The XC60 is touted as Volvo’s safest vehicle ever and even at the lower end of the price spectrum, safety features abound. Included is Volvo’s City Safety low-speed collision avoidance/ mitigation system. Volvo points out that three-quarters of all collisions occur at speeds below 30 km/h and in 50 per cent of those collisions, the driver takes no action to brake or steer away to avoid the collision.

With City Safety, a laser sensor in the windshield calculates the closing rate between the vehicle and the one in front. If a collision is imminent at speeds under 30 km/h and the driver takes no action, City Safety automatically activates up to 50 per cent braking power.

At speeds under 15 km/h it’s possible to avoid the collision entirely. Between 15 and 30 km/h, the goal is to reduce speed as much as possible prior to the collision.

Other safety features on this XC60 included four-wheel anti-lock (ABS) brakes, electronic brake distribution (EBD), stability and traction control, six air bags, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), fog lights and headlamp washers. A pretty impressive array of features but what else would you expect from a company like Volvo that has built its reputation on safety.

At $44,495, the XC60 I tested fits in the price range of many more families than the loaded model I drove just a year ago.

Read the full review on BC local news

Autos · Brake · Business · City Safety · Makes and Models · Recreation · Volvo · VolvoXc60

Bankers Blog has a post/review from a prespective of a XC-60 buyer. Here are some of the highlights:
Having had the car for only 3-weeks, my overall impressions of the car has generally been positive. The car isn’t a Porsche in handling or performance but it is very luxurious and comfortable. The ride is firm but compared to my 911 as plush as riding on pillows. As long as you’re not a lead foot, the car drives very smoothly and the vehicle probably has some of the most massive breaks I have ever seen. I am amused at the pet divider being sturdy enough to possibly hold zoo animals (maybe some bobcats), but it does do an excellent job of keep my Doberman where he should be, in the back. With my previous cars I would of had to fight with him when I needed to shift gears. I am also proud to say I have not yet had to utilize the City Safety feature (though my mom could have used this feature in the 850 to prevent her accident). A couple of things that are annoying about the XC60 are the City Safety feature and the tire pressure monitor. The City Safety feature is guaranteed to set off your radar detector’s LIDAR function. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) will error randomly while driving at highway speeds for no reason what-so-ever. I already took my car to the dealer once and they had not fixed the problem, so far I have been too lazy to take it back again, but will need to eventually. With a 5-year/60,000 mile free maintenance and warranty, I should have plenty of time.

Automobile · Automotive · Cold inflation pressure · LIDAR · Porsche · Radar detector · Tire Pressure Monitoring System · TPMS

VOLVO’S entrant in the medium prestige sports utility vehicle market, the XC60, is as safe as it is good looking. At the introduction last year, the T6 petrol variant was top dog offering superb performance to a great sound track.

That’s changed with the arrival of a new 2.4-litre, diesel five-cylinder that replaces the previous 2.4-litre diesel five. It’s a bit confusing but if you buy a new 2010 model D5, it has the new engine and is a better proposition than the previous unit.

On the road, the XC60 is a pleasant drive, not too big and with tidy manners. It steers with precision and has powerful brakes. But paddle gearshift is missing and the test vehicle had an annoying low frequency rumble at the highway speed limit possibly due to tyres or the drive system.

Read the full review on Hill Shire Times

Diesel engine · Engine · Parts and Accessories · Shopping · Sport utility vehicle · Vehicles · Volvo · Volvo XC60

I give Volvo credit for evolving its styling over the last few years to today’s nice lines and, dare I say it, an appealing design identity. The XC60 looks slick inside and out, especially inside. This is a fantastic interior, in both its design and execution. The flat-finished wood trim on the floating center console is a nice touch, and I say that as someone who generally despises wood trim in modern vehicles. But with the dark cocoa color scheme, it provides a nice contrast here. Again, the execution is fantastic.

The price is high, but I think this vehicle provides a perception of luxury and quality to justify it to those who are into such things, and that’s a rarity with most similar utes that usually fail in their efforts to impress enough to excuse the price. I give Volvo credit for this as well.

On top of all that, the XC60 is a fine driver with the right amount of power and well-composed handling and road manners. Like its C30 stablemate, however, this vehicle’s design suggests that it is sportier than its actual dynamics reveal. I don’t mean to suggest there is anything wrong with its performance, but it is not going to knock your socks off if you get into it expecting an adrenaline rush.

I only drove it for one night and did not put many miles on it, so I too was baffled by the blank nav screen. I couldn’t figure out how to turn it on without consulting the manual. But it’s silly to complain about that since an owner will certainly get the full rundown on all the bells and whistles.

Read The full review on AutoWeek.

