With a pending test drive of the Volvo XC60 here are my thoughts about the car before getting behind the wheel.
What is the Volvo XC60 all about?
The Volvo XC60 fits into the mid-sized SUV market. The Volvo offer lots of passenger and storage space and is considerably smaller than the XC90 which is Volvo’s full size SUV.
The XC60 is a car that is capable of exploring town and rural areas, it comes in both 4 wheel drive and front wheel drive configuration. The car on test is the front wheel drive version with the D4 2.0-litre engine that creates 181bhp and 400Nm of torque. The XC60 uses an 8 speed automatic gearbox that will do 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds.
Expectations
I expect the XC60 to be a great balance between an estate car and a full size SUV. Looking at the available room inside the XC60, it should be comfortable enough for five adults and lots of luggage. As with all Volvos I would expect that typical safe and secure feeling from the design and supporting technologies, this feeling should also be increased from the additional size and weight of the car.
Driving the XC60 I would hope that its additional size doesn’t prove to be a disadvantage to the performance and economy of the car. I expect the 2.0-litre 4 cylinder engine to pull the car nicely along and still return a reasonable mpg rating.
Being a front wheel drive car I’m not expecting full off road capabilities, but I hope that the XC60 will be comfortable with some minor off road journeys across the odd field or two.
Overall, I like the design of the car and from what I have seen it appears to be a pretty good package. Hopefully the XC60 is as good as the rest of the Volvo range.
Supplied by: Volvo
