Used Volvo XC60 long-term test review
The latest XC60 is one of the finest cars in the hotly contested premium SUV sector, but how does a used example stack up? We've got four months to find out...
The car 2018 Volvo XC60 D4 AWD R-Design auto
Run by Mark Pearson, used cars deputy editor
Why it’s here To find out if buying a year-old premium SUV like the XC60 makes good sense, and to see if it’s a viable alternative to a new car with a less premium badge for the same money
Needs to Inject a bit of Scandi-cool into the suburbs as well as cope with a variety of uses, including daily commuting, motorway journeys, school runs and family life
Price when new £41,570 Price when new with all options £47,395 Value on arrival £36,200 Miles on arrival 2855 Miles now 4710 Official economy 50.4mpg Test economy 39.0mpg CO2 emissions 148g/km 0-62mph 8.4sec Top speed 127mph Power 188bhp Insurance group 31E Options Intellisafe Pro Pack (£1500); Sensus Connect with premium sound by Harman Kardon (£825); Fusion Red metallic paint (£650); powered driver seat with memory for seat and exterior mirrors (£600); Winter Pack (£525); keyless entry and start with hands-free tailgate (£500); powered passenger seat with memory (£400); Convenience Pack (£375); Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (£300); and Tempa spare wheel and jack (£150)
26 March 2019 – The Volvo and the wonderful everyday
A trip to Ikea is a rite of passage for any long-termer that passes through my hands, and few cars have handled the whole experience quite as well as this XC60. Not only does it make the arduous task of getting there and back through the worst of suburban traffic queues and Saturday shopping-day blues a little easier, thanks to its unruffled dynamics and comfortable and ergonomically sound interior, it can also accommodate the bulkiest of items in its capacious boot.
Unfortunately, on this occasion we actually found nothing bulkier than a small rug to load into it, which is rather like threading a sausage down the Mersey tunnel, but I’m quite sure flat-pack bookcases galore could have gone in. Luckily, a trip the following week to another furniture store to pick up six new leather and chrome dining chairs proved more of a test. They all went in just fine, in fact, with the rear seats dropped. On top of that, all that space is accessed easily thanks to a low loading lip and an electrically operated tailgate, and there are remote electric buttons at the back for flipping the seats down.
It’s these little luxuries that all add up to make the owning experience so pleasurable. Consider the simple one of keyless entry, which means you don’t have to fumble for the key in your pocket when you approach the car when it’s locked. And obviously, you don’t need to stick the key in a lock to start it either. I know, we’re spoilt, aren’t we?
Another addition to the Volvo’s list of positives was an increase in my fuel economy figures. My nine-mile commute is mostly traffic-laden but the readout can touch 35mpg, which is more than I’ve seen in many others, and on one longer journey I even hit a record-breaking 42mpg, a pretty good result considering the heavy traffic we encountered.
The overall figure remains at 39mpg, but even this isn’t bad for a heavyish and luxurious large SUV with four-wheel drive and a clump-footed driver at the wheel.
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