Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

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
RRP
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

Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money
Lotus Exige S V6
In-depth reviews

Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money

For the S3 generation the Lotus Exige got a lot brawnier, trading the four-cylinder engines it had hitherto utilised for a supercharged Toyota V6
21 Aug 2026
Cupra Leon VZ review – Spain’s Golf GTI is better than Germany’s
Cupra Leon
In-depth reviews

Cupra Leon VZ review – Spain’s Golf GTI is better than Germany’s

The choice of full-sized front-drive hot hatches now doesn’t include the Civic Type R. Can the Cupra Leon VZ take the top spot?
25 Aug 2026
The 2-litre Mazda MX-5 has officially been axed in the UK, for good this time
Mazda MX-5 front
News

The 2-litre Mazda MX-5 has officially been axed in the UK, for good this time

As emissions regulations close in, Mazda has announced the discontinuation of one of our favourite current sports cars on sale: the 2-litre MX-5
25 Aug 2026