Volvo XC60 which one?
Discussion
Still looking for a higher ground clearance car than my lovely M340D, as venture onto gravel tracks and muddy verges quite a bit and the BMW just does not have the ground clearance.
X3 would be the answer but trying to find one with the same spec as mine is impossible as have radar cruise and HUD which are almost becoming essential to my driving but for some reason no-one specs the driving assistant pro on the X3.
Where as the XC60 in top level trim comes with all the toys I desire, I know the driving experience is not a par on the 340D but some compromise has to be made.
But am stuck on which engine to go for, the B5 petrol, B4 diesel or the T8 PHEV?
X3 would be the answer but trying to find one with the same spec as mine is impossible as have radar cruise and HUD which are almost becoming essential to my driving but for some reason no-one specs the driving assistant pro on the X3.
Where as the XC60 in top level trim comes with all the toys I desire, I know the driving experience is not a par on the 340D but some compromise has to be made.
But am stuck on which engine to go for, the B5 petrol, B4 diesel or the T8 PHEV?
I've got a 2022 XC60 in B4 diesel guise. Just about to go in for it's 2yr service and I've done 31k miles in comfort - you trade any ounce of sportiness for comfy adjustable seats, good driving position, every toy I could need and more, and compliant suspension/tyres that soak up potholes and bumps.
Yes, the engine is gruff and not as smooth as 4 cylinder equivalents from Audi and Mercedes (I've had both), but I get 40mpg+ everywhere and it's fine.
Dependent on your annual mileage and budget one of the other options may suit better - the B4 diesel was the best choice for me.
P.S. just in case you were thinking brand new, Volvo no longer make new diesels...
Yes, the engine is gruff and not as smooth as 4 cylinder equivalents from Audi and Mercedes (I've had both), but I get 40mpg+ everywhere and it's fine.
Dependent on your annual mileage and budget one of the other options may suit better - the B4 diesel was the best choice for me.
P.S. just in case you were thinking brand new, Volvo no longer make new diesels...
yellowbentines said:
I've got a 2022 XC60 in B4 diesel guise. Just about to go in for it's 2yr service and I've done 31k miles in comfort - you trade any ounce of sportiness for comfy adjustable seats, good driving position, every toy I could need and more, and compliant suspension/tyres that soak up potholes and bumps.
Yes, the engine is gruff and not as smooth as 4 cylinder equivalents from Audi and Mercedes (I've had both), but I get 40mpg+ everywhere and it's fine.
Dependent on your annual mileage and budget one of the other options may suit better - the B4 diesel was the best choice for me.
P.S. just in case you were thinking brand new, Volvo no longer make new diesels...
Thanks, drive about 15K miles a year, mostly journeys of 30-40 miles, work commute is 12 miles, so a diesel is only getting up to temp by the time I get there.Yes, the engine is gruff and not as smooth as 4 cylinder equivalents from Audi and Mercedes (I've had both), but I get 40mpg+ everywhere and it's fine.
Dependent on your annual mileage and budget one of the other options may suit better - the B4 diesel was the best choice for me.
P.S. just in case you were thinking brand new, Volvo no longer make new diesels...
+1 on checking the seats. I have an Inscription with the 'multi-adjustable' seats which include the seat base extender that pushes out towards your knees. Sadly, when extended it leave a really uncomfortable hollow beneath your thighs.
These fancy seats add a lot of weight, and if only one person drives the car they never get adjusted anyway.
These fancy seats add a lot of weight, and if only one person drives the car they never get adjusted anyway.
J-62 said:
+1 on checking the seats. I have an Inscription with the 'multi-adjustable' seats which include the seat base extender that pushes out towards your knees. Sadly, when extended it leave a really uncomfortable hollow beneath your thighs.
These fancy seats add a lot of weight, and if only one person drives the car they never get adjusted anyway.
Yes, definitely check the seats - I also found the R-Design uncomfortable and too firm and narrow, however I love the seats in my Inscription and whilst I've read loads of reports saying the same as the above regarding the seat extender, I've never had any such issue - I think it all comes down to your height, weight and body shape.These fancy seats add a lot of weight, and if only one person drives the car they never get adjusted anyway.
I bought my Volvo specifically as I couldn't stand the seats in my previous Q5 which I got rid of after only 5 months, so I was very picky about seat comfort when choosing the Inscription.
I would agree that the base Momentum seats are perfectly nice seats and would be happy to have a Momentum trim with a few options/packs.
Also keen to hear people's thoughts on this one - a T8 is a strong contender for replacing our ageing Audi SQ5...
This looks quite intriguing: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-20...
This looks quite intriguing: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-20...
As above it’s well worth an extended test drive before committing to anything.
I had a 2021 R Design, the seats caused me no end of back issues and I ended up giving it back early (company car).
