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August 19, 2009
     2010 Volvo XC60. Click image to enlarge |
The XC60’s standard safety list also includes stability and traction control, pyrotechnic pretensioners on all seatbelts, active head restraints, and side and curtain airbags. Optional items are adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts for other vehicles in front, a blind spot information system that warns when another car is alongside, collision warning with auto brake, distance alert to warn if you’re too close to the car ahead, driver alert control that beeps and flashes if it suspects you’re falling asleep, lane departure warning to notify if you’re drifting out of your lane, a personal car communicator that warns if someone has broken into your vehicle and is waiting for you to return by sensing the intruder’s heartbeat, and power-operated rear-door child locks. With almost all of them packed into my tester, the warning lights in the doors, the head-up display on the windshield, and all the warning chimes and lights could be a little overwhelming at times.
Inside, the XC60 could easily be the centerfold from Better Scandinavian Homes and Gardens (although it’s built in Belgium). Heated leather seats are standard, lovely chairs that stay comfortable on long drives and can be ordered in two-tone at no extra charge. It features Volvo’s signature “floating” centre console, which looks good but really is impractical, as its design doesn’t allow for any cubbies up top, and the small one that it creates below is small, difficult to reach, and so low-sided that items will tumble out on hard turns. I’ve always found Volvo’s centre stack controls to be overrun with too-small buttons, and the XC60 is no exception – perhaps those who rear-end others in traffic are simply trying to figure out how to turn on the defroster – although I’ve always been charmed by the little chrome figure whose body is actually the buttons for the vent mode. My tester’s optional navigation system offered two methods of input, both of them unusual: a set of buttons on the steering wheel for my use, and a separate remote control for the use of a passenger. Once I figured out where the “enter” button was on the wheel, though, it was quite easy to use the map system.
Three can sit across the rear seat, but if you’re only taking two, they can pull down a combination armrest/storage cubby/cupholder between them. The cargo area on mine included an optional grocery bag holder, and a clever unit it is: a panel on the floor lifts up and stays upright, with hooks to hold plastic bags. Pulling up the entire cargo floor panel reveals several divided cubbies. With the seats up, the cargo space is 100 cm long; the seats fold flat, without removing the head restraints, for a length of 170 cm. For even longer loads, the front passenger seat drops down as well, for a total length of 280 cm.
Volvo may have erred in introducing the XC60 in top-line trim, because it’s a hefty chunk of paycheque; the upcoming under-$40K and presumably less-thirsty 3.2 FWD model may bring in more crowds. It deserves to be on the test drive list, though: it’s gorgeous, fun to drive, all-day comfortable, and it’s just an all-around, genuinely nice vehicle. Volvo can be justifiably proud of the job it’s done on this one.
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Pricing: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
(Luxury Package of Four-C Active Chassis, front and rear parking assist, rain sensor, active bending headlights and heated rear seats, $3,050; Convenience Package of garage door opener, speed-sensitive steering, interior air quality system, mass movement sensor, sunglass holder, rear power child locks, cargo area grocery bag holder, power-operated liftgate and level sensor, $2,100; Tech Package of Collision Avoidance System [adaptive cruise control, collision warning with auto brake, lane departure warning, driver alert control, and distance alert], personal car communicator with keyless drive, premium Dynaudio sound system with Dolby Pro-Logic II surround sound, blind spot information system and retractable mirrors, $4,100; metallic paint, $790; classic wood inlays, $600; wood steering wheel, $350; navigation system with DVD map data and remote control, $2,100; and rear parking camera, $1,100) Click here for options, dealer invoice prices and factory incentives
Specifications
Competitors
Crash test results
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- New blog gives “insider look” at Volvo XC60
- Volvo releases first pictures of all-new XC60
- Volvo announces 2010 XC60 pricing
- Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Volvo XC60
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