CD Article: 2010 Volvo XC60

[CD_Editor]

         
First Drive:


Claimed to the safest Volvo ever built, the new XC60 is a sporty but practical luxury crossover that's ideal for Canadian driving conditions, reports Editor-in-chief, Greg Wilson.  The base price is expected to be in the high $40s to low $50s.
 More: View the photos | All the First Drives

[mmret]

High 40s to Low 50s?

Aren't MDX's to be had for $44k?

[Thinking Out Loud]

Volvo has alway had a problem understanding their place in the heirarchy of automotivedom.  And packaging options that blow them out of the stratosphere.

'Equality' does not come with pricing....unless they are happy been a fringe player in the automotive world, even relative to Saab.

In which case; keep on, keeping on!   

[sailor723]

My first thought was..."nice car for 40K"  then I thought..."oh yeah,It's more like low 50's all dressed"

Final thought....."nice car but there are lot's of other options for less money"

[PMREdmonton]

Volvo really needs to assess their cost structure if they want to continue to be anything more than a specialty vehicle manufacturer.

[lucid0703]

Isn't XC90 starting from high 40's as well?

[carcrazy]

MDX starts at $52,500 and the XC90 at $48,600. Most likely the XC60 will start at mid 40's. The XC70 starts at $44,000.

[Mitlov]

I don't understand why when I proposed that Volvo target VW in pricing and market segment, most people here soundly rejected the idea and said that Volvos should be luxury cars and not premium non-luxury cars...yet when they actually try to sell their cars at luxury car prices, everyone here cries bloody murder about the pricing.

[sailor723]

Volvo has always been a niche player to me. Neither "luxury" nor "mainstream" but rather a sort of quirky super safety vehicle with nice finish and features. The reaction that Volvo's always seem to cause in me is been "nice,but are they worth the money?"

[Bullet Blue]

A Volvo rep once told me that the "somewhat" high pricing was due to all the latest safety technologies that Volvo packs into every car. Not sure how true that is.

[mmret]

A Volvo rep once told me that the "somewhat" high pricing was due to all the latest safety technologies that Volvo packs into every car. Not sure how true that is.

They can't amortize the R&D over enough units.

[Eric Green]

  Some very astute comments above.

We have owned seven Volvos over the past 25 years (still own two), and the current Volvo "story" completely escapes us. Volvo used to be priced against Oldsmobile/Buick, and offered a safer, European drive for those who could/would not stretch to BMW or Mercedes.  Now, the original Volvo safety story (crumple zones; 3-point seat belts; side impact beams) has been caught up by every one else, leaving... what? Yet-another expensive near-luxury vehicle with middling reliability ratings and blindspot warning. Blindspot warning? That's pathetic.

Subaru appears to have become the new Volvo.

[ktm525]

MDX starts at $52,500 and the XC90 at $48,600. Most likely the XC60 will start at mid 40's. The XC70 starts at $44,000.

Yes MDX used to start at $52 but now they sell them for $10k off. With a little negotiationa buyer can be out the door for less than $44k. A similarly equiped XC90 (V8, 7 seat) will cost in the low $60's.

Good luck Volvo.

[Mitlov]

Some very astute comments above.

We have owned seven Volvos over the past 25 years (still own two), and the current Volvo "story" completely escapes us. Volvo used to be priced against Oldsmobile/Buick, and offered a safer, European drive for those who could/would not stretch to BMW or Mercedes.  Now, the original Volvo safety story (crumple zones; 3-point seat belts; side impact beams) has been caught up by every one else, leaving... what? Yet-another expensive near-luxury vehicle with middling reliability ratings and blindspot warning. Blindspot warning? That's pathetic.

Sounds to me like you just descibed a Passat (particularly the Passat wagon) or a turbo Jetta perfectly.  Excellent safety, nice European driving experience, refined interior, and a little more expensive than Japanese competitors without being luxury.  VW is today what Volvo used to be, in my opinion.

Subaru appears to have become the new Volvo.

Subaru doesn't have the refinement or the nice interiors to be equivalent to what Volvo used to be, in my opinion.  On the other hand, they offer some things better than Volvo never did: truly high performance (STI), excellent full-time AWD systems, and superb statistical reliability.

[Cord]

Apparently somebody likes Volvos: Best selling premium brand in Russia for 2008 with 21,000+ sales. For comparison, Canadian sales are in the 6500 range.

http://www.etribuna.com/aas/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17399&Itemid=92

[carcrazy]

MDX starts at $52,500 and the XC90 at $48,600. Most likely the XC60 will start at mid 40's. The XC70 starts at $44,000.

Yes MDX used to start at $52 but now they sell them for $10k off. With a little negotiationa buyer can be out the door for less than $44k. A similarly equiped XC90 (V8, 7 seat) will cost in the low $60's.

Good luck Volvo.

I think Volvo had (and most likely still has) a huge pile of cash on XC90's hood too.

[PMREdmonton]

One more thing I'd like to add about Volvo's reputation for safety - only one manufacturer has everyone of its North American tested vehicles on the IIHS top safety pick list - Honda (S2000 never tested).  I think Subaru is close but misses out because of the Outback.  Volvo is actually missing out on the S40 and S60.  Furthermore, XC70 and C30 have not been tested at all.  I think they are falling behind the current leaders in automobile safety:  Subaru and Honda.

[ktm525]

MDX starts at $52,500 and the XC90 at $48,600. Most likely the XC60 will start at mid 40's. The XC70 starts at $44,000.

Yes MDX used to start at $52 but now they sell them for $10k off. With a little negotiationa buyer can be out the door for less than $44k. A similarly equiped XC90 (V8, 7 seat) will cost in the low $60's.

Good luck Volvo.

Volvo does have money on the hood of the XC90. A V8 7 seater is over $70k    before the "discounts".

I think Volvo had (and most likely still has) a huge pile of cash on XC90's hood too.

[Dede]

It seems the new XC60 is priced too high by at least $7k. I mean, you can get a GLK350 for $41.8K, with very little options needed.

BTW, I drive Volvo V50 T5 AWD at the moment...  Need to get a new vehicle this summer and really, I can't see myself looking at the XC60 first.  The above mentioned GLK, the Q5, the X3...then, perhaps the XC60?

[johngenx]

My Father-in-law bought a new Volvo 245 back in 1978.  He beat the thing to death for about 500K and in 1996 bought a new 850 and now has an S60AWD.

Over the generations, the cars have become more complex, more expensive, and in many ways, less reliable in comparison to other cars.  His original 245 was not really refined, even comparing to other near-premium competitors, but it was built like a tank and took whatever he dished out at it.

I think the comparison to Subaru is valid if you go back quite a ways.  Subaru has soldiered on appealing to a quirky audience that appreciates certain attributes and has been very conscious of safety and durability.  That old 245 wagon has quite a bit on common with my Forester in terms of a "spirituality."

One of my older neighbours was a "Volvo Man" for many years and is now driving a new Outback Wagon.  hhhm...