2017 VOLVO XC60 QUICK TAKES

TESTDRIVENOW QUICK TAKES: 2017 VOLVO XC60 AWD INSCRIPTION OVERVIEW

The consistently popular XC60 is Volvo’s 5-seat, mid-size premium SUV and has been Volvo’s best-selling model since 2009.

Launched in 2008, the XC60 has allowed Volvo to compete head-on with and beat its German competitors in the segment, one of the most competitive in the market. In 2015, it was the most sold mid-size SUV in Europe.

Powertrain

• As with all Volvos the powertrain offer is based on the Drive-E 2.0 litre turbo- and super-charged engines designed and built in Sweden at Volvo’s engine factory in Skövde.
•  The Drive-E range of low emission, high performance petrol and diesel engines offers a perfect blend of driver enjoyment and fuel economy, whilst retaining a responsive feel for city driving.

Connectivity

• The XC60 offers a full range of connectivity options that include Volvo On Call, a phone-based app that allows you to control certain features in your car, such as pre-heating, locking and unlocking, navigation and vehicle location services. Volvo On Call now works with wearables such as Apple Watch and Android Wear and also has Windows 10 compatibility, meaning that Volvo On Call can now be operated from your PC as well as your smartphone.
•  Sensus delivers a range of native apps offering streaming music via TuneIn and Baidu and geo-location services such as Yelp and Wikilocations.
•  The Harman Kardon Premium Sound system is tuned to perfection in Volvo’s advanced audio lab, enabling high quality music streaming.

Safety

• As with any Volvo, safety comes as standard. The XC60 comes with one of the most comprehensive standard safety offers available in the segment, including City Safety, which offers a range of collision avoidance and mitigation functionalities including pedestrian and cyclist detection. A range of optional safety and convenience systems are also available in the 60 Series cars.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH TESTDRIVENOW AUTO CRITIC STEVE HAMMES REVIEW OF THE 2017 VOLVO XC60

DESIGN

• Accentuated road presence

The design team has increased the new XC60’s road presence by emphasising its horizontal lines, which visually connects the car directly to the road. The car comes with a fully colour coordinated body.

The headlamps look very focused and determined, and the horizontal lines on the grille with its chrome bars emphasise the car’s width.

The XC60 is available with 20-inch wheels while keeping the same tyre profile height and ride comfort as with 19-inch wheels. There are new wheels (18” and 19”) and three new exterior colours: Magic Blue, Osmium Grey and Onyx Black.

• Sport seat

The XC60 buyer can also specify a sport seat that retains this traditional comfort and makes a perfect addition to the in-command feel of a true driver’s car.

It has great hugging side support all the way from the thighs to the shoulders, so the seat keeps the driver firmly in position when cornering at speed.

The interior detailing includes a Piano Black deco option, rotary jewel-like knobs in the centre stack and a frameless inner rear-view mirror.

• Three-section rear seat

The three-split (40/20/40) rear seat and backrest offer two separate seats with an armrest in the middle, or three seats with safety belts for each occupant.

The seat cushions are fixed and the backrest(s) can be individually folded.

The optional power tailgate can be opened automatically in three ways – via the remote control, by a button in the light panel or by opening the tailgate with the handle

 INSCRIPTION

• Luxury interior package

The XC60 is available with an Inscription Package, with features a complete luxury upgrade of the interior.

This includes Inscription Soft Leather upholstery, leather instrument panel, soft leather on the Inscription embroidered head rests, soft leather centre arm rest, unique floor mats and tread plates with Inscription logo.

There is also a selection of single Inscription features, such as a Linear Walnut deco inlay and 20-inch, ten-spoke Avior wheels.

 R-DESIGN

• Unique front

The XC60 R-Design features a unique face with a dynamic, expressive nose. The DRL lights in the outer corners reinforce the low, road-hugging impression. At the rear, the unique diffuser with aero fins is flanked by the round, high-tech R-Design tailpipes. The XC60 R-Design is available with 20-inch Ixion wheels.

 R-Design interior

The sport seats come as standard in the XC60 R-Design. It features a blend of black nubuck textile and perforated leather. By blending inlays with a perforated look, black leather and contrasting stitching, the design team has created an R-design interior with all the details in perfect harmony, crowned by the black headliner.

CHASSIS & POWER TRAINS

• Driver in command

The refined XC60 has a commanding driving position supported by generous ground clearance and the class-leading chassis. The XC60 is designed to feel every bit as nimble and agile as a standard height road car.

Corner Traction Control comes as standard. This torque vectoring system helps the driver avoid understeer by applying just the right amount of brake force to the inner wheels while powering the outer wheels when accelerating out of a corner.

With All Wheel Drive, the XC60 becomes an extremely capable vehicle on any road, in any kind of weather. The optional Hill Descent Control boosts this capability by automatically controlling the car’s speed when driving down steep slopes.

• Stiffer R-Design chassis

The XC60 R-Design chassis is stiffer than the standard car and has more dynamic driving properties – without compromising ride comfort. The shock absorber springs and anti-roll bars are adjusted and tuned to be firmer and more balanced. The result is improved control and a sportier, road-hugging drive.

