It’s hard to believe that not too long ago Volvo was floundering – more by way of what its future held than with regard to product – and now, with each successive model release they continue to impress and wow drivers.
The new SUV replaces Volvo’s highly-successful original XC60. In the nine years since its launch. The XC60 became the best-selling premium mid-sized SUV in Europe with one million units sold globally. The XC60 today represents around 30% of Volvo’s total global sales and is also Volvo’s best-selling vehicle in South Africa. It competes strongly with German brands VW and BMW. Ironically when viewed from a certain angle it reflects some of the design features of the X2 (not its direct competitor) with less angular characteristics than the previous incarnation.
The new XC60, is claimed to be one of the safest cars ever made as it is fully-loaded with new technology. When tested by Euro NCAP in 2017 it received the highest score of all new vehicles tested, with a near-perfect 98% in the Adult Occupant category.
Having recently moved out of S60 Polestar as a personal car the technology deployed isn’t entirely unfamiliar but what did surprise is just how much it has advanced with the XC60. This is particularly with the ‘pilot assist’ option – more on this later.
It’s worth being reminded of what the car offers – Volvo’s City Safety Autonomous Emergency Braking system now has steering support for when automatic braking alone may not help avoid a potential collision. In addition, Oncoming Lane Mitigation with Steer Assist (which helps detect and prevent head-on collisions) and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Steer Assist functionality, has been added to reduce the risk of lane-changing collisions.
For one who wants to gain some insight into the future of autonomous vehicles, the XC60 is a way of ‘wetting ones feet’. The test vehicle was equipped with Pilot Assist, Volvo’s advanced semi-autonomous driver assistance system. It takes care of steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130 km/h, is available in the new XC60 as an option.
Using it is an exercise of ‘faith’ and to a degree a little disconcerting – particularly when allowing the vehicle to track between the lanes off which the camera takes its bearing. Some points of interest on its use are worth noting:
- The system – after the hands are off the wheel for a certain time – advises that it is about to disengage.
- Comparing to some vehicles the XC60 seems to “drift less” between the lanes as it seeks to steer itself. Apparently a lot less erratic than those systems.
- When pushed at higher speeds around bends it never felt safe enough to trust that the vehicle would ‘keep the space’. Frankly I felt apprehensive about pushing this.
The test unit was the T6, a model that is equipped with the best performing engine. It delivers healthy performance all round but lacks some of the ‘sports like’ finesse competitors possess.
In SA the XC60 is available with two diesel engines (D4 and D5) and two petrol (T5 and T6). These are all mated to an 8-speed Automatic AWD gearbox. Customers can choose from three trim levels: elegant Momentum, sporty R-Design and the luxurious top-of-the-range Inscription.
While the XC60 ticks all the boxes from a technological perspective there are some areas in which it could be better. Pairing of cell phones – in my case the Iphone – was difficult and took several attempts for the system to recognise a new device.
More than that temporary ‘hitch’ was the fact that the command centre is busy, complex and distracting. Personally I prefer the systems the Germans use which makes for a far safer drive.
Click here to read more MasterTests
