Review: 2010 Volvo XC60

Volvo has built its reputation on safety. Ever since the Swedish carmaker opened its doors in 1927, it has built automobiles that are rock solid and can withstand a mighty wallop. But over the last few years, the Swedes have been working overtime on a new generation of active safety features, including adaptive cruise control and brake assist, elevating its commitment to saving lives to a whole new level.

The all-new 2010 Volvo XC60 is said to be "the safest Volvo so far." It competes in the growing premium compact-crossover segment and offers every safety feature in the automaker's arsenal, plus one: City Safety, an accident-avoidance system designed for urban fairways. The XC60 is also attractive, has lots of usable space inside, is comfy as all get-out, is as agile as a Volvo can be, and is quite powerful.

Model Lineup
The 2010 Volvo XC60 is offered in only one model, called T6 AWD. Standard features include leather upholstery; cruise control; dual-zone automatic climate control; eight-way power adjustable front seats; a tilt/telescoping steering wheel; memory for the driver's seat; power windows, door locks and heated exterior mirrors; remote keyless entry; fog lights; front and rear skidplates; roof rails; an auto-dimming rearview mirror; a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob; a 160-watt AM/FM/CD/HD radio; an auxiliary input jack; a USB port; and 18-inch aluminum wheels.

Volvo offers a Technology Package with a 650-watt Dynaudio surround sound audio system, a six-disc CD changer, a navigation system with real-time traffic and a rearview camera. Also offered are a two-panel panoramic sunroof, adaptive headlights, heated front and rear seats, a power tailgate, a Bluetooth cell phone interface and SIRIUS Satellite Radio.

The XC60's safety story is a long one. Standard equipment includes dual threshold front airbags; side-curtain airbags; front-side airbags; a tire-pressure monitor; active front head restraints; anti-lock brakes with brake assist and Fading Brake Support; traction control; and electronic stability control with Roll Stability Control. Also standard are Hill Descent Control and Volvo's new City Safety feature. City Safety works at 19 mph and less and is meant to prevent rear-end collisions. It uses a laser to read traffic ahead. If the vehicle is closing too quickly and the driver does not respond, it applies the brakes to avoid or mitigate the severity of a collision. During our recent test drive, we found it works exactly as advertised.

Numerous optional safety features are available for the XC60. Stand-alone options include integrated second-row child booster seats, Trailer Stability Assist, Volvo's Blind Spot Information System, and Volvo's Personal Car Communicator with heartbeat sensor and keyless drive. A Collision Avoidance Package is also available that adds Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Warning with Auto Brake, Distance Alert, Driver Alert Control and Lane Departure Warning.

Under the Hood
The XC60 comes with Volvo's new 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine. Based on the 3.2-liter V6 used in other Volvos, this engine adds a twin-scroll turbocharger and produces 281 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Maximum torque starts at 1500 rpm and continues throughout most of the rev range. The lone transmission is a six-speed automatic with Volvo's Geartronic manual shift capability. EPA fuel economy ratings are 15/22 (city/hwy).

All XC60s come with Volvo's All-Wheel Drive with Instant Traction. This system is front biased. Under normal driving conditions it sends 100 percent of the power to the front wheels. When slip is detected, up to 50 percent of the torque can go to the rear wheels.

Though Volvo officials wouldn't confirm it, we expect a model with Volvo's 235-horsepower 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive to be produced in the future.

Inner Space
The XC60 offers an attractive, premium environment. The areas of personal contact — the seats, armrests, center console and even the dashboard — have solid, soft-touch surfaces. The seats are comfortable and supportive. Standard power seat adjustments and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel make for easy access to a natural driving position, and drivers have plenty of headroom and legroom. Visibility all around is quite good, thanks to large side mirrors and rear pillars that don't intrude too much. Rear-seat occupants have good headroom, but legroom is a bit cramped when tall drivers are riding up front.

