Getting The Mid-sized Premium Suv Mix Just Right

The Volvo XC60 holds the 2018 World Car of the Year title. And there’s good reason for it.

- Glenda Williams

South Africa and the rest of the world have gone SUV crazy. But even as more and more SUVs make their way onto the global platform, adding to a fast-growing but increasingly competitive SUV market, it is not that difficult to grasp why the Volvo XC60 took the World Car of the Year title in 2018.

It is one of the safest cars ever made, scoring a near-perfect 98% for safety of adult occupants in the EuroNCAP testing, the highest of all new vehicles tested. And it is loaded with tech and luxury.

Safety has always been the hallmark of the Volvo brand. So has practicality. Nowadays, design, tech, luxury and prestige have been added to those attributes, all of which is helping the Swedish brand rack up points with consumers and in so doing give the German brands a run for their money. Getting the mix right is paying off.

The XC60 completes Volvo’s line-up of premium SUVs, nestling comfortably between its larger XC90 and smaller XC40 SUV siblings.

Four models make up the range: two petrol variants and two diesels. All come with 2-litre turbocharged engines and all-wheel-drive. Three trim levels, the base level Momentum, sporty styled R-Design and range-topping Inscription, are on offer.

finweek took to the roads in the XC60 T6 petrol version with sporty R-Design trim.

Exterior elegance

There’s a sense of restrained elegance in the Volvo XC60’s styling. This premium mid-sized SUV’s design is bold enough to get your attention, yet sufficiently elegant to hold that interest.

It’s longer, lower and wider than its predecessor and more dynamic-looking. The front is typically Volvo with the brand’s signature Thor Hammer LED headlights, chrome and black grille, lower outer grilles and LED fog lights adorning a purposeful face.