I’m now in a Polestar 2 with the standard seats and can drive it all day (if the battery doesn’t run out!)
I had a 2021 R Design, the seats caused me no end of back issues and I ended up giving it back early (company car).
I’m now in a Polestar 2 with the standard seats and can drive it all day (if the battery doesn’t run out!)
I spent a bit of time looking at these before buying one (2020 R-Design Pro T8).
Would agree on the seats, I came from a V60 Inscription pro with the perforated leather seats and they were far nicer that the R-Design ones, with adjustable side bolsters. The R-Design is fine for me, and the standard 'Momentum' seats are ok too, but the Inscription ones really were a step above.
Re. spec, I *think* that the Pro spec adds air suspension as standard. R-Design is meant to be sporty and Inscription is meant to be luxury. Momentum is the base spec, but still reasonably well equipped.
You mention Radar Cruise - one thing to watch for is that the Adaptive Cruise and Pilot Assist don't seem to be standard, so make sure it's mentioned in the spec. I think it comes as part of a pack (Intellisafe Pro??) that I considered essential. Pilot Assist adds 'staying in the middle of the lines' to the standard radar speed control of the Adaptive Cruise. The system is brilliant and works really well, although I prefer the standard adaptive cruise as the Pilot Assist doesn't use my driving god lines on the motorway!
Mine has Harman Kardon sound which is OK, but poor compared to HK that I had in an F11 5-series. The B&W may be better. I also have a pano roof, which I never use.
The T6 is a T5 petrol engine with an electric motor, and the T8 is the more powerful T6 petrol engine with the same electric motor. In terms of practicality, bear in mind that the T6/T8 lose most of the under-boot storage due to the electric motor stuff. The T6/T8 also don't have front fog lights, which I found out when driving about the 2nd time in 30 years that I've needed them!
The T8 is brutally quick in a straight line for a car of its size, but it's effective rather than exciting. It's more at home on the motorway and fast A-roads than on twisty back lanes. I get about 30mpg from it when the battery is dead.
The pure electric will give you about 18 miles, but it isn't intelligent like some of the BMW systems that save it for a city, it just uses the battery charge until it's gone. You can hold the charge if you want and drive on petrol if you need to, but this is manual.
Would agree on the seats, I came from a V60 Inscription pro with the perforated leather seats and they were far nicer that the R-Design ones, with adjustable side bolsters. The R-Design is fine for me, and the standard 'Momentum' seats are ok too, but the Inscription ones really were a step above.
Re. spec, I *think* that the Pro spec adds air suspension as standard. R-Design is meant to be sporty and Inscription is meant to be luxury. Momentum is the base spec, but still reasonably well equipped.
You mention Radar Cruise - one thing to watch for is that the Adaptive Cruise and Pilot Assist don't seem to be standard, so make sure it's mentioned in the spec. I think it comes as part of a pack (Intellisafe Pro??) that I considered essential. Pilot Assist adds 'staying in the middle of the lines' to the standard radar speed control of the Adaptive Cruise. The system is brilliant and works really well, although I prefer the standard adaptive cruise as the Pilot Assist doesn't use my driving god lines on the motorway!
Mine has Harman Kardon sound which is OK, but poor compared to HK that I had in an F11 5-series. The B&W may be better. I also have a pano roof, which I never use.
The T6 is a T5 petrol engine with an electric motor, and the T8 is the more powerful T6 petrol engine with the same electric motor. In terms of practicality, bear in mind that the T6/T8 lose most of the under-boot storage due to the electric motor stuff. The T6/T8 also don't have front fog lights, which I found out when driving about the 2nd time in 30 years that I've needed them!
The T8 is brutally quick in a straight line for a car of its size, but it's effective rather than exciting. It's more at home on the motorway and fast A-roads than on twisty back lanes. I get about 30mpg from it when the battery is dead.
The pure electric will give you about 18 miles, but it isn't intelligent like some of the BMW systems that save it for a city, it just uses the battery charge until it's gone. You can hold the charge if you want and drive on petrol if you need to, but this is manual.
Gin and Ultrasonic said:
I spent a bit of time looking at these before buying one (2020 R-Design Pro T8).
Would agree on the seats, I came from a V60 Inscription pro with the perforated leather seats and they were far nicer that the R-Design ones, with adjustable side bolsters. The R-Design is fine for me, and the standard 'Momentum' seats are ok too, but the Inscription ones really were a step above.
Re. spec, I *think* that the Pro spec adds air suspension as standard. R-Design is meant to be sporty and Inscription is meant to be luxury. Momentum is the base spec, but still reasonably well equipped.
