Volvo XC60 2016 Review

Volvo XC60
Road Test

How Swede it is: exploring my Scandi heritage in a Volvo. Despite growing up with a very Swedish grandfather, my connection to my Scandinavian heritage has always been embarrassingly tenuous. In an attempt to rectify this, I travelled to the town my ancestors were born in to explore the real Sweden as a bona fide ‘bloody Volvo driver’.

It might surprise you to hear that I spent most of my childhood going backwards.

Allow me to explain: I spent the better part of my formative years with my younger brother in the fold-down back seat in the boot of our parents’ Volvo station wagon playing sweet-and-sour with the drivers behind us.

If you don’t know what the game sweet-and-sour is, ask anyone between the ages of 20 and 30 and they should be able to explain it to you. If they can’t, they were clearly robbed of a proper childhood.

To me, our family’s much-loved V70 wasn’t just a car – it was a second home. Its smooth leather seats and golden exterior made me feel instantly safe. When I decided to get my driver’s license at 16, it was the car I learned to steer, park and narrowly avoid cyclists in.

You can imagine my horror, then, when at age 17 our trusty station wagon was deemed a lemon by the local service centre manager. He advised my parents to “drive it off a cliff” given all of its mechanical problems, so they swiftly traded it in for a Kia Sportage.

I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I had pictured my own children in that car and now it was gone – a remnant of a bygone era when I didn’t need the internet to harass people on their way to work.

I hadn’t thought of that hallowed vehicle in a long time – until my family and I planned a trip to Sweden to drive through the countryside my Morfar (Swedish for grandfather or ‘mother’s father’) grew up in.

We planned to fly into Stockholm then embark on a five-day journey to visit relatives in Alfta, explore the heritage-listed painted farmhouses of Hälsingland and finish up in Gothenburg – the headquarters of Volvo.

Choosing anything other than a Volvo to complete this pilgrimage felt sacrilegious to say the least. So, fast-forward to Stockholm, we found ourselves at the Hertz office demanding an XC60, the Swedish company’s new mid-range SUV.

I’d be lying if I said the car’s good looks weren’t a major factor in my decision to choose it. Elegant and minimalist, it was the perfect addition to my holiday Instagram posts.

Volvo’s safety record also factored in – if I was going to drive on the wrong side of the road I wanted to do it with airbags all around me.

First impressions were that the car was clearly designed for tall Swedes – a bonus for a family with an average height of five-foot-ten. The boot comfortably fit our four bursting suitcases and some backpacks, although this limited the rear vision substantially.

Day one: Stockholm to Alfta
We hit the road to the soundtrack of ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme’ by ABBA, played over the car’s excellent sound system via Bluetooth connection to my phone (I have a lot of ABBA music, obviously).

For my first time driving on the wrong side of the road, I could not have picked a better car. The Volvo had all kinds of features for wobbly first-timers like myself, including gently chiding lane departure alerts for when I veered onto the left.

It also moved effortlessly between gravel and concrete surfaces and had plenty of oomph for overtaking the tractors and idling camper vans that pop up on country roads.

Within our first hour on the road, we encountered torrential rain and hail – two climate conditions the Volvo’s wipers were not quite up to handling. We were forced to slow to a glacial pace as we squinted through the small ocean forming on our windscreen.

Thankfully, we arrived at our destination – an old guesthouse built by my great, great grandfather – unscathed and promptly settled in for a night of eating herring and drinking aquavit.

Day two: exploring Alfta
Our second day of driving had us questioning: “What came first, the bloody Volvo driver or the bloody Volvo?” Those who owned a television in 2004 will remember the iconic ‘Bloody Volvo driver’ ads that played on the company’s reputation for safety.

Everyone in Sweden, regardless of whether they’re in a BMW or a Toyota, was a bloody Volvo driver – slow, cautious and reasonably polite. They were the antithesis of the stereotypical Italian driver.

The XC60 was similarly cautious – it displayed the speed limit for every section of road on the speedometer and made it clear on the dial when we were going over it. Should we come too close to the car in front, three red dots would appear in our line of vision telling us to back off.

Even the cruise control knew to slow down when going downhill or approaching the car in front.

You need a conservative car when driving on Swedish roads, which are an obstacle course compared to Australian suburbia. On one occasion, a moose ran out into the middle of the road in front of us, unfazed by our approaching vehicle.

Day three: Alfta to Tallberg  
Despite a few wrong turns on day one, the car’s navigation really came in handy on our road trip. Particularly useful was the fact the various turns were displayed in our line of sight next to the odometer, so we weren’t constantly having to take our eyes off the road.

This made up for one silly design flaw that saw the headlight controls hidden behind the steering wheel, making it nearly impossible to turn them on and off while maintaining control of the car.

Despite having both front and back parking sensors, a reverse camera was also noticeably lacking and its absence felt strange in such a modern car. An added bonus was the sunroof, which opened the entire way. We took full advantage of this feature as we drove by glistening lakes on the way to our spa resort in Tallberg.

Should fresh air not be your cup of tea, the car also had excellent climate control in the front and back.

Day four: Tallberg to Grythyttan
Day four saw us make our first trip to the petrol station to fill up on diesel. Fuel consumption for us was 7.2L/100km, a reasonable amount given the car’s size and the distance we were travelling.

Despite the engine making a throaty diesel sound when it first got going, on the road the XC60 was a quiet ride with heavy, smooth steering.

The car is definitely unisex in its design – shiny and suave in a way that appeals to every demographic. During one of our many car conversations, we reflected on why Volvo had chosen to make its logo the male symbol – surely a risky and alienating move in such politically correct times.

In actual fact, subsequent Google research revealed it’s also the ancient symbol for iron. Awkward.

Day five: Grythyttan to Gothenburg
On our biggest day of driving – five hours – we were particularly glad to have a car that felt comfortable and safe on the road. We were also grateful it offered the ability to fade the sound system into the front or back, because we were all getting pretty sick of each other’s taste in music.

It had been a long journey but when we arrived in Gothenburg it felt bittersweet handing the car back to Hertz. Driving the XC60 felt like going home – a particularly poignant feeling when surrounded by the relics of your ancestors’ past. Perhaps the price point is a little higher than others in its class, but I think the elegant, family-friendly XC60 is worth the money.

For me at least, the nostalgia was priceless.

Volvo XC60 pricing and specifications:
Price: From $55,765 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.4-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/420Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 166g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Also consider:
>> Mazda CX-5 AWD (from $32,190 plus ORCs)
>> Kia Sportage AWD (from $34,990 plus ORCs)
>> Jeep Cherokee AWD (from $39,000 plus ORCs)

Images: Scott Guthrie