Discussion
Mrs CO is looking to get an XC60 soon and I've been looking at engine options. We would likely be getting something around the 2020 sort of model year with the 11.6kwh battery. Problem is I can't tell if the 2020 T6 is just turbocharged or Twin charged with a supercharger too. Lots of conflicting evidence when I've googled it.
I assume the T6 would be better on fuel on longer journeys once the battery has depleted? Or is the difference so negligible that we may as well go for the T8 anyway?
The PHEV seems a great choice as her commute is only about 8 miles each way so the majority of that could be done on EV power. We will be doing longer journeys of 80-100 miles each way at least once a month so hopefully the economy isn't too catastrophic on the longer trips.
I assume the T6 would be better on fuel on longer journeys once the battery has depleted? Or is the difference so negligible that we may as well go for the T8 anyway?
The PHEV seems a great choice as her commute is only about 8 miles each way so the majority of that could be done on EV power. We will be doing longer journeys of 80-100 miles each way at least once a month so hopefully the economy isn't too catastrophic on the longer trips.
Hi I'm new to Pistonheads. I currently run a 21 plate 60 T8 It's supercharged and has the electric as well. Marketed as twin engine and is polestar engineered add on.
I got a wall charger as part of the deal and TBH don't use it much cos I can recharge on long journeys. The control for this is a pain though as it's hidden in a sub menu in the touch screen. I'm used to it now though.
With the short miles you might be doing you might need a charger as your mileage might not recharge the battery as much as you need on short journeys.
I don't know much about the t6 but I think it's supercharged too.
Power delivery on mine is linear you can't tell it's changing gear and it's fast I think the T6 might be similar.
It's great on long journeys you get there fast comfortably as it's a very good driver.
I might be biased but I think it's a great car.
I got a wall charger as part of the deal and TBH don't use it much cos I can recharge on long journeys. The control for this is a pain though as it's hidden in a sub menu in the touch screen. I'm used to it now though.
With the short miles you might be doing you might need a charger as your mileage might not recharge the battery as much as you need on short journeys.
I don't know much about the t6 but I think it's supercharged too.
Power delivery on mine is linear you can't tell it's changing gear and it's fast I think the T6 might be similar.
It's great on long journeys you get there fast comfortably as it's a very good driver.
I might be biased but I think it's a great car.
Thanks for your comments.
I think after a bit of deliberation the T8 but the later model with the larger 18.8kWh battery would suit our needs better. Slightly more range on EV power means the Mrs could leave it a few days between charges rather than having to plug in every night.
Good to hear you like the car though. It was really between the XC60 and the Q5 TFSI-e but the Volvo just seems a more classy car to us at least
I think after a bit of deliberation the T8 but the later model with the larger 18.8kWh battery would suit our needs better. Slightly more range on EV power means the Mrs could leave it a few days between charges rather than having to plug in every night.
Good to hear you like the car though. It was really between the XC60 and the Q5 TFSI-e but the Volvo just seems a more classy car to us at least
We bought a T8 XC90 earlier this year.
The more we use it, were it not for the very occasional need to tow, the more I'm convinced we should have bought a full EV.
We get around 30-35 miles on a full charge, and it's currently showing 210mpg (which does not take account of how much it does solely on electric power). But I think a decent EV would be a chunk more economical, and be a better drive generally.
We didn't for a few reasons...(towing could have been mitigated had these items been addressed).
Range anxiety on behalf of my OH. Now no longer an issue as she uses mine more often.
Price - competitors weren't discounting as heavily as Volvo at the time
Familiarity - this is our third XC90, and the latest generation Volvos are generally great places to be (though AAOS is a dog's dinner and manages to make the prior Sensus system look accomplished).
Nice cars, but assess needs carefully.
The more we use it, were it not for the very occasional need to tow, the more I'm convinced we should have bought a full EV.
We get around 30-35 miles on a full charge, and it's currently showing 210mpg (which does not take account of how much it does solely on electric power). But I think a decent EV would be a chunk more economical, and be a better drive generally.
We didn't for a few reasons...(towing could have been mitigated had these items been addressed).
Range anxiety on behalf of my OH. Now no longer an issue as she uses mine more often.
Price - competitors weren't discounting as heavily as Volvo at the time
Familiarity - this is our third XC90, and the latest generation Volvos are generally great places to be (though AAOS is a dog's dinner and manages to make the prior Sensus system look accomplished).
Nice cars, but assess needs carefully.
