Spa Treatment

Volvo’s Best-seller Gets Full Swedish Deep-tissue Rejuvenation

- Frank Markus

The last Volvo XC60 we had in a 2015 Big Test comparison came off as a bit creaky and outdated, which was to be expected for a SUV in the sixth year of its model cycle. It deservedly finished last. We knocked its interior for a low-mounted and wonky infotainment interface, lackluster-luxe touches, and its propensity to squeak. It had enjoyed a heart transplant that very year—upgrading to today’s Drive-E 2.0-liter super/turbo engine, but the integration felt a little half-baked. The new eight-speed automatic’s shifting logic and quality drew criticism, and because the new engine was only available with front-wheel drive that year, it suffered torque-steer reminiscent of a turbocharged Chevrolet Cobalt SS. At least all-wheel drive quelled the torque steer in a 2016 test car.

For 2018, Volvo’s global best-seller (over 1 million served!) ditches its ancient Ford EUCD/C1-Plus architecture in favor of a chopped and channeled version of the 100 percent Swedish-engineered Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). A little brother to Motor Trend’s 2016 SUV of the Year, the XC90, the new 2018 Volvo XC60’s wheelbase gets bobbed 4.7 inches while track and body widths contract about a half inch compared to the XC90. The weight also is about 285 pounds lighter, when comparing five-seat versions of the two SUVs.

Relative to the old Ford platform, however, the new wheelbase is 3.6 inches longer, the body is 4.3 inches wider, and the track broadens by 0.8 inch in front and 2.8 inches in back. But this SPA’s bulk-up regimen trimmed enough fat that the SPA XC60 scales no heavier than its predecessor. Also gone are the front struts in favor of control arms, and the rear coils for SPA’s more compact and lighter-weight composite transverse leaf spring. Air suspension with variable damping Four-C shocks is newly available on all models of the XC60 for $1,800.