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The Volvo XC60 is one SUV which is hard to ignore because it is this close to perfect!
As I was veering down the East Coast Road from Chennai to Mahabalipuram, the steering turned a few degrees on its own to bring the car back in its lane and that was the Lane Keeping Aid at work. As a public transport bus non-chalantly overtook me from the left, a…
The Volvo XC60 is one SUV which is hard to ignore because it is this close to perfect!
As I was veering down the East Coast Road from Chennai to Mahabalipuram, the steering turned a few degrees on its own to bring the car back in its lane and that was the Lane Keeping Aid at work. As a public transport bus non-chalantly overtook me from the left, a bright orange warning light lit up on the left side ORVM to warn me of a possible blindspot. As I came near city roads, the Head-Up Display started showing that the top speed on these roads is 40 km/hr. Damn, cars these days come with so much technology and it is overwhelming to see how things are evolving at such a rapid pace.
Today, I am talking about a car which made its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show just a few months back, and it has already arrived in India, the new Volvo XC60.
Motor Quest: Volvo cars are very finely built and come with special attention to detail which is what gives them an edge over rivals. While the older generation cars were good too, the company has been churning out very good products which are based on the newer Scalable Product Architecture platform and they have already launched the XC90, S90 and V90 Cross Country based on this platform in India.
A first look at the exterior of the SUV reminds you of its elder sibling, the XC90. In fact, the Volvo XC60 looks very similar to the larger SUV from most angles, especially at the front. The Thor LED headlamps of Volvo XC60 lend an angry look to the car and the sleek chrome grille adds a lot of class.
The side profile looks very proportionate with no unnecessary bulk while the rear gets the trademark upswept Volvo tail lamps. There are some good dashes of chrome on the body, but the design is just too beautiful and nothing feels overdone. Honestly!
I usually get into the driver’s seat first, of any new car, but this time around, things were different. As our car waited in the hotel lobby, I went towards the boot with my bag and simply opened it by moving my foot below the tail gate. Neat feature, no? As the large 505-litres boot gulped down my small bag, I couldn’t help but lift up the spare wheel cover to check out how things are arranged. Volvo XC60 space saver spare tyre can be used for speeds up to 80 km/hr but what I found interesting was the placement of two air cylinders on either side of the spare wheel, neat!
I now jumped into the rear seat which is so nicely designed and well-sculpted, it is almost art! Support for the back and thighs is brilliant and the seats are placed at just the right height, allowing you a good view out of the window. While head room and shoulder space are good, knee room is quite limited and tall passengers will hardly have any space between their knees and the front seat unless the front seat is pushed far ahead. Other than that, no disappointments. While you do get the conventional AC vents at the rear, Volvo has also fitted additional vents on the B-pillars.
The front seats are again super, good in size, excellent in comfort and support. You also get a good view out from the driver’s seat. The dashboard carries the same styling as the XC90 which isn’t a bad thing. Volvo has used very premium materials for the interior upholstery and it shows. The centre console houses a long storage space next to the diamond-cut engine start-stop button. The doors also get bottle holders and enough space to keep small things and the overall practicality in the cabin is good of Volvo XC60.
Safety features like multiple airbags, ABS, Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear Collision Warning, Pilot Assist, Blind Spot Information with Steer Assist and Cross Traffic Alert (BLIS), iTPMS, Traction Control, Hill Hold, etc are present on this SUV. Volvo’s network in India isn’t as wide-spread as its German rivals but the company is slowly and steadily working its way up there and increasing their reach across the country.