2010 Volvo XC60 Review

2010 Volvo XC60 - Safety first.

By: John Stein

Talk about the all-new 2010 Volvo XC60 must begin where the hallmark of Volvo vehicles is deeply rooted - in safety features. While talk may be cheap, there is nothing inexpensive or cheap-feeling about this new utility offering.

The new XC60 joins the Volvo XC70 and XC90 in rounding out the brand's non-car offerings. While the nomenclature might be a bit deceiving, the XC60 really falls between the 70 and 90. The XC60 cannot be mistaken for a wagon, which is the XC70's calling card. Likewise, it is clearly not a traditional truck-based SUV like the XC90. Both revelations are good things for the new XC60, which looks more like the recognizable crossover, raised-wagon design becoming wildly popular with consumers.

With Volvos - never found at the lower end of the price range - you get much of your value in peace of mind that occupants in the vehicle are about as safe as technology will allow. The XC60 is no exception. Standard safety gear includes an active all-wheel-drive system, dynamic stability with traction control, hill decent control, antilock brakes with brake assist and roll stability control. My tester also had the optional blind spot information system, a lane departure warning system as well as a rear park assist camera.

Not to be outdone by others claiming simple, pedestrian safety features, my Volvo XC60 tester featured a completely new system called City Safety.

Standard on all XC60 models, City Safety prevents collisions or minimize damage from collisions occurring at speeds of 19 mph or less.

Volvo says 75 percent of all reported collisions occur at speeds of less than 19 mph, and in half of these cases, the driver didn't brake at all. The Volvo system detects when a driver is about to impact another vehicle in front of it. If the system computes that the driver is not responding adequately then it automatically applies the brakes.

Based on the exterior styling of the XC60, one could add the new look to the list of safe, yet stylish features. Because it sits higher than a sedan and offers a steeply raked windshield angle, sightlines are really good for the XC60. Volvo's new curvy fashion cues are prevalent on the XC60 and the roofline gently flows from front to back and into a steep drop off at the rear end.

Getting most of the attention will be the classic Volvo egg-crate grille that ties in nicely with the sweeping headlights. Even with the attractive 18-inch alloy rims, the XC60 is not aggressive looking, but rather graceful and sophisticated.

Inside the cabin of the XC60 you will find a refined and fitted space suited for family and friends, clients and equipment. My tester featured an exquisite two-tone leather combo with light oak trim. Power-adjustable front seats and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel deliver perfect driving positions up front. In the rear, passengers will enjoy nice head and leg room. The XC60 can handle five adults.

I thought the visibility of all the gauges was excellent. While most of the controls are easy to reach, I found the center stack buttons to be tiny, which made it difficult to hit the right one while driving. Helping to open up the cabin was an enormous panoramic glass roof.

My tester had a base price of $37,200. A multimedia package, featuring an amazing Dynaudio Premium Sound with Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound, a navigation system and the previously mentioned rear park camera, added $2,700. A less indulgent, but no less essential, climate package added another $1,000. This Chicago winter essential added front and rear heated seats (remember it's leather), heated windshield washer fluid, high-pressure headlight spray and an interior air quality system.

Larger cargo will fit in the back, where the XC60 offers a useful 30.8 cubic feet of space. That number expands to 67.4 cubic feet when you fold the back seats flat.

There is only one engine for the Volvo XC60, a turbocharged T6. This is a dependable 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder (281 horsepower and 295 poundfeet of torque) mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy estimates 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. While this is still going to keep you stopping at the pumps, these numbers are about the same as the best in this luxury class.

The XC60 is a hefty 4,174 pounds, which helps it stay planted, and safer, on the road. I enjoyed driving my tester around town and on the highway.

Given the weight, the engine still snaps to attention and easily keeps up with the left lane on tollways.

Towing capacity is 3,300 pounds and the new trailer stability assist feature offers the driver added control by slowing the swaying tendencies that can sometimes occur when towing.

Overall, the XC60 delivers exactly what you think you should be getting from a Volvo costing $42,250. It is uncompromisingly safe, refined and classy while maintaining a newer, more contemporary exterior shape. Families looking for an upscale ride ought not pass up the XC60.

2010 VOLVO XC60

ENGINE: 218-horsepower 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder

TRANSMISSION: six-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: all-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 16 city/22 highway

BASE PRICE: $37,200

AS TESTED: $42,250

WEB SITE: www.Volvo.com

John Stein

John Stein grew up in an extended family that valued the art of going fast. Spending plenty of weekends at U.S. 30 Drag Strip and Sante Fe Speedway, he fondly remembers the screaming machines and the flying mud that made those long-gone racing havens such special memories. With plenty of late nights spent ‘tinkering’ with cars throughout high school, he never anticipated his interest cars and his love for writing might find a common ground. After graduating from Eastern Illinois University in 1988, John started writing for the weekly Southtown Economist. So, when the Economist went to a daily in 1994, and needed an auto editor, John took the proverbial steering wheel. Featured weekly in the Sun-Times and its 17 suburban publications, as well as ELITE Magazine, John balances being the Automotive Editor for Sun-Time Media with being a husband and dad in Plainfield, Illinois.

2010 Volvo XC60 Review

2010 Volvo XC60 - Safety first.

John Stein

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