climate control, a heated steering wheel and front windscreen, 19in alloy wheels, and keyless entry and ignition.

Top-spec Ultra trim adds air suspension, a head-up display, adaptive LED headlights and massaging front seats, but we wouldn’t make the step up. It pushes the XC60’s price into the realm of altogether bigger and better cars, including the Land Rover Discovery and Volvo XC90. However, for the most toys, as well as the flashiest interior, we can see why it would be a tempting proposition.

We should also mention that you can get a Black Edition version of the Plus and Ultra trims. It adds black exterior styling details and unique black wheels, but we don’t think it’s worth the premium.

In our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, the petrol plug-in hybrid XC60 performed well, ranking above the Audi Q5 and the petrol Porsche Macan. The now-discontinued diesel ranked further down the table – in ninth – but not to a concerning extent. As a manufacturer, Volvo finished 12th in a league table of 31 manufacturers. That places it above Audi, Mazda, Mercedes and Land Rover.

All XC60s come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, as well as a three-year paintwork warranty and a 12-year warranty for rust. Plug-in hybrid models also come with an eight-year, 100,000-mile policy for the battery pack. That's all par for the course among premium family SUVs.

The XC60 was awarded the maximum five stars in its Euro NCAP safety test back in 2017, but it's worth noting that the rating has since expired. Even so, standard equipment on all trims include automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist, driver attention monitor and traffic-sign recognition.

Blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and Pilot Assist (a semi-autonomous driving function that can help steer the car along its lane on the motorway) comes as standard on Plus trim and above.

Every model comes with an alarm and an immobiliser. Security experts Thatcham Research awarded the XC60 the maximum five stars for resisting theft and four stars for its resistance to being broken into.

"Keen PCP finance deals means the Volvo XC60 can be cheaper per month than an equivalent Honda CR-V or Mazda CX-60. That surprised me." – Dan Jones, Reviewer

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