The XC60 is quick, pleasant and benefited from Volvo's latest safety advances of the time. While handling is sound and secure, the mid-sized SUV is not exactly sporty to drive. Further, fuel economy is mediocre and some controls are not intuitive. While interior fit and finish are impressive, rear-seat room is only sufficient.
Despite the surplus of go-power, the XC60 T6 isn't fun to drive. While other compact European luxury SUVs, like the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC, are all a hoot to hustle through corners, the Volvo is more reluctant. The steering actually communicates with the driver, telling what the front wheels are doing, but it's slow to listen to the driver's side of the conversation. Responses are measured, rather than quick-witted.
At least that exchange is civilized, unlike the XC60's ride. Clearly, Volvo struggles with understanding that, unlike Sweden, American roads have bumps. And most Volvo models telegraph every single jostle and ruffle to the car's passengers.
Things get better inside. There's a certain flair to the cabin, a subdued Scandinavian luxury that is the opposite of IKEA's day-glow blue and yellow showrooms. Thick leather, dense carpet, and low-key slabs of walnut highlight the interior. Soft-touch dashboard materials have an odd rhinoceros-like texture, which at least provides a break from the more-typical faux bovine skin.
Sitting up front provides a panoramic view, with a wide cabin and a big wrap-around windshield. Front roof pillars are impressively narrow -- especially notable since the XC60 does great in roof crush testing (more on safety later). While many compact luxury SUVs have a squinty view out of a tiny rear window, the Volvo's back glass is tall. Thick-ish rear roof pillars still create blind spots to the corners, but that's par for the course.
The XC60's older infotainment system takes a lot of twirling of a selector knob to move through on-screen menus, and not everything is intuitive. But oddly enough, this old-tech system is utilitarian and easier to navigate when driving than the fancy new system, which is inscrutable and relies on too much screen swiping to do what you want.
Thickly padded but with no flabbiness, the front seats are long-haul-trip supportive. However, at this price, the lumbar adjustment should change for height as well as pressure. (Maybe we shouldn't complain; after all, Volvo just recently figured out how to make this adjustment powered.) Wider drivers might also find the optional Contour seats too aggressively bolstered.
Rear-seat room is relatively tight, but the cargo area is spacious. Built-in rear seat booster cushions remain a Volvo exclusive, allowing parents with appropriately aged children to skip a booster seat.
You can't discuss Volvo without mentioning safety, a hallmark of the brand. The XC60 aces crash tests, including the difficult Insurance Institute for Highway Safety small offset test. But many rivals can make that same claim as well.
However, unlike most of its competitors, the XC60 comes standard with City Safety, an automatic emergency braking system that can help prevent low-speed crashes, including ones with pedestrians. Full-speed automatic braking and forward-collision warning remain optional, as part of the Technology package.
When it comes to luxury car status, Volvo isn't yet on par with the other European marques. That doesn't exactly make the XC60 a bargain either, because of its stiff ride, behind-the-times infotainment system and so-so refinement. Beyond its crash-test results and attractive pricing, the XC60 doesn't really shine, especially among a surplus of newer choices.