Volvo XC60 review

Not all that long ago, Volvo was viewed very much as an affordable estate-focused alternative to the premium German triumvirate of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Well, these days, Volvo isn't simply knocking on the door of that exclusive club – it's partying hard inside.

Of course, when your pricetag starts to reflect your premium ambitions, your product needs to match up, too, and that's the challenge faced by the Volvo XC60. Based on the same platform that underpins Volvo’s flagship XC90 luxury SUV, the XC60 has five seats instead of seven, and is shorter and several thousand pounds cheaper.

The original XC60 of 2008-2016 was a big hit and even picked up our SUV of the Year award. However, this latest model is up against much tougher competition than its predecessor, the best of which includes the Audi Q5, Land Rover Discovery Sport and, more recently, the DS 7 Crossback.

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Is the XC60 up to the challenge? What are its strengths and weaknesses? And which engines and trims make the most sense? Read on over the next few pages for all the answers.

And if you decide the XC60 is for you, don't forget to check out our New Car Buying pages. You could save a small fortune without any awkward haggling.