Volvo XC60 : INTELLIGENT DESIGN

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It took Volvo quite some time to start building 4x4s. Not content with a me-too product, the Swedish company is looking to lead the compact sector with its pretty XC60 model. Andy Enright reports

Built on the same chassis as the Ford Kuga, the Volvo XC60 compact 4x4 offers a rather more measured and mature proposition than the streetwise and sassy Ford. Its nevertheless one of the latest generation of Volvo products that feature both genuinely smart design and an industrial measure of inbuilt desirability as standard.

Maybe Im getting old, but 2002 really doesnt seem that long ago. It was during this year that Volvo finally committed to building a 4x4 with its multi award-winning XC90. Lets pause for a moment and consider quite how odd that is. Sweden is a country bigger than the UK, Greece and Ireland combined yet has less people than Belgium, its frequently covered in snow, its people enjoy outdoor leisure activities such as logging and driving into moose.

It seems tailor-made for 4x4 ownership, yet neither Volvo or fellow Swedes, Saab, ever offered us a beefy SUV before 2002. All of which might go some way to explaining why Volvo seem keen to catch up on lost time, revising the XC90 and then launching a smaller model, the XC60, a car safe enough to make short work of an errant alces alces and yet still cut a dash on your local high street. Equipped as standard with all-wheel drive, the XC60 features InstantTraction to shift power from the front to the rear wheels if the system detects slippage, and is backed up by electronic stability control to avoid skids. Couple that with Trailer Stability Assist, Roll Stability Control and Hill Descent Control and it would appear to take some genuinely jaw-dropping ineptitude to get an XC60 out of shape.

The chassis has been developed to give the XC60 a nimble, sporting feel and the engines comprise a 285bhp T6 3.0-litre petrol range-topper, augmented by a 185bhp D5 diesel and a 163bhp 2.4D entry-level diesel model. Needless to say, the XC60 doesnt want for go, and all engines are mated to a six-speed gearbox.

Buyers get to choose either manual or Geartronic auto, also a choice of S, SE and SE Lux trim levels. Sixth gear on all models is a pure overdrive ratio that makes motorway cruising more refined and economical. The body has been designed with the enthusiast driver in mind, with a huge degree of torsional rigidity and excellent sightlines out of the vehicle. Weight is distributed optimally between the front and rear axles and with 230mm of ground clearance, the XC60 wont dishonour itself on a country track.

"In the XC60, Volvo has a compact 4x4 that is good enough to face down the very best in the market"

Imagine an XC90 thats been on a hot wash cycle for a couple of hours and thats what the XC60 resembles; shrunken slightly, a little chamfered in its edging but recognisably a Volvo product and one that the company claim has turned up the visual volume. The grille is a little bolder, the cars shoulders more distinctive, especially when viewed from the rear. If you thought the C30 hatch was a neat piece of design, wait until you take a good look around the XC60. In fact, Volvo cite this compact 4x4 as the car that C30 owners are likely to migrate to after they start a family.

The rear seats are higher than the front pair to give better visibility for children and the two outer seats in the back can be specified with two-stage booster cushions. The interior feels very airy courtesy of some serious glazing overhead, the laminated glass panorama roof being one of the biggest in the sector. The load opening at the back is also the widest amongst the XC60s direct competition, opening to reveal a 480 litre capacity. As in the XC70, the rear seat is a three-piece affair that folds 40-20-40, with each section capable of folding down completely flat.

Perhaps the most revolutionary piece of equipment in the XC60s arsenal is its amazing City Safety function. This is Volvos technology for avoiding low-speed collisions in city traffic and tailbacks. If the car is about to drive into the vehicle in front and the driver does not react, the car brakes itself. Volvo claims that its the first manufacturer in the world to offer this type of feature as standard.

Other technological highlights of the XC60 include Clean Zone Interior system which will vent the interior at higher temperatures to ensure that allergy and asthma sufferers arent left wheezing. Plus theres one of the best optional stereo installations available on a car at this level. The Premium Sound system features 12 Dynaudio speakers and a Dolby Pro Logic II Surround amplifier delivering 5x130 watts. An optional digital subwoofer under the floor bolsters that with an additional 260 watts.

A USB port, an auxiliary input and a CD stereo that can play MP3 files means you shouldnt experience difficulty deafening the neighbours with your digital music library. A combined cycle economy figure at close to 40mpg for the D5 diesel is an impressive showing for a 4x4 of this type, although the 2.4D probably makes a stronger all-round argument for itself in terms both of economy and emissions. Few will opt for the 3.

0-litre petrol model. Residual values, for the diesels at least, should be buoyant. A maintenance-free particle filter that traps about 95 percent of soot particles is fitted as standard in both diesel engines, making them very environmentally suitable. Economists define opportunity cost as the cost incurred by choosing one option over the next best alternative.

Thus, opportunity cost is the cost of pursuing one choice instead of another. When Volvo launched the XC90 in 2002, the demand was such that the opportunity cost of using the Torslander factory to build less desirable models was plain to see. The Swedes arent going to repeat that mistake and in the XC60 they have a compact 4x4 that is good enough to face down the very best in the market. With some fascinating technological detailing, sleek yet muscular styling, state of the art safety features and some brawny powerplants, the XC60 is right on the class pace in a way that utterly eluded the likes of Land Rover, Volkswagen and BMW.

Sharing development costs with Ford has clearly helped but the XC60 is a world away from a Ford Kuga with a different grille. Its an extremely impressive debut.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Volvo XC60 range
PRICES: £24,750- £34,495 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 199-284g/km
PERFORMANCE: [3.0T6] 0-60 7.1s / Max Speed 130mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [D5] (urban) 28.8mpg / (extra urban) 45.6mpg / (combined) 37.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ESP / Trailer Stability Assist / City Safety / Roll Stability Control/ Hill Descent Control
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length 453cm