New Volvo XC60 B5 facelift review: Scandi SUV is starting to feel a bit senior
The Volvo XC60 B5 is still a stylish SUV, but it struggles to keep up with the much younger competition
Verdict
The Volvo XC60 is starting to show its age alongside more modern rivals. The updated look gives it a newfound sense of style, which matched to the Scandi-cool cabin and spacious rear seats ensure the Swedish SUV isn’t without appeal. But it’s not as soft as a Mercedes GLC, nor as sporty as a BMW X3, and despite the in-built Google tech and a slicker central screen, the lack of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is unacceptable in this day and age. The T6 plug-in hybrid version will make more sense to most buyers, too.
The mid-size premium SUV class is one that’s undergone pretty drastic change over the last few years. The Lexus NX and Mercedes GLC arrived within a few months of one another, while Audi’s multi-pronged, multi-fuel attack materialised more recently with the hybrid Q5 and electric Q6 e-tron. BMW’s latest X3 also stands proud in this particular market.
One model was left languishing, however; Volvo’s XC60 was revealed to the public in 2017 and has had very little in the way of updates since. But like the larger XC90, Volvo’s X3 alternative has been given a stay of execution to keep the car relevant until the firm goes EV-only towards the end of the decade. Cue a series of changes that Volvo hopes will keep customers coming back while it waits for the market to mature.
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Key to the tweaks is a subtle new look inside and out. The front end has been modernised with a new grille – similar to that found on the 2025 XC90 – and revamped logo, while the rear lights have a darker tint to them. A selection of new wheels and colours – including our car’s Mulberry Red – complete the design revisions.
Inside, the old car’s dinky infotainment system set into the dashboard is gone, replaced by an 11.2-inch display that sits proud of the fascia. A cynic might suggest that it looks a lot like a tablet fixed in place with superglue, but the framed design has its ergonomic benefits – making it much easier to grip and operate on the move.
The system runs Google Automotive, which – as we’ve found in other Volvo and Polestar models – works really well. The app integration is slick and includes things like Google Maps and Google Assistant built in; Volvo claims the set-up requires fewer taps to operate key functions, and the display icons are big and bright.
But restricting users to a wired Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connection feels particularly stingy, especially given there’s a wireless phone charger beneath the main screen. Hook up your device and it’ll stream certain services into the main instrument display, however – meaning you can run media in the middle and maps behind the steering wheel, or vice versa.
Elsewhere, the XC60 continues to set itself apart from rivals, thanks to its Scandinavian-inspired interior, with clean, high-quality materials and plenty of practical touches. Our car’s Cardamom Quilted Nordico leather-free trim is a welcome change from the sea of black you’ll find in myriad competitor cars, while the optional (£1,195) panoramic roof further lightens the comfortable-feeling cabin.
Yet comfortable isn’t a word you’d use to describe this latest XC60 – at least not around town and at low speeds. Our Plus-trim car (one rung up from the base Core, sitting beneath Plus Pro and Ultra) had the standard 19-inch wheels, yet the ride felt brittle over rough surfaces – almost as if the suspension and dampers couldn’t keep up.
Then, as you push on, the car pitches and rolls with a floaty feeling that prevents any sense of connection with what’s going on beneath you. On a particularly bumpy back road this can feel quite disconcerting, encouraging a gentler driving style than you might deem appropriate in the BMW, or even a Mercedes. On the flip side, it means the XC60 can cosset its occupants quite nicely on the motorway, with reasonable refinement adding to the experience.
Safety is, as ever, a Volvo strong point, with a list of kit including ‘Oncoming Lane Mitigation’ – a system that can automatically steer you out of the path of oncoming traffic. Most of it operates without significant intrusion, though on one occasion the car’s Cross Traffic Alert jammed on the brakes so forcefully – and unnecessarily, might we add – it managed to switch on an electric toothbrush hidden in a bag in the boot. Not ideal.
Then there’s the engine – a 2.0-litre turbo petrol fitted with mild-hybrid tech, sending drive to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. If you’re after a semi-skimmed electric experience, this is not the powertrain for you. The MHEV system does little more than help cut the engine at junctions and traffic lights; there’s no EV-only running, and with an average of 37mpg, the set-up has seemingly little impact on fuel consumption.
It settles down nicely at a cruise, but can appear quite coarse under load. It doesn’t feel that fast either; despite posting punchier numbers than the equivalent X3 or Q5, the slow-to-respond auto gearbox makes it feel less urgent on kickdown.
We’d therefore recommend stepping up to the superior T6 plug-in hybrid. Not only do you get the benefit of silent, cost-effective all-electric running (up to 50 miles), the added power and torque from the e-motor also fill the flat spots left by the often-hesitant transmission. As such, it’s a much more enjoyable car to live with.
Elsewhere, the XC60 remains a spacious family car – especially for those in the back seats. The boot isn’t as big as rivals’, but it’s still a reasonable size and shape, and the 40:20:40 split-fold rear bench allows you to post longer items through the middle without compromising comfort for those in the two outer chairs. Our car was even fitted with a temporary spare wheel under the boot floor.
As mentioned, Plus is the second of four trim levels available on the updated XC60. All cars come with twin screens inside, a reversing camera, wireless phone charging and dual-zone climate control. Plus commands a premium of just over £5k, and brings slightly sportier styling, a Harmon Kardon stereo, extra interior lighting and more.
Plus Pro is another £4,000, adding front-seat ventilation, upgraded headlights and bigger wheels. Top-spec Ultra (from £62,740) gets all the bells and whistles, with a panoramic roof, Bowers & Wilkins sound system, plus a massage function for the front seats.
| Model: | Volvo XC60 B5 AWD Plus |
| Price: | £53,740 |
| On sale: | Now |
| Power/torque: | 247bhp/360Nm |
| Transmission: | Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel drive |
| 0-62mph: | 6.9 seconds |
| Top speed: | 112mph |
| Economy: | 37.2mpg |
| CO2: | 173g/km |
| Dimensions (L/W/H): | 4,708/1,902/1,658mm |
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