MOTORING
Tees Life motor man Graham Courtney takes Volvo’s safest bet yet, the XC60…
VOLVO
IS A PREMIER
LEAGUE PLAYER
V
olvo can now be seen as one of the
premium brand manufacturers.
Their cars are loaded with
safety kit, they are well equipped and all
are comfortable and good to drive. There’s
a serious sense of quality throughout their
product range.
Safety has always been a key word for
Volvo. When they launched their latest
XC60 two years ago, it was instantly named
best-performing car in the prestigious Euro
NCAP safety awards.
In a nutshell it proved that the Volvo XC60
is not only one of the safest cars Volvo has
ever produced, it is one of the safest cars
currently available…. anywhere.
The XC60 is a huge favourite amongst UK
motorists. This new model will increase its
number of fans. £37,785 gets you into an
XC60.
There are eight levels of trim…Momentum
comes in three variations, and both R-Design
and Inscription are available with a Pro
upgrade. Polestar Engineered is at the top of
the trim range.
Polestar is the performance arm of
Volvo and those models come loaded with
everything. You’ll need deep pockets because
they start at over £64k, but under the bonnet
you’ll find Volvo’s brilliant T8 hybrid system
which means you get 400bhp and the
potential of 117mpg
if you make full use of
the hybrid technology.
0-60 comes up in 5.4 seconds
which, for a chunky car, is hugely impressive.
The majority of UK buyers will opt for
the excellent diesels. Something like the D4
187bhp Inscription produces a lively 0-60 in
8.8 seconds, but you’ll manage 47.9 mpg. The
232 bhp B5 will achieve similar mpg figures
but completes the 0-60 dash in 7.1 seconds.
Sounds good too.
Most XC60s come with all-wheel drive
and all models have an automatic gearbox.
You can get front-wheel drive on the entry
level models but for the sake of an extra
grand, we’d go AWD.
All-wheel drive has a double bonus; it
helps with traction when cornering in dry
or wet conditions, and it will be a boon for
anyone living out in the sticks because the
XC60 will cross rough or boggy ground and
happily haul a horsebox across a field or
reverse a boat into a lake.
The XC60 is a handsome beast. It’s also
roomy and extremely comfortable. Volvo
don’t go down the firm suspension, sporty
handling route. They prefer to err on the
side of comfort. Bearing in mind that long
distance, family cruising is the forté of the
Volvo XC60, a cushy ride is important.
Gone are the days when you needed to dip
into the extras booklet to get a decent level of
equipment on a Volvo.
Every XC60 comes with leather upholstery,
heated seats, sat nav, air con and an incredible
list of safety equipment to keep you, your
passengers and pedestrians protected.
In a nutshell, the Volvo XC60 is safe, oozes
quality, is stacked with standard equipment,
and is comfy and good to drive. In fact, it’s
premier league.
tees-life.co.uk
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