Confession upfront: yours truly has never been a Volvo fan, admittedly for frivolous reasons.
Growing up as a hip young guy (a self-assessment) in '70s UK, Volvo ‘estate wagons’ were owned by sensible couples, with perfectly coiffed hair, two clean, well-dressed, kids and a pet Labrador in the back (that last bit I liked).
And the utilitarian ‘shooting brake’ looks didn’t make it a head turner. Now I begrudgingly admit that after driving the latest XC60 Recharge, my head might have been turned. Pride prevents me going beyond ‘might’ so bear with me.
Those cunning Swedes wooed me with the Black Edition and shamelessly I started to buy into that ploy at first sight. It has cool looks when set against similar looking rival urban sport utes. I know, sounds like faint praise but give me time to come around.
Then I opened the door. Darn it, the beauty is not merely skin deep. Comfort for five passengers and four big suitcases in the back.
Perforated Fine Nappa Leather upholstery adorns the seats. And the ventilated front seats draw in air from built-in fans that can be set at three cooling levels. Now that’s literally cool. Prepare for a family fight for the co-pilot’s position. It massages tired backs. There’s even a genuine, handcrafted, Swedish crystal gear shifter, for the 8-speed auto tranny, made exclusively for Volvo by Orrefors.
Bless the Swedes: an air purifier prevents up to 95 per cent of hazardous fine airborne particles floating into the cabin. You can even monitor particle and pollen levels outside the car. Natch.
The 12.3-inch Driver Display is vertically mounted and thus bucks the trend to IMAX size horizontal screens. Volvo says it’s like your smartphone and it truly is. Even the driver manual is viewed on screen. Its deal with Google offers access directly to Google Maps for navigation and you can ask Mr. Google for help. Think I mistakenly addressed him as Alexa and Siri a few times but no offence was taken.
The optional high-end Harman Kardon audio system delivered a concert experience, offering four different room modes. I figured Concert Hall was best for ABBA, the only appropriate choice given the group and car’s homeland. The pleasant harmonies rose from 15 hi-fi speakers. And an air-ventilated subwoofer delivered undistorted low bass tones, thanks to the pulsing of large amounts of air through an opening in the rear wheel arch. Yes, that’s correct.
Just remembered that I’m supposed to drive it, not merely move in and set up home.
Power comes from an in-line, 4-cylinder 2-litre turbocharged engine with e-boost, which if you really must, takes you from zero to 100 klicks in 4.8 seconds. Forgive me, I forgot to play Boy Racer. What I can say is this hybrid combo makes passing a breeze.
I’m resistant to lot of the pro-active driver-assist features offered today, however, the lane control, hazard warnings and auto braking functioned well. A thoroughly enjoyable ride on a four-hour journey.
The smooth and quiet running was praised by my passengers for allowing non-shouting conversations. Their one criticism was the seatbelts in the back were tricky to set comfortably – too tight and high fitting.
The battery needs five hours on a Level 2 charger – the most common. Bit frustrating that this edition is not equipped to use the ultra-high-speed charging stations popping up at U.S. supermarkets.
You can expect a 58-kilometre range with pure battery power. Combined fuel economy should be around 8.5 L/100km (city/hwy).
Three cool features probably turned my head:
- LED Headlights with Active Bending Lights that follow the movement of the steering wheel, to providing extra illumination in curves.
- Those lights are power washed by high-pressure jets.
- There’s even a heated Volvo emblem in the grille to clear visibility in ice and snow for the front camera! How could I resist?
The price as tested was $86,300 plus taxes but the XC60 Recharge lineup range is $59,950 to $91,350.
keithrmorgan@hotmail.com
