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Is Volvo’s middle SUV its finest?
Volvo made no bones about its all-new XC90 flagship SUV when it arrived a few years ago, its little Euro Car of the Year XC40 neither. But this new XC60 sneaked onto the local market with hardly a whimper.
A bit of a surprise – especially considering the middle sibling trumped little brother with the 2018 World Car of the Year gong.
What’s more is considering XC60s 98% Adult Occupant Euro NCAP crash test result, one could quite easily say that this is the safest car on the road. Fortunately our regimen excludes testing its Scalable Platform Architecture’s crash resistance, but it’s gratifying to know that you have the likes of Autonomous Braking, Oncoming Lane Mitigation, Blind Spot Information and optional semi-autonomous Pilot Assist on your XC60 batting line-up.
We had the bigger 173kW 480Nm D5 2-litre turbodiesel on test – quiet, unassuming and efficient, it drives the default Volvo 8-speed Automatic and all four wheels. Performance is on the better side of good in this neck of the woods at 7.3 seconds to 100km/h and a mighty frugal 5.5l/100km.
Boasting exceptional ride quality and progressive handling and road-holding, XC60 D5 truly is a carefree car to drive, while its latest incarnation of Volvo’s contemporary cabin is a super place to drive and it certainly looks the part – typical Volvo but in its own specific character – quite refreshing in today’s China doll motoring world.
In all, the Volvo XC60 was a pleasant surprise – its World Car of the Year and leading NCAP score confirm that and in spite of a secretive existence so far, take it with salt that it’s a brilliant package all-round – good enough for me to secretly admit I think it’s the best of Volvo’s quite special SUV range right now.
QUICK TEST: Volvo XC 60 D5 AWD Inscription
Engine: 173kW 480Nm 1969cc turbo diesel I4
Drive: 8-speed automatic AWD
TESTED:
0-100km/h: 7.30 sec
0-160km/h: 17.92 sec
400m: 15.1 sec @ 148km/h
80-120km/h: 5.05 sec
120-160km/h: 7.88 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 220km/h
Fuel: 5.5 l/100km
CO2: 144 g/km
Warranty/Service 5y 100K/5y 100Kkm
LIST PRICE: R787K
RATED: 86%