Volvo’s sporty take on its XC60 SUV comes with two turbodiesel engine choices or the 282bhp petrol-fuelled 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine used in the T6. The T6 only comes with a five-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox, while the diesels use six-speed manual gearboxes as standard, with the option of an auto at extra cost. For the R-Design, the D5 engine has 202bhp to drive all four wheels, just like the T6 model, while the 172bhp 2.4D DRIVe model only sends power to the front wheels. Because of the lighter weight of the DRIVe model without the four-wheel drive mechanics of its sister models, it feels just as quick in a straight line. However, the front-drive DRIVe model does suffer from a fair amount of power travelling through just two wheels and the steering wheel can writhe in the driver’s hands on anything but a perfectly smooth road. We also find the XC60 diesel models are better suited to the manual gearbox as they feel more lively and fun to drive.

The XC60 R-Design comes in standard and SE trims, both of which provide a plethora of standard equipment to feel every inch the luxury SUV. With strong residual values, competitive pricing and Volvo’s quality to back them up, the only thing that prevents this Volvo scoring a full five-star rating is that there’s not a more frugal engine option. Even the 2.4D DRIVe model with its 47.1mpg and 159g/km carbon dioxide emissions is good rather than great, and you have to sacrifice four-wheel drive to achieve these figures.

Read the full review at Road Test Reports

Add new tag · Automatic transmission · Autos · Front-wheel drive · Manual transmission · Parts and Accessories · Recreation · Steering wheel · Transmission

2010 Volvo XC60

We generally applaud new technologies in cars, but the 2010 Volvo XC60’s City Safety feature had us wondering if it was taking tech too far. City Safety uses a forward-looking camera to detect obstacles ahead. If it thinks you are about to hit something, it jams on the brakes, hard. Volvo designed City Safety to prevent low speed collisions, so it doesn’t work above 20 mph. We appreciate that it will prevent distracted drivers from rolling into a stopped car ahead, but what happens in a city parking situation when you need to get really close to other cars so you can maneuver into a parallel parking space?

Source: Technosaga

Add new tag · Autos · Brake · Business · CitySafety · Makes and Models · Recreation · Volvo · Volvo XC60

123auto has a review of the Volvo XC60, here are the highlights:

Volvo happens to be one of those well-established average performing makes that spent some time in the fire-sale isle in Ford’s “makes-for-sale” store. Recently confirmed as part of the China’s growing Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the Swedish maker is now in a great position to continue developing its product. Don’t think that these takeovers are a bad thing; in most cases, the buyer has sufficient resources to maintain momentum and by the same token, improve on its own line-up with the “buyee’s” technology.

Clear and present design
The newest member of the Volvo family is perhaps the best they have made in the last 15 years. In fact, the XC60 is what you would get, in my mind, if you took every model in Volvo’s portfolio, put them in a blender and voilà!

From any angle, the XC60 is without a doubt a Volvo. Its bulbous and shapely body carries the signature swollen bodylines which start from the purposeful-looking headlights all the way back to the twisted cat-ear taillights. In between, you will find a vehicle that looks bigger than it is; solid and unified.

An underdog
Volvo as a brand is often overlooked. In my opinion, those that choose competing European or Japanese brands such as BMW, Audi or Infiniti, especially if driving dynamics are secondary to comfort, are missing out on some of the most cosseting cars on the road.

The $39,995, the base XC60 faces stiff competition from the likes of the Audi Q5, Infiniti EX35, BMW X3 and Acura RDX. With an as-tested price of $53,445, the XC60 is not the least expensive but it does include all the kit one could ever want, save for the navigation system which is a $2,625 option. A basic T6 carries a price tag of $49,995.

If being different, meaning not driving a BMW or an Audi, does not scare you, the Volvo will surely impress even the most discerning buyer with its high level of quality and creature comforts.

Acura RDX · Add new tag · Audi Q5 · BMW · BMW X3 · Makes and Models · Recreation · Volvo · Volvo XC60

When I began reading about some of the safety systems on the new XC60, I figured I was headed for the equivalent of a long Saturday night at the Dallas Public Library.