Volvo aims for a cockpit feel by tilting the center stack toward the driver, thus making every control easy to reach. However, the news isn't all good — some of the controls are a bit odd. Vehicle settings are changed via a small grouping of buttons on the center stack but the display is on the top of the dash, so eyes have to look back and forth to make adjustments. The available navigation system is controlled by either a toggle switch and a couple of buttons on the back of the steering wheel or by a remote control. It is much easier to use the remote. The navigation screen is also small compared to most other navigation screens on the market today.

Storage for small items is decent. The center console is deep but not large, and drivers can drop items in the cupholders behind the shifter. Bottle holders are provided in each door. There is a small tray in front of the slim center stack, but it's hard to reach and is basically wasted space.

Luggage capacity behind the second-row seats measures a respectable 30.8 cubic feet, and that expands to 67.4 cubic feet with the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats down. By comparison, the BMW X3 has 71.0 cubic feet, the Acura RDX 60.6 cubic feet, and the Infiniti EX35 only 55.7 cubic feet of cargo volume. The XC60's rear cargo area is made more useful by a low, wide opening, a flat load floor, an available fold-flat front passenger seat, and a standard pop-up grocery bag holder.

On the Road
One of the reasons crossover SUVs are becoming popular is their car-like handling and ride characteristics. The XC60 delivers in this regard, offering a pleasant driving experience. It uses a shorter, modified version of the architecture that underpins the S80 sedan and XC70 wagon/crossover. Compared to the XC70, the XC60 is 8.3 inches shorter and 1.1 inches wider. It also has 9.1 inches of ground clearance, which is 0.8 inches higher than the XC70 and more than any premium compact SUV competitor by at least 1.1 inches.

Volvo made only vehicles equipped with the base suspension and standard 18-inch wheels available for testing. Nineteen-inch wheels are available as a dealer accessory, and Volvo's adjustable Four-C chassis system will be offered later in the model year. Four-C will have Comfort, Advanced and Sport settings that the driver can choose to suit driving conditions.

The base suspension works fine. It offers reasonably sporty handling and a smooth ride. On the twisty mountain roads outside of Valencia, Spain, bumps never jarred and the XC60 was able to hustle through corners with confidence. It reacted readily to steering inputs and felt fairly nimble. The considerable ground clearance, while a boon to off-road capability, is a bit of a detriment to handling. While the XC60 doesn't have a lot of cornering lean, it does have some, so drivers of carsick-prone passengers should consider this before attacking many switchbacks. If sportiness is a driver's main desire the XC60 is capable, but the BMW X3 Infiniti EX35 and Acura RDX are better.

The XC60's base steering works fine, too. Volvo offers adjustable steering feel as an option. It has three settings that get progressively more firm. The difference in feel between each isn't substantial and none of the settings feels truly sporty; they just get heavier. Still, with or without the adjustability, the XC60's steering feel is always communicative and appropriate for a crossover SUV.

Volvo initially brings the XC60 to market with a premium level of equipment and a premium engine — probably Volvo's best. Engine and road noise are subdued during cruising, and even under full throttle the engine doesn't intrude on normal conversation. Zero to 60 mph comes in a brisk 7.1 seconds and power is always readily accessible with no detectable turbo lag. Drivers can use the Geartronic manual shift capability to keep the engine revs up, but it can only be controlled through the gearshift.

Right for You?
SUVs began replacing the station wagon 15 years ago and today's compact crossovers are a more reasonable alternative — they are today's super station wagons. The XC60 can haul a family of five comfortably, with enough room for their vacation equipment. It drives like a car, offers the confidence and capability of all-wheel drive, and has a powerful engine. If safety is a major concern, the XC60's standard and optional safety features put it over the top compared to some very fine competitors.

Kirk Bell has served as the associate publisher for Consumer Guide Automotive and editor of Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine. A Midwest native, Bell brings 18 years of automotive journalism experience to MSN, and currently contributes to JDPower.com and Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.

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