XC60 Phev's

[anonymous-user]

EC2 said:

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.

That would be interesting to see. For me the best 4WD vehicles I have owned were the Torsten Audi Quattros which used to be permanently engaged with a 50:50 torque split. Amazing traction.

Hopefully this works - https://youtu.be/rwbNNCvzB8U?feature=shared

He has a few videos on his channel, and has done quite a bit of overlanding in the USA in a T8 XC60. It's no Toyota Land Cruiser but he gets a lot further off the tarmac than I'd be brave enough to go with nothing more than some chunky tyres.

[EC2]

yellowbentines said:

EC2 said:

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.

That would be interesting to see. For me the best 4WD vehicles I have owned were the Torsten Audi Quattros which used to be permanently engaged with a 50:50 torque split. Amazing traction.

Hopefully this works - https://youtu.be/rwbNNCvzB8U?feature=shared

He has a few videos on his channel, and has done quite a bit of overlanding in the USA in a T8 XC60. It's no Toyota Land Cruiser but he gets a lot further off the tarmac than I'd be brave enough to go with nothing more than some chunky tyres.

Interesting and impressive, thank you. I do wonder if new 4x4 PHEVs will use this system or the more traditional one as they are launched over the next couple of years (nothing with emissions over 100g/KM will likely exist soon enough). Obviously all irrelevant with an electric motor on each wheel in BEVs.

[Ursicles]

Interesting chat to follow.

I do a 500 mile round trip once a month, and the most of my driving is really around town, so been considering the T6/T8 Inscription Pro, prob on a 2021.

Reading your posts, looks like 20 miles on electric is what I should expect, which is fine for what i need.

Had the petrol version before and was tempted with a diesel, but thinking the PHEV might be a better deal.

[Greedydog]

I have 2023 T8 which has the 18.8 kWh battery. My daily round trip commute is 79 miles and my current MPG equivalent is 88 mpg, which is fantastic for a 2.5 ton, 450bhp SUV. I charge it before every trip. Current summer EV range is about 48 miles.

Unfortunately the efficiency is very much use case dependent. For longer journeys the proportion of ICE use will increase and the MPG will correspondingly suffer. So in short, I think it a fantastic car from an efficiency POV where the distance is sub 100 miles between charges, but the argument is less convincing on long journeys.

Personally I love it, the seats are great, it s quick, comfy air suspension and a great sound system.

[Cobnapint]

I presume Volvo sorted all the niggles this vehicle seems to have suffered in the past.
I'm strongly considering moving to a MY25 XC60 PHEV. The T6 would be enough, I prefer to waft these days and aren't really looking for the tarmac ripping performance the T8 gives...
Trouble is I think I'd want air suspension and used T6s with air are pretty rare beasts.

Anybody out there driven XC60s with and without air that can give a comparison?

[niva441]

I drove both some years ago. The air suspension does significantly improve the ride. So much that it more than compensated for the lower profile tyres also fitted to the R Design I tried, compared to a standard car on 235/60 tyres.

[Cobnapint]

niva441 said:

I drove both some years ago. The air suspension does significantly improve the ride. So much that it more than compensated for the lower profile tyres also fitted to the R Design I tried, compared to a standard car on 235/60 tyres.

That rather scuppers my idea of settling on a T6 then.
But it is what it is.
Thanks.

[niva441]

Of course you might find the ride on Coils fine, it might just be me being sensitive.

[Nezquick]

Cobnapint said:

niva441 said:

I drove both some years ago. The air suspension does significantly improve the ride. So much that it more than compensated for the lower profile tyres also fitted to the R Design I tried, compared to a standard car on 235/60 tyres.

That rather scuppers my idea of settling on a T6 then.
But it is what it is.
Thanks.

For what it's worth, I have a 2025 T6 Black Edition without the air suspension (on 22" wheels) and it rides absolutely fine. It's a lovely car, and a very comfortable place to sit and do long miles in, with all of the toys you will ever need.

I do have a few gripes with it though:
1. No Apple air-play - you still have to use a wire, which is a pain;
2. The infotainment system is terrible; very slow and glitchy and not a patch on the iDrive system I used to have in my X3;
3. It's got a nasty habit of being a bit too safe - the other day, when reversing off my drive, it decided to anchor on as it thought it had seen a hazard (there was nothing there), so much so I actually thought i'd reversed into something. It does this a lot.
4. If you can't charge it at home, expect about 30-35mpg of petrol alone. With battery, we're averaging over 70mpg since we bought it last November, so we're saving a lot on fuel being able to charge at night at home.

I like it, but have already decided we won't be getting another Volvo. It will be back to BMW with either an X1 30e or perhaps an X5 45e if we can cope with just one car.

[Cobnapint]

That's a shame. I thought they'd sorted most of the infotainment niggles with the new central screen update for MY25.

[Nezquick]

Cobnapint said:

That's a shame. I thought they'd sorted most of the infotainment niggles with the new central screen update for MY25.

Sorry, to clarify, mine is classed as a MY25 but it has the smaller screen, not the newer larger screen.

[Cobnapint]

I might even wait for this...

The New Volvo XC70 Is A Big-Battery Plug-In Hybrid https://share.google/voTQSWOv8wXk9di9I