The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 31: June/July 2017 | Page 26

REVVED UP
WELCOME TO THE MUCH IMPROVED
VOLVO XC60
Back in 2008 after a few shaky years under the Ford banner, Volvo knew it had to create its own
platform to make a success of their future cars. The solution the Swedish brand came up was
with Scaleable Product Architecture. This made its debut with the XC90 SUV, followed by the
S90, V90 and V90 Cross Country estates. The new and very impressive Volvo XC60 SUV, which is
now available to order in the UK, adds to the list with UK prices starting at £37,205 for the D4
AWD Momentum version.
The previous XC60, whilst good in many
ways, was a bit lacklustre. First impressions
of the new car though are very positive
indeed. The XC60 crossover is the first of
Volvo’s mid-sized 60 series models to be built.
It is powered exclusively by Volvo’s efficient
Drive-E power-trains, and features much of
the advanced connectivity, entertainment and
safety technology from the larger vehicles in
the Volvo range. A choice of three 2.0L, four-
cylinder engines will, for now, are available
– the D4 and D5 PowerPulse (see below)
diesels, and the T5 petrol. A T8 Twin Engine
petrol-electric plug-in hybrid will be available
later this year.
Every XC60 that comes off the line does
so with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed
automatic gearbox as standard. That’s two
customer decisions taken care of.
The D4 offers 190hp, combined fuel
consumption of up to 55.4mpg and fairly
modest CO2 emissions from just 133g/km.
The D5 has a beefier 235hp, combined fuel
consumption of 51.4mpg and CO2 emissions
only a little worse at 144 g/km. The T5 offers
254 hp, combined fuel economy of up to 39.2
mpg and CO2 emissions from 164 g/km. 25%
is your BIK starting point.
Importantly, the XC60 also benefits from
the brilliant PowerPulse, an ingenious Volvo
invention that uses compressed air to spin
the engine’s two turbos when they would
otherwise be dormant, such as very low
engine revs, thus boosting responsiveness.
It really works and answers the criticisms of
lacklustre performance in the previous model.
It’s a Volvo so as you would expect every
version of the XC60 is sumptuously equipped.
As standard, even entry-level Momentum
variants come with leather-faced upholstery,
LED headlights with active high beam,
two-zone climate control with ‘CleanZone’
air-filtration system, heated front seats, a
powered tailgate and 18” alloy wheels.
Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system is also
standard. This brings a 9” portrait-style touch
screen, satellite navigation – including lifetime
annual map updates (a bonus) and Real-Time
Traffic Information (RTTI) – plus an intuitive
voice-activation system. It even provides access
to the internet and a range of cloud-based
apps such as Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher and Yelp
if that’s what floats your boat.
Volvo’s City Safety system is fitted to every
XC60. This includes automatic emergency
braking with pedestrian, cyclist and large
animal detection, and the world-first
application of Steer Assist. This feature helps
to avoid or limit the severity of collisions at
low speeds by assisting with the steering in an
emergency, such as when swerving to miss an
obstacle. Unquestionably Volvo are committed
to their promise that by 2020 no one will die
in a Volvo. With the addition of Pilot Assist
(another step towards autonomy) in the safety
arsenal, this is one safe car.
There’s smartphone integration, including
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus
optimised apps directly via the XC60’s touch
screen, voice-activation system or the buttons
on the steering wheel. Good vibrations
are taken care of by a Bowers and Wilkins
premium sound system. Fifteen speakers!
Once again with their new range of cars,
Volvo have stepped up. The XC60 has always
been a best seller and this new car is sure to
enhance the model’s prospects. A winner, no
question.
Written by Geoff Maxted
www.drivewrite.co.uk
One car. Three electrified powertrains.
The new
range. Driven by e-motion.
l PLUG-IN HYBRID l
l HYBRID l
l ELECTRIC l
It’s easier to make better choices when all the choices are better. Introduc