Skip advert
Advertisement

2019 Volvo XC60 review - engine, transmission and technical details

It’s a premium mid-sized SUV, so unsurprisingly popular, but is Volvo’s XC60 actually any good?

Evo rating
Price
from £43,845
  • Solid, comfortable, safe and sophisticated, executed with a Swedish flair that now defines modern Volvos
  • Only really advisable as a cruiser; it just gets worse the sportier you spec it

Engine, transmission and technical details

As briefly mentioned above, all XC60 models utilise essentially the same 2-litre four-cylinder engine, in petrol and diesel forms. Both share a 1969cc displacement, and depending on their outputs feature a pretty wide spectrum of forced induction methods. Petrol engines are either single-turbocharged or turbo and supercharged, and produce 247bhp and 306bhp in B5 (petrol) and T6 forms. The T6 engine is also used in the T8 Twin-Engine plug-in hybrid variant, with a combined (not equivalent, mind) output of 394bhp, or 399bhp in T8 Polestar Engineered form. Both plug-in hybrid variants use the petrol engine to drive the front axle, with the rear driven exclusively by the 86bhp electric motor on the rear axle.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Diesel variants are somewhat more simple, with the sole D4 model producing 187bhp from a twin-turbocharged version of the diesel engine variant. It’s the mild-hybrid versions that add a new complication to the range, as B4 and B5 (diesel) variants combine a twin-turbocharged diesel with a mild-hybrid system that produce 195bhp and 235bhp respectively.

All engine variants in the XC60 include an eight-speed automatic transmission, operated by either a normal lever, or in some cases, a dubious crystal selector. All-wheel-drive models (bar the T8) utilise a front-wheel-drive-biased system, only sending power to the rear wheels when required.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Kia Stinger GT S Fast Fleet test – 12,000 miles in the V6 sports saloon
evo Fast Fleet Kia Stinger GT S
Long term tests

Kia Stinger GT S Fast Fleet test – 12,000 miles in the V6 sports saloon

After covering 12,000 miles on the Fast Fleet, did the Kia Stinger GT S convince us that it’s a credible alternative to its European rivals?
15 Apr 2024
Italy bans Alfa Romeo Milano name, so now it’s Alfa Romeo Junior
Alfa Romeo Junior/Milano
News

Italy bans Alfa Romeo Milano name, so now it’s Alfa Romeo Junior

Just a few days after the Milano's reveal, Alfa Romeo has been forced to change the car’s name entirely
15 Apr 2024
Aston Martin DB12 Volante 2024 review – Britain’s Ferrari beater?
Aston Martin DB12 Volante
Reviews

Aston Martin DB12 Volante 2024 review – Britain’s Ferrari beater?

First drive of the new V8-engined DB12 Volante, the latest model in Lawrence Stroll’s armoury to turn the company around
15 Apr 2024