Thanks Murph. I don't think the OH is ready for a full EV otherwise I'd be quite tempted by an ioniq5. We'll be using the car for longer trips around the country to Kart circuits, towing the kart(s), awning, spares etc and the range on an EV when towing would mean a stop to charge (which we normally do anyways) but apparently this makes them unviable for us 
Crudeoink said:
Thanks Murph. I don't think the OH is ready for a full EV otherwise I'd be quite tempted by an ioniq5. We'll be using the car for longer trips around the country to Kart circuits, towing the kart(s), awning, spares etc and the range on an EV when towing would mean a stop to charge (which we normally do anyways) but apparently this makes them unviable for us
Had similar, feel your pain 
Our XC90 was a couple of weeks late being delivered so we used the Taycan for the annual trip to Cornwall...it was then that the "ohhhh, they work don't they" dawned
The Volvo isn't a bad car...quite the opposite. A very large chunk of our miles are EV only and it's nice and quiet/smooth. And, of course, Volvo interiors are great.
Thought I would tag onto this post as it's about XC 60 PHEVs
I have a XC60 T8 PHEV and I am trying to work out the overall cost per mile.
The stats on the app tell me that it's doing 51.0 mpg and using 19.7 kWh per 100 miles. From this I can work out the respective costs of electricity vs petrol per 100 miles (see below). I only charge at home overnight on cheap rate.
The car's covered 2185 miles but to know the true cost per 100 miles I would need to know the miles the car has covered on each energy source. Or, am I missing something!
Electric
Uses kWh/100 miles 19.7
Cost pence per kWh 8.5
Cost per 100 miles £1.67
Petrol
Avg mpg 51
Cost / gal £6.17
Cost per 100 miles £12.11
I have a XC60 T8 PHEV and I am trying to work out the overall cost per mile.
The stats on the app tell me that it's doing 51.0 mpg and using 19.7 kWh per 100 miles. From this I can work out the respective costs of electricity vs petrol per 100 miles (see below). I only charge at home overnight on cheap rate.
The car's covered 2185 miles but to know the true cost per 100 miles I would need to know the miles the car has covered on each energy source. Or, am I missing something!
Electric
Uses kWh/100 miles 19.7
Cost pence per kWh 8.5
Cost per 100 miles £1.67
Petrol
Avg mpg 51
Cost / gal £6.17
Cost per 100 miles £12.11
RichB said:
Thought I would tag onto this post as it's about XC 60 PHEVs
I have a XC60 T8 PHEV and I am trying to work out the overall cost per mile.
The stats on the app tell me that it's doing 51.0 mpg and using 19.7 kWh per 100 miles. From this I can work out the respective costs of electricity vs petrol per 100 miles (see below). I only charge at home overnight on cheap rate.
The car's covered 2185 miles but to know the true cost per 100 miles I would need to know the miles the car has covered on each energy source. Or, am I missing something!
Electric
Uses kWh/100 miles 19.7
Cost pence per kWh 8.5
Cost per 100 miles £1.67
Petrol
Avg mpg 51
Cost / gal £6.17
Cost per 100 miles £12.11
I have an XC60 T6 PHEV and mine is showing 42mpg in the app. However, I ran mine without a charger for about 3 weeks before I had one installed at home, so I think that has skewed my figures a bit.I have a XC60 T8 PHEV and I am trying to work out the overall cost per mile.
The stats on the app tell me that it's doing 51.0 mpg and using 19.7 kWh per 100 miles. From this I can work out the respective costs of electricity vs petrol per 100 miles (see below). I only charge at home overnight on cheap rate.
The car's covered 2185 miles but to know the true cost per 100 miles I would need to know the miles the car has covered on each energy source. Or, am I missing something!
Electric
Uses kWh/100 miles 19.7
Cost pence per kWh 8.5
Cost per 100 miles £1.67
Petrol
Avg mpg 51
Cost / gal £6.17
Cost per 100 miles £12.11
The Avg mpg you have quoted above at 51, that will be with using both petrol and the electric motor, as the electric use massively increases the overall MPG. I'm getting about 28-30mpg just from the petrol engine alone, which is terrible, but then it's a 4 cylinder engine in a 2 1/2 tonne car so perhaps not surprising.
Nezquick said:
I have an XC60 T6 PHEV and mine is showing 42mpg in the app. However, I ran mine without a charger for about 3 weeks before I had one installed at home, so I think that has skewed my figures a bit.
The Avg mpg you have quoted above at 51, that will be with using both petrol and the electric motor, as the electric use massively increases the overall MPG. I'm getting about 28-30mpg just from the petrol engine alone, which is terrible, but then it's a 4 cylinder engine in a 2 1/2 tonne car so perhaps not surprising.