Have you heard of “City Safety”? It uses a camera to sense when you’re approaching objects too quickly and literally slams on the brakes at speeds up to 9 mph, supposedly preventing you from doing the rumba with someone’s back bumper.

And this is definitely not a polite “put-down-your-latte-Buffy- we-need-to-stop” sort of deal. We’re talking locked brakes quivering in full ABS with people hanging from their seat belts here — an enormously amusing prospect for cellphone drunks. I got subjected to two tests of the system, and it seemed to really — ugh — work.

But the weird thing is that so does most everything else on the XC60, which is easily Volvo’s most stylish vehicle and one of its better-performing cars or crossovers.

Just to help you keep track of the landscape at Volvo, the XC60 is the newest of the automaker’s three crossovers.

At 4,174 pounds, it slots in between the 3,900-pound XC70 — a butched-up station wagon that calls itself a crossover — and the 4,700-pound XC90, Volvo’s most prominent crossover.

My metallic bronze, all-wheel-drive XC60 was loaded — as reflected in its lofty $44,240 sticker price. Equipped with a 281-horsepower, turbocharged, 3-liter six-cylinder and six-speed automatic, this beefy Volvo can sprint to 60 in 6.8 seconds, according to Motor Trend.

Style has never been one of sober, dowdy Volvo’s strengths, but the XC60 is a veritable hipster in a beret — not radically new or youthful, mind you, but certainly interesting.

Read the full story on Dallas Morning News

Add new tag · Automobile · Four-wheel drive · Makes and Models · Motor Trend · Station wagon · Volvo · Volvo XC60 · Volvo XC90

VOLVO is well regarded as an automaker of safe cars and crossovers. But this Swedish brand has evolved into a maker of distinctively styled and safe vehicles.
Its latest effort is the compact XC60, a five-passenger crossover that is a step smaller than its XC90 crossover. Inside, the XC60 seems more of a midsize for interior space and cargo capacity.

Volvo also has one of the best controllers for its navigation system. The inputs are made on a small control pad behind the right steering-wheel spoke. There is a small joystick, a “back” button and an “enter” button. The idea is for the driver to not take his hands off the wheel. There is also a remote feature so the passenger can make changes.

Clever engineering and safety features come at a cost of weight and price. And while the XC60 may seem pricey, its “popularly equipped” price is comparable with those of such vehicles as the Acura RDX, Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

Read the full review at Jamaica Observer

Acura RDX · Add new tag · Audi Q5 · Autos · BMW X3 · Crossover · Makes and Models · Recreation · Volvo XC60

A beautifully designed crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) which is designed and manufactured by Volvo Car Company is named as Volvo XC60. The SUV is developed in Belgium. The exact class or category of the car is compact crossover SUV. Volvo got the idea of designing XC60 in the late 2007 and by the end of 2008 the car was completely designed and was unveiled in 2008. XC60 has all the qualities of a SUV but the compact size of the car allows it to have more grip on the road which is a huge plus point for Volvo XC60.

Why do we like Volvo XC60?
Volvo XC60 is liked because of the technology from which it is manufactured plus the technology which is embedded in it. It has a number of technological devices and every one of them performs the task assigned to it efficiently. People like it because of the compactness of the car which gives a beautiful look. According to the survey, people also loved the newly designed front grill from Volvo included in the XC60.

Why is Volvo XC60 famous?
Read on Volvo XC60

Add new tag · Automobile · Autos · Belgium · Compact SUV · Crossover · Recreation · Sport utility vehicle · Volvo XC60

The CAR QUEST team tested the New XC60 with the assistance of the Volvo Cars South Africa demonstrator, Dolf Smuts. They were extremely impressed by the New City Safety feature.

Source: All Best News

Add new tag · Africa · Autos · Makes and Models · Recreation · South Africa · Volvo · Volvo Cars · Volvo XC60

The Volvo XC60 took first prize in the “Family Car of the Year” category in the first-ever Women’s World Car of the Year competition.