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Highlights from a 2010 Volvo XC60 review coming from Auto Scraze:
First up, Volvo has always made major emphasis on safety features. That is why in practically every Volvo car; you will find features like safety cages, three-point seatbelts, and even child door locks. In the 2010 Volvo XC60, much has not changed in respect to safety. Volvo has taken major advantage of electronics to give you high-tech safety solutions – there is distance alert system, and also City Safety – which means that the brakes are automatically put on if a low-speed collision seems likely.
The car is great to drive on city streets, because the maneuvers are pretty darn easy. There is a fantastic blind spot warning system available – which turns on a warning light if another car happens to be in the XC60’s blind spot on either side. This is really beneficial when it comes to city and freeway traffic. City Safety, as mentioned before, is the signature feature of the XC60.
There is a lane departure warning system – which works pretty well on this car. If you let the car drift over a lane line, or change lanes without signaling appropriately, the system warns you with a continuous beeping sound. You should definitely try out the adaptive cruise control – which is another feature of the Technology package. This feature uses forward-facing radar to detect vehicles in the lane ahead, and then reduces the speed of the XC60 to match the other vehicles’ speed.

Automobile · Autos · City Safety · Makes and Models · Recreation · Seat belt · Volvo · VolvoXc60

On paper the XC60 looks like just what the yuppie doctor ordered. The XC60 boasts a Grand Cherokee and LR2 besting 9.1 inches of ground clearance, the same AWD system as the LR2 (which it should be noted was originally borrowed from Volvo’s S80 to begin with), sexy curves and some rugged looking plastic on the front and rear overhang. At 4174lbs, the XC60 is no lightweight but does somehow manage to be slimmer than both the LR2 and the Grand Cherokee.

Inside the XC60 is modern Volvo all the way. The only low point in this otherwise well designed cabin is the Nav system. Volvo used to be known for their trick pop-up nav system, and the coolness factor of the pop-up was a welcome distraction from the basic design of the system. Instead of this arrangement used in all other Volvo models, the Swedish design team crafted an Audi like pod for the nav screen in the center console and moved the screen for the radio up to a strange binnacle on the dash. There are two problems with this: First, the radio controls are way too far from the radio’s screen, and secondly the nav screen looks ill fitted and far too small for the hole they gave it in the dash. Adding insult to injury is the fact that should you not opt for the $1,800 nav system you get a bizarre cubby where the screen should go that tells all your passengers you were too cheap to splurge for the nav. I have been told to expect the new 2011 S60’s totally revamped Nav and audio package in the 2011 XC60, let’s hope so; it can’t get here fast enough.

Unlike a “true” SUV, the Haldex system operates using a locked center differential (to be honest there is no center diff at all, the transmission has the front and rear power outputs permanently locked), between the rear diff and the transmission lays a Haldex clutch pack that infinitely varies the connection between the transmission and the rear wheels. Power transfer takes less than 1/7th of a tyre rotation should a slip be detected, and the system can vary the clutch pack on its own whenever it feels like it. The system operates as advertised and strikingly well on sand, several inches of mud, steep ruts, a few inches of snow and moderate off-roading. As with many crossover AWD systems, when the going gets icy, the lack of a locking center differential becomes readily apparent. When climbing a steep driveway with an inch of slippery ice coating it, the XC60 spent much of its time spinning the front wheels, it was only when the traction control was disabled that the car shifted power to the rear and made it up the drive. That being said, I clocked over 26 hours on unpaved backcountry roads in the XC60 and didn’t get stuck. There were ditches we had to stop and fill in with logs to traverse, trees that had to be moved out of the way, and jaw-dropped looks from ATV and jacked up Wrangler owners we passed along the way.

The XC60 proves that Volvo can make a dirt road-capable CUV with styling flair and enough electronic nannies to satisfy the risk-adverse in the crowd (not to mention your insurance broker). The real question is if buyers will actually cross-shop the XC60 with its German competition. Stacked up to the Q5, X3 and GLK, the Volvo shines with more power, excellent cargo capacity, unique styling and a suitably upscale interior. Starting at $33,000 for the FWD 235HP, model, our Volvo provided tester hit the nosebleed section at a whopping $47,395. Admittedly this can seem like a bargain when you look at the Q5’s starting price of $37,350 and a similarly equipped price of $51,625, the question is: Can Volvo get you to buy one?

Read the full review on The Truth About Cars

Auto · Four-wheel drive · Haldex · Makes and Models · Sport utility vehicle · Volvo · Volvo S80 · VolvoXc60

Volvo’s new XC60 is the latest addition to the increasingly popular crossover market segment. And Volvo Car Ireland tells us that it is better value than ever.

