Since the release of the all-new Volvo XC90, it's been amazing to see the Swedish marque's renaissance. It's been a beautiful thing.
And while certainly has turned out some great cars in recent years, the reality is that this is now a sport-utility vehicle company. Sorry, folks, that's just the way it is. The XC60 and XC90 dominate Volvo's sales and the XC60 was dated, until now.
All-new, the XC60 now falls in line with the latest wave of Volvo products. That means it gets the new design language, a vastly overhauled interior and the latest technology. After spending time with the XC60 at the 2017 New York Auto Show, to me it's clear that the company has a winner on its hands.
But what's it REALLY like?
From a 30,000-foot perspective, heres' the verdict: The XC60 is a great all-new offering that's likely to appeal to the non-enthusiast crowd. It doesn't feature particularly exciting driving dynamics but it has a good looking exterior, a brilliant interior and is, overall, a sedate automobile.
Essentially, the XC60 is a mini XC90. No surprise there.
Should I buy one?
Ultimately, then, the XC60 continues Volvo's current decent form; it's a relaxed car with a high-quality feel inside and with an ambience and gait that's easy to warm to.
Unexpectedly, last year more than half of all Volvos sold were XC60s and XC90s, making Volvo first and foremost an SUV company – a situation that surprised Volvo executives just as much as it surprised anyone else. Given a sizeable proportion of those sales were 4x4s introduced nearly a decade ago, the new XC60 might keep it an SUV company for a while to come, too.