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If you're looking for a fuel efficient, safe, up market SUV, look no further than the Volvo
XC60
A recent facelift has brought the model more up to date. Changes include a new grille,
redesigned lights and the black plastic cladding along the lower door sills and bumper has
disappeared in favour of much more streamlined styling.
inside, Volvo's trademark floating centre console dominates the dashboard and the controls
are logically laid out. The new SE Lux model comes with a customisable driver display,
sat nav, leather faced seats and rear parking sensors.
there is also plenty of storage, and enough adjustment in the seat and steering wheel
for most people to find a suitable position. In fact the whole space in here feels very
generous, and that includes the back seats too -- where you can fit three adults comfortably.
Look
Sorry guys, you're gonna have to get out I need to take this on a road test...
Now that I've got the car to myself again I can tell you what it's like to drive, normally
I would be taking you to the nearest off road section and showing off its capabilities but
the XC60 is more of a tall family estate car than off roader, which means it is easy to
drive and very practical, while the high driving position offers a great view of the road,
which seems to be rather conducive with its glowing safety credentials scoring the maximum
5 stars in the EURO NCAP crash safety tests -- no surprise being a Volvo really. Even
the SE model comes with a system called City Safe which automatically applies the brakes
if it senses a crash is imminent at speeds of up to 19mph.
Back to its identity. It sits somewhere between the rugged off roading Land Rover Freelander
2 and the sportier hard riding Audi Q5, but don't watch those videos just yet, I promise
to remind you at the end.
Having said that you can get it in 2 or 4 wheel drive although unless you find yourself
towing big loads or venturing off-road, we recommend the front wheel drive version thanks
to its better on road comfort, cheaper purchase price and superior fuel economy, with the
179bhp 2.0 D4 diesel returning 60.1 miles to the gallon and emitting just 124 g/km of
CO2 and don't think that means it's slow, because you will get to 60 in 8.5 seconds.
Having said that, the Mazda CX5 is cheaper to run still and is more fun to drive. More
complaints include noisy engines, clunky manual gearbox and slow to react automatic gearbox.
Am I really going to complain about this boot? Well no not really, it's more the lack of
a 7 seater option that is a downside about this car. The boot itself is a decent size
and comes with flat folding seats and no load lip means it's easy to get items in and out.
Plus you can even spec it up with features such as built booster seats and picnic table.
So I wouldn't let those picky negatives get in the way of you and this practical family
car. Volvo seems to have the right blend of comfort, performance and usability with the
XC60. As a brand it faired well in the Driver Power Satisfaction survey with a more than
respectable 8th place. But before you make your mind up -- and I did promise to remind
you -- check out the Land Rover Freelander 2 here and the Audi Q5 here. And don't forget
to subscribe to our Carbuyer channel (point) where we'll send you a new video review every
week.