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Volvo XC60 DRIVe road test report

DRIVe

Volvo has wrought a number of changes on the XC60 DRIVe to make it cleaner and greener than its standard diesel-engined compact SUV. Most obvious of these is to ditch four-wheel drive in favour of front-drive only, which helps the DRIVe model be only a shade slower off the mark than the D5 model that is 30bhp more powerful.

Road Test Reports Says 4 star rating
A front-facing image of the Volvo XC60 DRIVe

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ALISDAIR SAYS

Performance Performance - 4 stars

Volvo has wrought a number of changes on the XC60 DRIVe to make it cleaner and greener than its standard diesel-engined compact SUV. Most obvious of these is to ditch four-wheel drive in favour of front-drive only, which helps the DRIVe model be only a shade slower off the mark than the D5 model that is 30bhp more powerful. With 173bhp from its 2.4-litre, five-cylinder turbodiesel engine, the DRIVe model manages 0-62mph in 9.8 seconds and feels very strong through the gears when asked to accelerate hard. Otherwise, the engine is happy to pull strongly in sixth gear, whether you pick the manual or automatic gearbox. With the same 309lb ft of shove as the D5 engine, it’s little wonder the DRIVe model feel little different to its four-wheel drive sister model.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 4 stars

The change to front-wheel drive has no effect on the comfort of the XC60 in DRIVe format. It smoothes out the worst of roads with a confident calm that few of its rivals come close to yet it avoids feeling like a floating pontoon in a swell. It’s a welcome trait of the XC60’s and what makes it one of the most desirable cars in this class. There’s also plenty of grip in corners, even without four-wheel drive to help with traction, and the DRIVe model feel every bit as secure and stable-footed on tarmac. Only a little tug at the steering wheel due to the amount of power and urge going through only the front wheels gives the game away. As for no four-wheel drive, it makes little difference to the XC60 in town and few owners will venture off-road where the lack of all-wheel drive shows up.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 5 stars

Top grade materials are used throughout the XC60 DRIVe and this model shares its interior parts, and many of its mechanical components, with the rest of the XC60 range and other Volvo models. This bodes very well for the XC60 DRIVe. The only point to bear in mind is the front tyres are likely to wear more quickly as they have to cope with all of the engine’s power without help from the rear wheels.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 5 stars

This is Volvo’s safest car ever, and that’s saying something. As well as the twin front, side and curtain airbags, ESP traction and stability control, ABS anti-lock brakes, anti-whiplash headrests and chunky bodywork, the XC60 comes with Volvo’s City Safe technology. This monitors the traffic in front and if it senses an impending accident, it will warn the driver. If the driver still doesn’t react, the system will brake the car to an emergency stop at speeds of up to 18mph. Above that speed, the system will still work but it cannot guarantee to completely stop the car, though Volvo points out the system will still help lessen the effects of any impact.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 5 stars

The high-set driving position of the XC60 remains intact in the DRIVe version, so the driver has a great view forward and all-round. Comfort is among the best of any car on sale thanks to a brilliant seat and plenty of adjustment. There’s also loads of space for the driver and front passenger, while those in the rear are well catered for too. A large boot is more than up to family matters, and being a Volvo there are neat touches such as easy to fold rear seats that leave a large, flat load bay. With the seats up, there’s 495-litres of cargo space, while flattening the rear seats creates a vast 1455-litre area.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 4 stars

The initial cost of buying an XC60 DRIVe is pricier than some of the competition, though the Swede is cheaper than most of its rivals from Germany. After buying one, the savings come with fine economy of 47.1mpg (40.9mpg for the auto) and emissions of 159g/km (183g/km as an auto) which means the XC60 DRIVe is easy on road tax and company car tax for private and business users respectively. The popularity of the XC60 looks set to follow its XC90 big brother, so used values should wear well, while group 13 insurance for all DRIVe models is cheaper than most other XC60 variants. Volvo provides a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty and service intervals come at 18,000 miles, so you shouldn’t need to spend much time at the dealership. The DRIVe model comes in the same S, SE, SE Lux and SE Lux Premium trims as the rest of the XC60 range with the same levels of equipment.

Submitted: 20/10/2009 14:37:32

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