2015 Volvo XC60

Volvo, the Swedish automaker once known almost exclusively for safety, is decidedly trying to get “more Scandinavian,” with an onslaught of products and marketing from what could be categorized as the “new” Volvo.
 
Now completely owned by Chinese automaker Geely, Volvo is making a comeback thanks to an $11 billion infusion and a five-year plan of new design and products. It started last year with an extensive redo of the best-selling XC60, followed by the S60 Volvo sedan, and the all-new V60 wagon.
 
The XC60 is a midsize five-passenger premium crossover that’s as Nordic as IKEA, ABBA, and Absolut Vodka. It’s downright handsome and competes seriously with rivals BMW X3, Mercedes GLK, and Audi Q5. It is available in five trim levels: two front-wheel drive and three all-wheel drive models. Here, we tested the T6 AWD R-Design.
 
Feast For Your Eyes
The reskinned XC60 is veritable eye candy, featuring a larger, assertive grille design with Volvo’s unique alchemy symbol. The body’s flowing fenders and rising beltline stretch the sheet metal tautly across the fuselage back to its curvaceous back end and tall taillights, giving the XC60 a unique and sophisticated look.
 
The interior is executed with elegance, class, and rich natural materials. The contrasting leather seats are scrumptious. And the just-right look of the soft-touch pebbled dashboard, brushed aluminum door handles, steering wheel trim and walnut inlay on the “floating” center console are all exquisite in detail. As much as I love the design, I found the center console to be a bit too wide.
 
The new Volvos are powered by two new Drive-E 4-cylinder engines — one generating 240 horsepower, the other 302 horsepower — both with front-wheel drive. The former is turbocharged and the latter both turbocharged and supercharged. Both are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and include start-stop fuel-saving technology.
 
This 4-cylinder engine generates the equivalent output of a 6- or 8-cylinder engine, but uses less fuel. Disappointingly, the all-wheel drive models use a 2.0-liter, 5-cylinder engine (T5) or a 3.2-liter,6-cylinder engine (T6 or T6 R-Design) that carries over from last year, and, at 17 or 18 mpg, respectively, Drive-E mileage was never realized with the four cylinders.
 
From urban to suburban to rural road driving, the XC60 proved to be an excellent touring car — impressively quiet, composed, and surefooted, with exceptional safety features that are both protective and preventive. The XC60 is the first car in its class to be awarded the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick Plus. Volvo’s IntelliSafe Technology includes features such as Full Auto Brake and City Safety, the world’s first automatic braking technology to come standard.
 
Overall, the XC60 is about as appealing and pleasing a midsize crossover as one could possibly want. There’s plenty of room for five adults and their gear, plus a long list of standard features and available luxury amenities. In the palette of premium-crossover vehicles, this is the one I want parked in my driveway.