The mid-size crossover segment is extremely competitive, with a lot of great choices not only from luxury car makers but even the mainstream manufacturers are offering some pretty luxuriously appointed vehicles. One of the hottest vehicles in this segment is the Volvo XC60, which is quite ubiquitous on the streets of Vancouver, BC. If you’re in the market for a luxury SUV, the XC60 should be at the top of your list. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll take a closer look at what the XC60 has to offer and help you decide if it’s the right SUV for you.
The Volvo XC60 has been on sale since 2008, with the second generation going on sale in 2017. The 2022 model year sees some slight changes with the powertrain, more on that later.
2022 Volvo XC60 Canadian Trims & Prices
In Canada, the Volvo XC60 is offered as a gasoline model (with mild hybrid system) and a gasoline/plug-in hybrid model, called the XC60 Recharge. However, don’t confuse this with the fully electric line of Volvo vehicles called Recharge, like the XC40 Recharge we reviewed in the spring and the C40 Recharge. Volvo uses the Recharge badge on both their fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The XC60 Recharge has a starting price of $70,150 for the base trim and the top-of-the-line trim starts at $90,450.
Since the subject of our review was the gasoline version, we’ll focus on that vehicle. There are three available trims offered: Momentum, Inscription, and R-Design. Prices start at $54,300 for the Momentum trim, the Inscription trim has a starting price of $62,450, and the R-Design trim has a starting price of $60,650. These prices do not include Freight & PDI charges of $2,015.
Our car was the 2022 Volvo XC60 B6 AWD Inscription, with an as tested price of $75,650. Our review car came with the following options:
- Metallic Paint ($900)
- 20″ 5-Y Spoke Graphite Diamond Cut Alloy Wheel ($1,000)
- 4-Corner Air Suspension with Four-C Active Chassis ($2,350)
- Backrest Massage Front Seats ($1,300)
- Bowers and Wilkins Premium Sound System ($3,750)
- Climate Package ($1,000)
- Headlamp Cleaners
- Heated Rear Seat
- Integrated Booster Seats (Optional & Replaces Heated Rear Seat)
- Heated Steering Wheel
- Advanced Package ($2,900)
- Head Up Display
- Pilot Assist – Semi Autonomous Drive System w/ Adaptive Cruise Control
- 360° camera
- 12V Outlet in Luggage Area
- Air Quality with Advanced Air Cleaner
2022 Volvo XC60 Engine & Driving
Like the Volvo V90 Cross Country we reviewed earlier this year, the XC60 is also powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, with an electric supercharger and a 48-volt mild hybrid system. The engine produces 295 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 310 pound-feet of torque between 2,100 – 4,800 rpm. Power is sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. The electric motor provides 13 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque to assist with acceleration and when the computer thinks its appropriate to give you more power.
Speaking of the computer, like the V90, the XC60 doesn’t come with different driving modes, the onboard computer does all the thinking for you. Personally, I do like to use different modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport etc.) depending on the driving conditions and my mood that day, but maybe not many Volvo customers utilized the various driving modes and Volvo decided to remove them.
All this is in the name of fuel efficiency, with claimed fuel consumption of 11.0/8.7/9.9 L/100 km (city/highway/combined), which makes sense. The XC60 is not a small vehicle, so these claimed numbers are pretty impressive.
Driving the Volvo XC60 is a pleasant experience; the XC60 is a pleasure to drive in the congested streets of Vancouver and is a smooth driving experience on the highway. The addition of the optional air suspension made the ride supple, it’s not floaty like the CUV/SUVs of the old days. In fact, I found the driving dynamics of the XC60 to be quite sporty for a CUV.
The 4-cylinder engine is one of the smoothest engines I’ve ever experienced, I really enjoyed it in our review V90 CC, and I liked it in the XC60. The engine revs so freely, like in the V90 review, it’s hard to explain the way the engine revs. I think I can somewhat describe it as a spinning top with very low unsprung weight (or something like that). The way the engine revs so freely is something I never experienced before (other than in the V90). As the engine freely revs, so does the speed increase freely, the car doesn’t push you back into the seat like an electric car, but it gains speed surprisingly quickly.
The 8-speed transmission is smooth and changes gears without any jerkiness. Engine noise is kept at a minimum, for a luxurious driving experience. The Volvo XC60 does come with an off-road mode, raising the (optional) air suspension. However, like most/all XC60 owners, I never even bothered taking it off paved surfaces. I’m sure the XC60 can handle most forestry type of roads, as you make your way to a cabin or go camping, once or twice a year.
