New Volvo XC60 SUV: prices, specs, pictures and video
Volvo's new XC60 SUV is on sale now, priced from £37,205, ahead of first deliveries this autumn
The new Volvo XC60 is on sale now and will be on the roads in Britain later this year. It’s currently the smaller of the Swedish firm’s two SUVs, sitting underneath the Audi Q7 rivalling XC90.
As such, the five-seat, mid-sized XC60 is a rival for the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. We got our first look at it at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but now Volvo has revealed UK prices and specs and has opened the order books. The most basic D4 Momentum XC60 is priced at £37,205.
The new XC60 shares its platform with its larger XC90 sibling and much of the car’s design is influenced heavily by it, but Volvo is keen to claim that it has worked some individual character into the XC60.
The new XC60 is part of a big product offensive in the SUV market sector by Volvo, and it follows in the footsteps of 2015’s XC90 release. Later this year the new XC60 will be joined by the XC40 – a smaller Volvo crossover and rival for the Audi Q3.
During the XC60's reveal at the Geneva Motor Show, Volvo’s vice-president of design, Thomas Ingenlath, told us, “I am relaxed coming out with the XC60, because it isn’t such a revolution [as the XC90 was]. But it is a big step and improvement with the new platform. I’m tempted to ask: ‘What could go wrong?’”
The driver sits lower in the XC60 than its larger brother, and the muscular-looking door creases, extended ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights and new grille mark out the lower, sportier SUV. It has a longer bonnet than its Audi Q5 rival, and a longer roofline.
There’s a definite family resemblance to the XC90, however, especially inside. The dashboard, seats and upholstery will all be familiar to XC90 owners; the same 9.0-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital dial displays feature, while sat nav will be bundled as standard.
The new model is 62mm longer, 12mm wider and 14mm lower than the outgoing XC60, and the 91mm-longer wheelbase means there’s more legroom in the rear.
At launch, all models will be four-wheel drive and use an eight-speed automatic gearbox - but as with the XC90, only four-cylinder engines will be available. The range starts with the £37,205 187bhp D4 diesel, which Volvo says returns up to 55.4mpg and 133g/km CO2. A £43,205 232bhp D5 PowerPulse diesel sits above it, capable of 51.4mpg and 144g/km CO2. The diesels will make up the bulk of sales, but a T5 petrol with 251bhp will go on sale for those after a little more performance, priced from £37,900. In terms of economy, this engine gets 39.2mpg while returning a CO2 score of 164g/km.
Finally, a T8 plug-in hybrid with 401bhp and an all-electric range of around 35 miles will arrive as a flagship version.
Front-wheel-drive models will be added to the line-up later, as well as a smaller T4 petrol with 197bhp and a more economical 150bhp D3 diesel.
Volvo sources have already hinted that we will see a three-cylinder motor in the XC60 at some point in the medium term, as well as a smaller-engined, more economy-focused hybrid. Air-suspension is optional on the XC60, and can be set up with driving modes for on and off-road progress.
Of course, being a Volvo, there’s plenty of cutting-edge safety kit on board, including a new standard system that can help steer away from a potential collision. It's part of the Volvo City Safety suite of asssists, including Rear cross-traffic alert alongside Steer Assist. A semi-autonomous driving mode called Pilot Assist will also feature, though this is an optional extra.
Three trim levels feature. Sitting above the standard Momentum cars will be plush Inscription models and sporty R-Design XC60s too, while all three trim levels will be offered as 'Pro' models too, adding extras such as a heated steering wheel, Volvo On Call and active bending headlights, alongside styling tweaks on R-Design and Inscription cars.
What do you think of the new Volvo XC60 SUV? Let us know in the comments section below...
