New Volvo XC60 Petrol Mild Hybrid Review - Check Price, Features & Full Specifications
Volvo XC60 Petrol Review: The new model gets styling tweaks, more features but more importantly a new petrol mild-hybrid engine. Check all the features below.
It pays to be different and when your peers are Germans, it's good to be different. Volvo has always been about comfort, luxury, tech, and features. While also standing out from the crowd, it's an SUV with different priorities. The XC60 is a midsize luxury SUV and one of its best-selling cars so the new one has to be even better. Competition from the Germans is even higher now with the Q5 and the GLC getting updates recently. How does the new XC60 come back at all? By Volvo going back to what it does best.
The new model gets styling tweaks, more features but more importantly a new petrol mild-hybrid engine. I'll start with the looks and while the basic shape has not changed much, the subtle details are very much there to see if one takes a closer look. It is a proper Volvo of course but looks classy and more elegant with the subtle changes at the front. The best parts are the Thor’s Hammer LED headlamps and the signature grille while the bumper gets new lines. Else, you will notice the new 19-inch alloys and the vertical LED tail-lamps- which makes it easy to signify it's a Volvo. Like the previous XC60, it does stand out for the right reasons and is all about simple yet effective design details.
Inside, it's even better. It feels like a 1cr SUV with the same high-quality Nappa leather and the portrait-style touchscreen. There are high-quality bits all around from the steering to the crystal glass gear selector. Everything feels expensive. New to the XC60 cabin is the infotainment system which is Google-based hence you get Google Maps, various Google apps/services built-in plus connected technology is also there- a segment must-have. I honestly rarely use most of the in-car navigation hence putting Google maps there is probably the best thing. More important is the advanced air cleaner which is needless to say, something which is essential with the Delhi air. It filters the cabin air and displays the air quality. Further on the Bowers and Wilkins audio system has a crisp sound quality too.
The Volvo's were the first to bring radar-based technology for better road safety and now the XC60 continues to get adaptive cruise control, Blind Spot Information System etc. There are other usual luxury features like a massive panoramic sunroof too. Few things remain like the touchscreen and very few physical buttons which do require you to take your eyes from the road to use some of the functions stacked beneath the infotainment system. Though I would say, compared to the previous XC60, the menu is simpler with less clutter.
The new XC60 gets a mild hybrid set up with 250bhp and 350Nm including a 48V mild-hybrid system providing a further boost. It makes the engine smoother and adds to the power. I would say the engine somewhat has the strong linear performance of diesel with more torque at low revs plus a smooth build-up of power. The engine is also silent and smooth off the line while lag is very less thanks to the electric boost. In the city, the 8-speed automatic is also smooth and relaxed along with the engine. Performance is linear and not hurried. This is not a very sporty SUV that you would drive hard as it is all about comfort. In that sense, the engine does well. Put your foot down and the XC60 takes some time but that's not the way you drive this car. Volvo's are all about comfort and a relaxed drive, after all.
Another point that adds to this is the lack of paddle shifters along with the ride quality- which is something very good for our surfaces. It absorbs our bad roads with ease and is again, I am using the word, relaxing. Hence this is not a sporty SUV at all but neither are they claiming it to be.
At Rs 61.90 lakh, the XC60 has just one fully loaded trim that brings the traditional Volvo strengths like quality, safety, comfort, and features. For the price, you get a luxurious interior, smooth and comfortable luxury SUV meant to tackle our roads in a better way. The Volvo XC60 is all about being different and it does that very well indeed.
What we like- Quality, looks, refinement, comfort, value for money, features
What we do not- Lack of physical buttons with the interior, no diesel engine
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