Positioned as Volvo’s entry to the “small premium utility segment” the Volvo XC60 being releasing late Feb 2009 will take on the likes of Audi Q5, BMW X5, Acura RDX, and the Infiniti EX35. Building upon its “safety first” tagline, the company has added a variety of features that maximizes performance, safety and fun to its newest model. It emphasizes high-tech content, style, and unbeatable capability.
Luxurious Styling on the Inside Out
The Volvo XC60 being released on late Feb 2009 reflects the company’s new design goals. Sporting a larger logo, a broader shoulder line, and a grille, the XC60 presents a bold and muscular appeal. Yet, despite its more pronounced styling, the new automobile cannot be mistaken for anything but a Volvo. It integrates traditional styling cues that the company is renowned for. The exterior of the XC60 is eye-catching but it would be a mistake not to look into its interiors.
The vehicle’s interior features the slim center stack which was first introduced in the S40. It is furnished with your choice of brushed metal or matte wood. The seats are upholstered with the X-theme, a two-tone leather stitched pattern that provides a choice of “cross county”, “cross city”, and “cross over”. As is expected from Volvo, the seats of the XC60 not only provide sufficient support, it is very comfortable as well.
Using a contrasting mix of materials including wood, brushed metal, soft-touch plastics, and leather, the surface inside the cabin is undeniably luxurious and appealing. There is plenty of headroom in all seats as well as sufficient rear legroom. In addition, the Volvo XC60’s rear tailgate opening is designed to be the widest in its category. If the second row upright, the model provides a generous 30.8 cubic feet of cargo. And if it is folded flat, you will have enough space for almost anything you need to haul to and from your home.
Power and Performance
Sharing the basic architecture with its XC70 and S80 cousins, the Volvo XC60 being releasing late Feb 2009 has an engine that is transversely mounted as well. The 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine has a six-speed automatic transmission, an available sport mode, and the capability to produce 281 hp. The 295 lb-ft of toque provides plentiful power in the rev engine. Acceleration is expectedly smooth and flawless.

Read the full story on Engine Folder

BOLDER STYLING, BOTH INSIDE AND OUT
The XC60 is the first production vehicle to reflect Volvo’s new design DNA. With a strong face featuring a larger logo and grille and a broader shoulder line, the XC60 has a more sporty, muscular stance than its Volvo brethren. Yet the XC60 is clearly a Volvo, an indication that the designers have successfully integrated traditional Volvo styling cues into its new design language.

Inside the cabin, the slim floating center stack, which debuted in the S40, is attractively finished in your choice of matte wood or brushed metal and is slightly canted toward the center to give the driver the feeling of being in a cockpit. The sculpted seats are upholstered in two-tone leather stitched in a pattern that Volvo calls its X-theme. “Cross County, Cross City, or Cross Over – choose the interpretation that suits you best,” says Jonathan Disley, head of interior design for the XC60. As with all Volvos, the seats themselves are pretty much the best in the business, being not only supportive but supremely comfortable.

The surfaces inside the cabin are nicely finished, with a visually interesting mix of contrasting materials, including leather, soft-touch plastics, brushed metal, and wood. Headroom is plentiful in all seating positions, and rear seat legroom is acceptable, especially if you’re less than six feet tall.

The XC60′s rear tailgate opening is the widest in the segment, according to Volvo. With the 40/20//40 second row folded flat, you should find room for just about anything you need to haul home from the mall or the garden center. Even with the second row upright, the XC60 olds a relatively generous 30.8 cubic feet of cargo.

Read the rest of the review at Automobile Mag