With an entry level price of €44,267 ex-works, the DRIVe XC60 S 2.4D manual variant boasts CO2 emissions of 159g/km. And it slots in to Band D tax, which adds up to an appealing package. It also offers best-in-class fuel consumption.

The XC60 is a really nice car. And thankfully Volvo has retained the sporty driving properties that are a central part of this car’s attraction. More horsepower, higher torque and a sporty chassis setting all help give this version the right XC60 dynamics.

In addition to front-wheel drive, a number of minor improvements all help deliver the new model’s competitive fuel consumption and CO2 figures.

The gear ratios have been optimised so the car can be driven economically. For instance, when driving at 100km/h in top gear, engine revs and thus also fuel consumption are lower with the new powertrain. But the beauty of it is, you get all these improvements without compromising on driving pleasure.

The XC60 is not all about economy and ‘eco’ pluses. For instance, it achieved five stars in recent Euro NCAP crash tests, while in the appeal stakes it looks fantastic.

To demonstrate the wide appeal that this car has, the XC60 took first prize in the “Family Car of the Year” category in the first-ever Women’s World Car of the Year competition.

Read the full review on Advertiser

Auto · Makes and Models · Parts and Accessories · Recreation · Shopping · Vehicles · Volvo · VolvoXc60

The Financial Times has a review of the XC60 R-Design. Here are the highlights:

Of similar size to Ford’s Kuga and the new BMW X1, it embodies the difficult metamorphosis through which Volvo is putting itself in order to redefine its relationship with the motoring world once outside the protective ownership of Ford. The buzz-word at Volvo is no longer “safe” but “sporty’’; almost obsessively so. The R-Design (pronounced reedesign) label is not so much a name-tag for the latest XC60 as a concept for a new Volvo persona.

In the XC60 it manifests itself in a number of exterior cosmetic changes, including paintwork, body mouldings and side and rear scuff plates, which combine to give the car a significantly more extrovert personality. The same goes for the inside: there are new body-hugging sports seats for brisker cornering; brushed aluminium for all door, steering wheel and centre console inserts; aluminium sports pedals and various other sporting tweaks.

The XC60 comes with a choice of two diesel engines and one petrol. The most powerful diesel is positively sports car-like, its 200bhp and 310lb ft of torque providing standstill to 62mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 130mph. That’s with the standard six-speed gearbox; the automatic version is marginally slower. The entry-level diesel has 170bhp and the 2.4 litre petrol unit a mighty 285bhp, although with almost twice the fuel consumption of the 40mpg-plus diesels and with only an automatic gearbox available.

With prices ranging from £30,000 to about £37,000 ($47,100 to $58,100), the R-Design XC60 does not come cheap. But all versions do come well equipped. Climate and cruise control are standard, as is Volvo’s unique City Safety crash-avoidance system, which keeps safe distances from the vehicle in front during stop-start urban traffic. There is also a useful side mirror blind-spot warning system. Higher specification models come with all the usual toys, among them satellite navigation, electrically adjustable seats and leather seats and trim.

The XC60 is just one of a rash of updated and new models currently being brought on stream by Volvo, with its smallest C30, now “Sports Coupé”, model receiving the external go-faster cosmetics along with sharpened steering and chassis. The same applies to Volvo’s C70 metal-roofed coupé/convertible, while an all-new S60 model being launched later this year will also have sporting credentials.

BMW X1 · Financial Times · Ford · Ford Motor Company · Makes and Models · Recreation · Volvo · VolvoXc60

XC-60 videos

304 horsepower generated by a turbocharged 3.0L six-cylinder isn’t such a bad standard output for the 2011 Volvo S60. Of course, Volvo wants to sell 90,000 S60s per year around the world. A huge chunk of those sales will come from the 2.4L turbodiesel or the 2.0L turbodiesel, neither of which will find their way into Geely’s Volvo’s North American showrooms.

Long gone are the days when Volvo’s were purchased purely for safety and solidity. Style is a major consideration for buyers of Swedish products – Volvo, IKEA, and the Sedin twins not excluded. The previous generation Volvo S60 hung around for a decade. Forgetful people that we are, the consumers’ collective beholding eye no longer sees the visual appeal of the P2-based S60 of 2000. Think back to your first sighting, however, and you’ll remember how shocked you were that Volvo, the box builder, designed a car with such strong shoulders and so pugnacious a rear end.

The glamour of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class doesn’t match up well with the new S60. BMW’s otherwise excellent 3-Series doesn’t utilize simplistic design any longer, certainly not in sedan form. The Infiniti G will come across large in the S60′s presence. Inside the Audi A4, a potential Volvo S60 customer will find life dark and dour. Is this all to mean the 2011 Volvo S60 is better than the Marketplace’s best-selling alternatives?

Read the full review on Good Car Bad Car

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