by Cheryl Eldridge and Wire Reports
To Drive a Volvo is to love a Volvo and after this week’s test drive with the 2015.5 Volvo XC60 T6 Drive-E Platinum I’m thinking about placing this automobile on my bucket list of purchases.
Volvo’s Luxury crossover Xc 60 was definitely loaded with surprises. This family vehicle was a plus definitely during my rendezvous due to passengers having enough arm room and legroom.
Excitement is definitely a plus with gas mileage ranking of 22mpg in the city /30mpg on the highway /25mpg combined.
The 2015 Volvo XC60 is a compact crossover SUV that seats five people. There are five trim levels that correspond to engine and drivetrain: T5 Drive-E, 3.2 AWD, T6 Drive-E, T6 AWD and T6 AWD R-Design. Each is then broken into sub-trims.
My Crystal White tester 2015 came standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, front and rear foglights, LED running lights, roof rails, heated mirrors, automatic wipers, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power front seats, driver memory functions, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, “T-Tec” fabric upholstery, a 40/20/40-split-folding rear seat, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and an eight-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite radio, HD radio, an auxiliary audio jack and a USB/iPod audio interface. The 3.2 AWD differs in its engine, transmission and standard all-wheel drive.
The Premier Plus sub-trim is available on all trims and adds a rearview camera, power-folding mirrors, a power liftgate, power-folding rear headrests, a folding front passenger seat, a cargo cover and a pop-up trunk-mounted grocery holder.
The Platinum sub-trim adds auto-dimming exterior mirrors, interior accent lighting, a 12-speaker surround-sound audio system and a navigation system (available separately on the other sub-trims).
The Climate package adds an interior air quality system and heating for the front seats, rear seats, steering wheel, windshield and washer nozzles. The Sport package adds 20-inch wheels and sport front seats (deletes the folding front passenger seat). Individual options include adaptive bi-xenon headlights, a dual-screen rear entertainment system and rear child booster seats that also include power child door locks. The R-Design can be equipped with special leather/simulated suede upholstery.
The T6 Platinum sub-trims can be equipped with the Inscription package, which includes upgraded leather upholstery, extended leather interior trim, power front seat lumbar adjustment, special floor mats and sill plates, and special wood trim.
One notable dealer-installed accessory available on every XC60 is the Sensus Connected Touch system. This adds touchscreen functionality to the standard “Sensus” color display screen along with an onboard WiFi connection, Internet access and voice-activated audio controls, including those for Spotify Internet radio. A less sophisticated navigation system can also be added that costs much less than the so-called “integrated navigation system.”
The 2015 Volvo XC60 T6 Drive-E comes with a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for 302 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Like the T5, it has front-wheel drive and the eight-speed automatic with engine stop-start. In Edmunds testing, an XC60 T6 Drive-E went from zero to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, which is certainly quick, but ultimately a bit slow when compared to other compact crossovers with an upgrade engine. Fuel economy is an impressive 25 mpg combined (22 city/30 highway), and it returned 26.5 mpg on the 120-mile Edmunds evaluation loop – about the same as the less powerful Audi Q5 2.0T.
The 2015 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD models get a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 engine. The regular T6 AWD version produces 300 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, while the R-Design version is good for 325 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. Both have all-wheel drive and six-speed automatic transmissions. In Edmunds testing, a T6 R-Design went from zero to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, and the expectation of the regular T6 is to only be a tenth or two slower. Either way, this is again a bit slow in comparison to other compact crossovers with an engine upgrade. EPA-estimated fuel economy stands at 20 mpg combined (17 city/24 highway) for both versions.
Every 2015 Volvo XC60 comes standard with traction and stability control, antilock brakes, whiplash-protection front seats, front seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Also standard is Volvo’s City Safety system, which is an automatic braking system that engages at speeds of up to 30 mph when the car detects that a collision is imminent.
There is additional, optional safety equipment due to their wonderful engineers. The Dual Two-Stage Integrated Booster Seats pop up from the backseat’s outboard positions and accommodate children with a height/weight range from 37 inches and 33 pounds to 55 inches and 80 pounds. These booster seats come with power child door locks. The Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) package adds a blind-spot warning system, cross-traffic alert, and front and rear parking sensors. The Technology package adds a frontal collision warning system with fully automatic braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection with fully automatic braking, a driver-inattention warning system and lane-departure warning.
The XC60 received a top five-star rating from the government for overall, frontal and side crash protection. It also received the best possible rating of “Good” in all of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s crash tests, which is a rare achievement.
As with other Volvos, the XC60’s cabin is defined by modern yet inviting design indicative of its Swedish homeland. The shape of the “floating” center stack and available real wood trim are particularly distinctive, and there’s certainly no mistaking the XC60 for anything else in the segment. Another Volvo hallmark is the sublimely comfortable and supportive front seats.
The straightforward dual-temperature adjustment dials and “mode man” pictogram make climate control adjustments simple and intuitive. The audio system’s phone-style number pad and surrounding buttons may look a bit antiquated in the luxury class these days, but they’re simple and make controlling basic stereo functions easy. For more complicated tasks like selecting a media player playlist, programming the optional navigation system or controlling more complicated vehicle functions, the XC60 relies on the standard Sensus system. It, too, is fairly easy to use and similar to competitor systems, though the multipurpose knob’s location on the dash (rather than the center console) is not ideal.
The rear seat is particularly roomy as smaller crossovers go, with a high seat cushion, above-average headroom and decent legroom for adults. Unfortunately, the seatbacks do not recline, but parents and kids alike will appreciate the available integrated child booster seats that pop up from the seat bottom. To accommodate cargo, the versatile 40/20/40-split rear seat can be folded in a number of different ways. Maximum cargo space is 67 cubic feet, which is a good number for this class.
Cost of my luxurious tester: $40,050.
In a nutshell, I really enjoyed this automobile and am looking forward to other Volvos in the near future.
Until next week, drive safe and buckle up, it’s the law.