I've been thinking about a T8 to replace my 2011 V60 T6, which is very thirsty. The pure MPG figure puts me off a bit, so real-world experience is useful. I commute 120 miles per day (twice a week at the moment) with town driving on either end, so I'd like to know if a traditional diesel is better, but the 400bhp is very tempting! The Avg mpg you have quoted above at 51, that will be with using both petrol and the electric motor, as the electric use massively increases the overall MPG. I'm getting about 28-30mpg just from the petrol engine alone, which is terrible, but then it's a 4 cylinder engine in a 2 1/2 tonne car so perhaps not surprising.
We ended up with a Discovery Sport P300e in the end. We didnt even have LR on the radar but after VW messed us around with a test drive we went across the road to LR while we were in the area. Looked at a DS P300e and booked a test. It surprised me that Mrs CO liked the DS more than the XC60 as she was really, really set on the XC60 before the test drives. Lets see if the enthusiasm for the brand is still there in 2-3 years time. At least we have a JLR backed warranty with LR assist
Type R Tom said:
Nezquick said:
I have an XC60 T6 PHEV and mine is showing 42mpg in the app. However, I ran mine without a charger for about 3 weeks before I had one installed at home, so I think that has skewed my figures a bit.
The Avg mpg you have quoted above at 51, that will be with using both petrol and the electric motor, as the electric use massively increases the overall MPG. I'm getting about 28-30mpg just from the petrol engine alone, which is terrible, but then it's a 4 cylinder engine in a 2 1/2 tonne car so perhaps not surprising.
I've been thinking about a T8 to replace my 2011 V60 T6, which is very thirsty. The pure MPG figure puts me off a bit, so real-world experience is useful. I commute 120 miles per day (twice a week at the moment) with town driving on either end, so I'd like to know if a traditional diesel is better, but the 400bhp is very tempting! The Avg mpg you have quoted above at 51, that will be with using both petrol and the electric motor, as the electric use massively increases the overall MPG. I'm getting about 28-30mpg just from the petrol engine alone, which is terrible, but then it's a 4 cylinder engine in a 2 1/2 tonne car so perhaps not surprising.
We only really do town and short distance driving during the week as we both work at home, so we're mainly using the electric motor on our T6 day to day, which makes it a very sensible option. It costs about £1.50 to fully charge on our cheap night time tariff.
Volvo tend not to explain how the PHEV four wheel drive system works but it is RWD only in electric only mode. The petrol engine is FWD only so it is a very strange set up compared with some of the more recently plug in hybrids. Still lovely cars but worth thinking about in low grip driving situations.
Benbay001 said:
AyBee said:
How reliable is the T8? I'm looking at getting a V60 and supercharged, turbocharged and hybrid makes me nervous.
I have a 2025 model (7 months old 17000kms , I live in France) and mine has been faultless. (but mine is turbo only)AyBee said:
How reliable is the T8? I'm looking at getting a V60 and supercharged, turbocharged and hybrid makes me nervous.
I get a new Volvo every 9-12 months so I'v driven loads. The most common unreliability issue I get is the 'tech' randomly failing; sometimes the centre screen will back out for 5-10 mins while driving, I've had the sound completely cut out, audio and no indicator repeater click, every few weeks it loses connection to the app and the charge schedule I've set up for the cheap rate early morning hours disappears from my phone and I have to re-set it. It all takes just a few mins to reboot it all but it's an irritation and I would expect Volvo to iron out such small bugs. Other than that they're great cars. EC2 said:
Volvo tend not to explain how the PHEV four wheel drive system works but it is RWD only in electric only mode. The petrol engine is FWD only so it is a very strange set up compared with some of the more recently plug in hybrids. Still lovely cars but worth thinking about in low grip driving situations.
There's an interesting video from a guy in the USA who has taken his in some pretty extreme situations, and touches on this.Essentially you have 2 separate power sources each powering a different axle, so in low grip situations the system can actually work better than some open diff awd systems which will spin power away more easily if one of the 4 wheels are spinning. With the Volvo system, as each axle has it's own independent power source you can end up with better grip/traction.
I'm no expert but it sounded like logical reasoning to me.
yellowbentines said:
EC2 said:
Volvo tend not to explain how the PHEV four wheel drive system works but it is RWD only in electric only mode. The petrol engine is FWD only so it is a very strange set up compared with some of the more recently plug in hybrids. Still lovely cars but worth thinking about in low grip driving situations.
There's an interesting video from a guy in the USA who has taken his in some pretty extreme situations, and touches on this.Essentially you have 2 separate power sources each powering a different axle, so in low grip situations the system can actually work better than some open diff awd systems which will spin power away more easily if one of the 4 wheels are spinning. With the Volvo system, as each axle has it's own independent power source you can end up with better grip/traction.
I'm no expert but it sounded like logical reasoning to me.
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