Volvo XC60 Styling
I personally think the XC60 is a nice-looking design, of course this is a subjective matter. The XC60 uses the same body language used by other Volvo products, with the signature “Thor’s Hammer” headlights. The overall design is elegant and inoffensive, it certainly looks different than the average CUV in this crowded market.
Volvo XC60 Interior & Features
The interior is almost the same as the one found on the V90 CC; it’s a simple and elegant take on an interior with an emphasis on minimalism. The main showpiece is a 9” touchscreen, which houses most of controls for the car. The infotainment system uses an Android based UI, which is great if you’re familiar with an Android phone, but if you’re not, it doesn’t take too much time to get used to. Volvo does include some physical buttons below the touchscreen. I found these buttons to be quite useful, as they are some of the most used buttons, like volume knob, track forward/backward, front and rear defrost.
The center console features a beautiful crystal gear lever, a wireless charging pad to the right of it, the start/stop knob, the parking brake and auto hold button. To the right of these is a pair of cup holders. The cup holders and the wireless charging pad can be hidden by sliding two little sliders that feature the same wood material found on the dashboard trim. With the sliders in the close position, the interior has an even cleaner look. Our car was equipped with the white/beige interior, which looked absolutely fantastic, although having kids in the car might make it prone to stains.
The main 9” touchscreen looks like an Android smart device. It features a bunch of apps like Googles Maps, Radio, Phone, Google Assistant, and even the Google Play Store. As an owner, you’ll just sign in with your Google account and use it somewhat like an Android device. Below all these apps are shortcut keys (not physical buttons) for the camera, heated seats/steering wheel, climate control, and settings. Clicking the seat icon brings up the heated/cooled seats and heated steering wheel options. Temperature can be adjusted by touching the two arrows, but if you want more customization like fan speed and airflow direction, pressing or sliding up the area where the temperature is brings up the display in full screen giving you more options.
Behind the steering wheel is a 12.3” digital display, showing the gauges. I could only find two different layouts for this, one with a digital speedometer/tachometer and an empty center and the other featuring the same outer area and a map in the middle section. I would have liked more customization options for this screen.
As with other Volvo vehicles, the build quality and interior materials on the XC60 are high quality. Volvo is famous for their seats, which are extremely comfortable and would be great for long road trips. Our review car also came with optional massage seats, which do provide some stress relief to the back.
The second-row seats are comfortable and offer a lot of head and leg room, perfect for a family with kids or even pets. The trunk offers plenty of cargo area, with the rear seats folded down, there is 1,410 liters of cargo area and the seats upright, there is 613 liters of cargo area. The rear of the car can be lowered/raised with the touch of a button to make loading/unloading easier.
The Volvo XC60 comes with a long list of standard features and there are optional packages to make it even more luxurious. Below is a list of some of the standard features on our review 2022 Volvo XC60 B6 AWD Inscription:
- CleanZone
- Panoramic Sunroof
- BLIS – Blind Spot Information System with Cross traffic alert
- Key Fob Remote Control
- Keyless Entry with Handsfree Tailgate Opening
- 12.3-inch Driver Display
- Power Adjustable Heated Front Seats with Driver Memory
- Automatic Dimming Inner and Exterior Mirrors
- Power Operated Tailgate
- Retractable Rear-View Mirrors
- LED Headlights with Active Bending Lights
- LED Front Fog Lights with Cornering
- Cruise control
- Collision Mitigation Support, Front & Rear
- Lane Keeping Aid
- Road Sign Information (RSI)
- Park Assist Camera
- Google Automotive Services w/ Google Maps, Google Assistant & Google Play Store
- Volvo Cars App w/ 4 Year Subscription
- Wireless Smartphone Charger
- Wireless device mirroring, CarPlay & AndroidAuto
- Sirius Satellite Radio w/ 3 Month Trial
- 2 USB Connections
- Bluetooth connection
- 4 Zone Climate Control
- Passenger Seat Memory
- 4-Way Lumbar Support
- Cushion Extension
- Electronic Foldable Headrest Rear
- Park Assist Front + Rear
- Harman Kardon Premium Sound
- Nappa Leather Upholstery
- Ventilated Front Seats with Power Side Support
- Leather steering wheel, Gloss
- 20” 5-Multi Spoke Black Diamond-cut Alloy wheel (255/45R20)
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a luxury SUV that’s safe, comfortable, and packed with features, the Volvo XC60 should be on your list of vehicles. It’s a great choice for families and anyone who wants a vehicle that can do it all. It’s also offered with a plug-in hybrid system, for customers looking to rely less on gasoline, the plug-in XC60 has an electric range of up to 58 kilometers, more than enough for the average Canadian commute.
For more information on the XC60 and other Volvo vehicles, visit Volvo Canada’s website.