All told, 21 cars competed in four categories when eight female motoring journalists from seven countries voted for their favourite cars.

“It is naturally immensely gratifying that women appreciate the Volvo XC60 and that our product meets their requirements. With the Volvo XC60 we feel we have truly succeeded in creating a car that appeals to many different customer groups,” says Johan Rasmusson, Car Line Manager for the Volvo XC60 and XC90 at Volvo Cars.
Over the past year, eight female motoring journalists from Britain, the USA, Canada, South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand put 21 selected cars to the test. The group and the award were created to educate the world’s car makers about female customers’ requirements.

Read the full story on Automotive.

Canada · India · Recreation · South Africa · United States · Volvo Cars · Volvo XC60 · Volvo XC90

Given Volvo’s reputation for safety, when the company calls its new XC60 the safest Volvo yet, and probably the safest vehicle in the world, it’s not just hyperbole. It should be a serious consideration when out shopping. Impact test data was not available at the time of this review, but if a crash test dummy could ‘come to its sensors’ it should try to get in line for the XC60 test that day.

Volvo has rolled out the XC60 for 2010 to stake its share in the extremely popular small luxury crossover SUV segment, taking on the BMW X3 and much newer Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLK, among many, many others. Safety being in its DNA, this part of the XC60 story starts with the very steel used to make it and body structure that employs collision management to distribute energy. The very shape and flush elements of the energy absorbing front-end reduces the severity of impact with pedestrians and cyclists. Bumpers that match the height of lower car bumpers negate bigger than usual fender bender bills, and the transversely mounted engine will be less likely to penetrate the passenger cabin in a front-end collision. The XC60, of course, comes with a full complement of multi-stage front and side curtain airbags. We are talking about the company that invented the side airbag, not to mention the single most important advancement in automotive safety – the three-point seatbelt. Fifty years later, the XC60 boasts another nifty Volvo first. It stops itself!

The City Safety system is born out of these statistics. Seventy-five percent of crashes occur at speeds under 30 km/h, and half of those are because of distraction, where the driver did not brake at all! Behind the rear-view mirror on the XC60 is a laser that scans for objects 6 metres ahead. Based on the distance to any vehicle or object and your speed, the system calculates braking forces needed to avoid collision. If you exceed that threshold by, you guessed it, NOT hitting the brakes or not pressing down on the peddle hard enough, the system takes over. The City Safety system does not promise to avoid collision, but even if there is contact the severity of the crash will be reduced significantly. There are some limitations, however, like snow and ice covering the laser. In addition, that laser is best at reading reflective objects like a car, so don’t plough through your flat beige garage door showing off this cool new feature to your neighbor.

Despite its 2,774-mm (109.2-inch) wheelbase the XC60 provides a lot of leg and cargo volume at 1,907 litres (67.3 cu ft). Built-in two-stage booster seats are a very nice feature, too. XC, of course, stands for cross-country, and the XC60 provides ample ground clearance of 230 mm (9.0 inches) for off-road use. It does not offer lower gearing, however, because at its heart it is a luxury family mover.

Read the full review on Autos Canada

Airbag · Audi Q5 · Automobile · BMW X3 · City Safety · Crossover · Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class · Traffic collision

Volvo has endowed the XC60 with a generous supply of standard features, including trip computer, leather seats, electric-adjust driver’s seat, cruise control, electric parking brake, climate control, hill descent control, rear parking sensors and six-disc CD high-performance audio with eight speakers.
The XC60 is only the third Volvo to be equipped with the 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine. It’s a refined and intuitive engine and won’t shatter your eardrum, owing to a growly note that highlights the glaze of turbo whistle under acceleration. This unique powerplant is mated to a standard six-speed automatic transmission.

Read the rest of the story at My Car Directory

Automatic transmission · Business · Compact Disc · Cruise control · Parking brake · Straight-six engine · Transmission · Turbocharger