• Powerful T6

The T6 Drive-E engine has an output of 306 hp and 400 Nm of torque. The engine features a class-leading combination of a compressor and a turbo charger. Using the supercharger to fill in the bottom end gives the engine a big, naturally aspirated feel. The mechanically linked compressor starts to function immediately at low revs, while the turbocharger kicks in when the airflow builds up. Fuel consumption with new 8-speed automatic is 7.0 l/100 km (163 g/km) in the XC60.

SENSUS

• Adaptive Digital Display

The Adaptive Digital Display uses an active TFT (Thin Film Transistor) crystal display to bring the driver personalised information. There are three themes to choose from: Elegance, Eco and Performance.

• Sensus Connect

The Digital Display theme colours are also echoed in the connected infotainment system Sensus Connect. It features a user interface with a number of innovative functions offering customers a fully connected experience.

The cloud-based services allow the driver to find and pay for parking from the car, discover new restaurants at the destination, stream favourite music seamlessly and much more. The driver can also have text messages read out aloud without taking hands off the wheel.

The brand new app Connected Service Booking is only the first step in making the dealer workshop fully integrated into the digital eco-system. The car will not only tell the driver when it’s time for service but also suggest an appointment at the Volvo dealership.

The Bluetooth mobile phone service allows hands-free phone conversations as well as music streaming from a preferred Bluetooth enabled portable music player.

• Sensus – always on call

One of the most widely appreciated features related to the Sensus offer, Volvo On Call, allows Volvo drivers to communicate directly with their car via a smartphone application to lock, unlock, check fuel levels, pre-heat, pre-cool, locate and check mileage on the car.

• Premium Sound system

The Sensus family also includes a top-of-the-line Premium Sound system with a 5x130W amplifier with the next-generation sound enhancement software Dirac Live and up to 12 loudspeakers, including a long-throw woofer for enhanced bass, soft dome tweeters for soft highs and large mid-range centre and door speakers.

With the Premium Sound system by Harman Kardon the driver can enjoy an immersive sound stage with improved bass performance, while being able to turn up the volume with full audio clarity.

• Heated steering wheel and paddle shifters

To give drivers in cold climate extra comfort, three-spoke steering wheels can be specified with electric heating. Cars with automatic transmission can get paddle shifters that give the driver the opportunity to shift gear manually with both hands on the wheel. Cars equipped with a rain sensor can also get an electrically heated windscreen for rapid de-icing on cold winter days.

 SAFETY AND SUPPORT

IntelliSafe, Volvo’s blanket name for all active safety systems, is an important part of the driver-centric approach in the XC60.

• Permanent high beam with groundbreaking technology

The Active High Beam Control eliminates the need to switch between low and high beam. Instead, Active High Beam Control makes it possible keep the headlights on high beam continuously.

When another car approaches from the opposite direction, the system helps to prevent dazzling of the oncoming driver by shading out only as much of the beam as necessary. This is done by an ingenious projector module mechanism integrated into the headlamp.  The same benefit applies to drivers in preceding cars.

• Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection technology

New advanced software, including more rapid vision processing, made it possible to extend Volvo Cars’ detection and auto brake technology to cover certain cyclist situations as well.

The Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with full auto brake is equipped with an advanced sensor system that scans the area ahead. If a cyclist heading in the same direction as the car suddenly swerves out in front of the car as it approaches from behind and collision is imminent, there is an instant warning and full braking power is applied.

The technology also detects if a pedestrian steps out into the road in front of the car. If the driver does not respond in time, the car can warn and automatically activate the brakes.

• City Safety – active up to 50 km/h

The XC60 features a City Safety system that is active at speeds up to 50 km/h. The car automatically brakes if the driver fails to react in time when the vehicle in front slows down or stops – or if the car is approaching a stationary vehicle too fast.

• Cornering Light for better visibility

Another innovative option for driving in the dark is the low-speed Cornering Light feature. As an extension of the current Active Bending Light system, it lights up the area the driver is steering towards for safer manoeuvring.

• Blind Spot Information System – for better visibility

The XC60 offers a radar-based Blind Sport Information System (BLIS). The technology can monitor and alert the driver to rapidly approaching vehicles up to 70 m behind the car. Of course it still informs the driver about vehicles in the blind spots on both sides.

• Cross Traffic Alert – covering your back

Cross Traffic Alert uses the radar sensors at the rear end of the car to alert the driver to crossing traffic from the sides when reversing out of a parking space. This is especially helpful in tight and crowded areas where the side view might be limited due to infrastructure, vegetation or other parked cars.

• Road Sign Information – an extra “eye” on the traffic environment

Road Sign Information supports the driver by displaying road signs in the instrument display. Road Sign Information can be combined with the Speed Alert function, which provides the driver with a visual warning in the speedometer if the speed limit is exceeded.

 2017 VOLVO XC60 AWD INSCRIPTION…MSRP $46,350

AS SHOWN WITH INSCRIPTION EQUIPMENT, PREFERRED OPTION PACKAGE, CLIMATE PACKAGE & CHILD BOOSTER SEATS, ADVANCED PACKAGE, METALLIC PAINT, AND 20″ ALLOY WHEELS….TOTAL PRICE $ 53,555