2014 Volvo XC60 | new car review
Review Summary:
Volvo has updated the XC60 for 2014, with some cosmetic changes to the front, and some new materials on the dash. The whole compact crossover segment is an increasingly competitive one. While looks are important, the main reason why people buy them is for their practicality.
Pros
The practicality aspect of the XC60
The interior is spacious and comfortable
Cons
Price when compared to Japanese rivals
Looks
It is very difficult to make any form of crossover car look good. There’s always that danger of designing a car that can’t decide what it actually is, and you end up with a freak. But a bit of liberation with the pencil is all it takes to churn out a decent-looking one; the 2014 Volvo XC60 is exactly that. It is the clear younger brother of the XC90, but has its own charm. The tidy rear-arrangement sits well and the sloping lines to the front give it a nice, sporty feel.
Feels
The 2014 Volvo XC60 shares the same interior as pretty much all other Volvo’s; it’s classy, simplistic, and not very fussy. The interesting thing is that, because it’s slightly larger than its main rival, the VW Tiguan, it doesn’t feel so freakish. It feels like the tallest kid in the class. It has a right to be quietly smug towards its peers. It’s almost as if it thinks it should be fighting bigger, proper SUV’s.
Engineering
As you would imagine the XC60 is incredibly well made, with a large emphasis having been placed on safety. It achieved 5 stars in the European NCAP test, with a 94% passing result for passengers…that is impressive. It’s engineered like a proper SUV, as the seats fold flat, there’s plenty of clever design, and the standard features list makes for very satisfying reading.
What’s on offer?
You have quite a good choice when it comes to the XC60, as there are several versions available in the UAE. The entry model, the T5 Sport Plus, starts at AED 149,900. At the other end of the list you will find the T5 R-Design, complete with sunroof, parking camera, and 20” Ixion alloy wheels, priced at AED 189,900. All models come with a 4-cylinder turbo-charged engine that emits 240hp and 320Nm of torque.
Summing it…
The XC60 has been Volvo’s best selling car in recent years, and it is easy to fathom why. Not only is it spacious, tough, and practical, but also fiendishly well-equipped. When compared to its European rivals, such as the Tiguan, then it is the winner hands-down. But when compared to the products from Japan, mainly the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, the XC60 seems horrifically expensive. Yes you get a lot for your money, but in terms of how many passengers you can transport and engine performance figures being nearly the same, it’s no wonder you don’t see that many of them driving around the UAE. That’s a shame.
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