You mention Radar Cruise - one thing to watch for is that the Adaptive Cruise and Pilot Assist don't seem to be standard, so make sure it's mentioned in the spec. I think it comes as part of a pack (Intellisafe Pro??) that I considered essential. Pilot Assist adds 'staying in the middle of the lines' to the standard radar speed control of the Adaptive Cruise. The system is brilliant and works really well, although I prefer the standard adaptive cruise as the Pilot Assist doesn't use my driving god lines on the motorway!
Mine has Harman Kardon sound which is OK, but poor compared to HK that I had in an F11 5-series. The B&W may be better. I also have a pano roof, which I never use.
The T6 is a T5 petrol engine with an electric motor, and the T8 is the more powerful T6 petrol engine with the same electric motor. In terms of practicality, bear in mind that the T6/T8 lose most of the under-boot storage due to the electric motor stuff. The T6/T8 also don't have front fog lights, which I found out when driving about the 2nd time in 30 years that I've needed them!
The T8 is brutally quick in a straight line for a car of its size, but it's effective rather than exciting. It's more at home on the motorway and fast A-roads than on twisty back lanes. I get about 30mpg from it when the battery is dead.
The pure electric will give you about 18 miles, but it isn't intelligent like some of the BMW systems that save it for a city, it just uses the battery charge until it's gone. You can hold the charge if you want and drive on petrol if you need to, but this is manual.
Can I ask a really stupid question. When the battery runs flat, do you revert to just the engine and lose all the performance. Or does it have regeneration and you never fully lose the battery boost? Would agree on the seats, I came from a V60 Inscription pro with the perforated leather seats and they were far nicer that the R-Design ones, with adjustable side bolsters. The R-Design is fine for me, and the standard 'Momentum' seats are ok too, but the Inscription ones really were a step above.
Re. spec, I *think* that the Pro spec adds air suspension as standard. R-Design is meant to be sporty and Inscription is meant to be luxury. Momentum is the base spec, but still reasonably well equipped.
You mention Radar Cruise - one thing to watch for is that the Adaptive Cruise and Pilot Assist don't seem to be standard, so make sure it's mentioned in the spec. I think it comes as part of a pack (Intellisafe Pro??) that I considered essential. Pilot Assist adds 'staying in the middle of the lines' to the standard radar speed control of the Adaptive Cruise. The system is brilliant and works really well, although I prefer the standard adaptive cruise as the Pilot Assist doesn't use my driving god lines on the motorway!
Mine has Harman Kardon sound which is OK, but poor compared to HK that I had in an F11 5-series. The B&W may be better. I also have a pano roof, which I never use.
The T6 is a T5 petrol engine with an electric motor, and the T8 is the more powerful T6 petrol engine with the same electric motor. In terms of practicality, bear in mind that the T6/T8 lose most of the under-boot storage due to the electric motor stuff. The T6/T8 also don't have front fog lights, which I found out when driving about the 2nd time in 30 years that I've needed them!
The T8 is brutally quick in a straight line for a car of its size, but it's effective rather than exciting. It's more at home on the motorway and fast A-roads than on twisty back lanes. I get about 30mpg from it when the battery is dead.
The pure electric will give you about 18 miles, but it isn't intelligent like some of the BMW systems that save it for a city, it just uses the battery charge until it's gone. You can hold the charge if you want and drive on petrol if you need to, but this is manual.
Flumpo said:
Can I ask a really stupid question. When the battery runs flat, do you revert to just the engine and lose all the performance. Or does it have regeneration and you never fully lose the battery boost?
Not a stupid question at all.There's always a little bit of battery stored, which you can use in 'power' mode for a short burst if you need it. Short bursts should be all you need for overtaking / joining a motorway, so this is generally fine. I suspect it wouldn't be the ideal track car though! It does have regeneration in the braking / lift-off, so that goes back into that reserve store first, and you can also select it to 'charge' which basically uses a bit of the petrol engine to charge the battery. 'Power' lowers the air suspension slightly, gives you a rev counter in the display, and keeps the petrol engine running constantly.
Most of the time I just drive around in 'hybrid', which switches seamlessly between electric power and petrol, and is generally the most efficient way to drive.
Another thing to note is that some cars are only front wheel drive, which I didn't realise, as I specifically wanted all-wheel drive as I live rurally and up a private road with a steep hill. Worth checking if this is important.
Flumpo said:
Can I ask a really stupid question. When the battery runs flat, do you revert to just the engine and lose all the performance. Or does it have regeneration and you never fully lose the battery boost?
My XC40 T5 plug-in hybrid reserves some of the battery for assisting the engine, and regens/recharges it during driving, so you never lose the full performance. I assume the XC60 works the same way.My car has a 10.8 kwh battery. I've run it down to "zero miles" quite a few times. Recharging from "flat" takes around 8kwh, so around 3kwh of the battery is reserved for "boost".
The hybrid system works pretty seamlessly.
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