Volvo XC60 (2025) Review

The XC60 sells on calm. The seats are the best in the class by some margin, supportive in a way that makes three hundred miles pass without complaint, the cabin design is restrained and uses genuinely good materials, and the driving experience is deliberately relaxed rather than sporting. Safety engineering remains a real strength and the exterior has aged well. The problems are mechanical and digital. Every version now uses a 2.0 litre four cylinder working hard through supercharging, turbocharging or a hybrid motor, and while the performance figures are fine, the engine sounds coarse and busy when pressed and never suits the car's character.

The vertical touchscreen swallowed almost every control including the climate settings and the demisters, and the Google based system, while capable, still forces you through menus for things a switch used to do. Reliability records are mid pack, with electrical and software complaints leading the list. Service costs sit above the Japanese competition and depreciation is steep. Lovely to sit in, frustrating to operate, and expensive to hold.