VOLVO XC60

Can a life-extending update keep Volvo's stalwart SUV in contention?

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The Volvo XC60 is a product of a company in improvisation mode. Remember, Volvo was committed to going electric-only by 2030, so one imagines that its development programmes for combustion-engined models have been a low priority for a while.

But as we all know, EV sales haven't quite become the all-conquering dominant force that some were expecting, and combustion-engined models are having to be parachuted in left, right and centre.

For Porsche, that means working its magic on a shared group platform. For Volvo, it means giving some of its family favourites a light refresh, and sending them back out on the battlefield.

Volvo has a history of keeping models around for many years, which seems to serve it well: in 2024, more XC60s found owners than in 2018, and it outsold both the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.

Those German rivals have just entered entirely new generations, so now it's up to the XC60 to prove it can keep up.

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

PROS Still a handsome design; fairly clever battery packaging

CONS Relatively small PHEV battery; isn't it time for something 5 new by now?

When the second generation of the XC60 was launched in 2017, Volvo was on a roll. With a fresh platform developed using Geely money, it released an all-new XC90, V90, V60 and this XC60 in quick succession. The long-running characteristic five-cylinder engines were out, and in went a new family of petrol, diesel and plugin hybrid four-cylinders. Neat Scandi styling, interior quality from the class above and a very novel touchscreen-based user interface concept (that actually worked remarkably well) helped it become a true competitor to the German premium brands.

Over the years, the engine lineup was gradually hybridised. For 2025, the diesels have been killed off completely, leaving the B5, with its 2.0-litre mild-hybrid turbocharged petrol engine and four-wheel drive, as the only non-plug-in option.