Review

Our Volvo XC60 R-Design Pro plug-in hybrid has more than 60 items of specification as standard, before the option packs are added, as pointed out in April.

The ones that immediately stand out are its advanced driver assistance systems, which combine to make the buyer more aware of their surroundings than ever before.

Volvo has a vision of no-one being killed in its new cars from 2020 and declared it will soon limit the top speed of its cars to 112mph (180kph), and the Swedish brand’s long-held reputation for taking safety seriously is certainly upheld by the XC60.

AM’s car has the Intellisafe Pro pack, which minimises the chance of hitting something and maximises protection should another vehicle hit it. 

For just £40 extra on the buyer’s monthly payment, this pack gives them systems that alert the driver and automatically brake the car when detecting cars, cyclists and pedestrians pulling out in front of it and vehicles crossing behind when it’s reversing out of parking spaces.

It also includes adaptive cruise control, which works in partnership with road sign alert to slow the car accordingly if the road’s speed limit changes, and the clever Pilot Assist which helps the driver keep the car centred in their lane.

Volvo is trialling fully autonomous cars and the technology already available proves the benefits of such thinking, even if widespread use of fully self-driving cars is years away yet.

And while safety has long been a selling point for Volvo, the XC60 shows it does style too. 

Factsheet
Price: £65,870 including options
Engine: 2.0 litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrid, 400BHP
Performance: 0-62mph in 5.2 secs, top speed 140mph
Fuel efficiency: 104.6 mpg
Emissions: 60G/KM (WLTP)