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NEW Volvo XC60 review – the BEST premium family SUV? | What Car?

Is the "old" Volvo XC60 actually much better than the much more recent Audi Q5 and BMW X3? We evaluate the updated 2026 XC60 to see if its sophisticated interior and new infotainment system make it the best premium household SUV you can purchase.

Read our full in-depth Volvo XC60 review & compare prices:

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Despite being older than its German competitors, the Volvo XC60 battles back with a spectacular interior and competitive prices. We evaluate the B5 moderate hybrid and T8 plug-in hybrid engines, put the boot area to the test with our suitcase difficulty, and decide which trim level represents the very best worth.

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Video chapters:.
0:00 Intro.
0:24 About the XC60.
0:46 Rivals.
1:07 Interior.
4:55 Rear seats.
5:46 Boot space.
7:14 Engines.
8:16 Driving.
10:00 Rates.
10:32 Trim levels.
11:30 Decision.

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Comments

40 responses to “NEW Volvo XC60 review – the BEST premium family SUV? | What Car?”

  1. @Fastwunz Avatar
    @Fastwunz

    Shame because that screen really does look bloody awful – smashing car otherwise – also no physical buttons for the heating systems again – sigh.

    Reply
    1. @deputydd4364 Avatar
      @deputydd4364

      We have the same system. Works pretty well actually and the built in waze, Spotify, google maps, audiobook apps etc mean I never actually connect CarPlay unlike our other car where it’s the first thing to do. HVAC controls are at least on screen all the time at the bottom so easy enough to change temperature. It’s a great family car.

      Reply
    2. @josephgittos3787 Avatar
      @josephgittos3787

      @deputydd4364 I think they are talking about it not being integrated into the dash like the previous one but rather slapped onto to it but covers the vents slightly

      Reply
    3. @jamesallport3490 Avatar
      @jamesallport3490

      I agree the new screen looks less neat. But I’ve got a 2024 T6 and in the move I just use the voice command to change the temperature (and heated seats etc). It’s excellent, thanks to Google, and makes the car much safer because I can do 90% of stuff I might need to use the screen for while driving without taking my hands off the wheel.

      Reply
    4. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      ​@jamesallport3490 completely agree! (2023 T8 for me)

      Reply
  2. @namnification Avatar
    @namnification

    more comfort with acoustic glass and completely silent cabin than its competitors

    Reply
  3. @whatcar Avatar
    @whatcar

    The German alternatives might be newer, but we think the XC60 leads with way for interior quality! 👀

    If you were in the market for a premium family SUV, which would you you buy?

    a) Audi Q5
    b) BMW X3
    c) Volvo XC60

    Let us know in the comments below! 👇

    Reply
    1. @glennchinyangarara8225 Avatar
      @glennchinyangarara8225

      I prefer the X3 even if it’s not as stylish as the XC60, it’s more solidly made for me personally. Drives a bit better

      Reply
    2. @cain1448 Avatar
      @cain1448

      @glennchinyangarara8225 I agree; this XC60 doesn’t really compete with the X3, which is much more of a driver’s car. The XC60 offers a more relaxing drive than sporty one, making the Lexus NX closer to its target buyer.

      Reply
    3. @PG-zt9nw Avatar
      @PG-zt9nw

      X3 better car and let you get rid of all these useless ” driving helps”

      Reply
    4. @mell3109 Avatar
      @mell3109

      My last 3 cars were BMWs so was going to go into an X3 however the new interior is shocking

      Reply
    5. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      C – I tested all three of these cars (and 20+ more cars/trims) before I settled on an XC60, and as comfort was/is my priority, for me getting an XC60 was a no-brainer.
      The Audi had the best air suspension but the seats were only just ‘ok’ for me (didn’t seem any better for me than a Tiguan), whereas the Volvo seats including adjustable under-thigh support were outstanding (note: you might need to do a lot of trial & error adjustments to get the seats exactly right for you, but when you have done this, you just save this setup with the seat memory function).
      The BMW was definitely much more of a driver’s car (very good to throw around country lanes) but I found it extremely uncomfortable.
      Point to note: the Volvo also has both the plushest interior and the best stereo (for classical and jazz anyway).
      Summary: if you have a bad back, try the Volvo XC60 first – take a long trip and tweak the seat settings at each service station – when you have gotten the seat dialled in ‘perfectly’, your back will love you!

      Reply
  4. @feelsgoodman245 Avatar
    @feelsgoodman245

    As an owner, your observations are pretty accurate. Interior is good but a top spec XC60 isn’t much cheaper than a top spec Lexus RX which has a noticeably nicer interior.

    Infotainment suffers from lack of buttons and configurability as the review mentions.

    Good points are comfort, ride and overall cohesion of the handling and controls – doesn’t feel too heavy in normal manoeuvring. Ride comfort with the air suspension is one of the best riding cars you can buy – much more comfortable secondary ride than a top spec RX for example.

    Real letdown though is the PHEV drivetrain. Because they’re separate motors on separate axles the integration is poor and transitions far from smooth or refined.

    Mild hybrid on the other hand is very impressive and uplifts a very ordinary 4 pot to something quite smooth and refined.

    The XC40 is a much better value car imo.

    Reply
    1. @whatcar Avatar
      @whatcar

      Thanks for watching!

      Reply
    2. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      I agree with most of that, but 2 points…

      Point 1:

      I need a supportive seat with a lot of under-thigh support (I have major back issues) and I have a very long body.

      I thought I’d be buying a lowish mileage 3 year old Lexus RX Takumi (great value, with another 7 years of warranty on it). Unfortunately, all these second hand Takumis had panoramic sunroofs (very deep – really eat into the headroom) and when I adjusted the seat to suit (almost vertical seat back for me) my head hit the lip of the sunroof (so I didn’t end up with a 3 year old RX Takumi…).

      I believe that if you NOW buy a brand new RX Takumi you can option it to NOT have the sunroof (but £80k was out of my budget).

      The RX Takumis were absolutely beautiful inside (best of all the 20+ car/trims I tried out).

      Summary, if you are a bit larger/taller, and/or have a bad back, give the Volvos a try-out first. (I ended up buying a nearly new XC60 instead of the Lexus, as the seat / head-room combination is way better for me – and even good enough for a 6’5 friend who obviously struggles in a lot of cars).

      Point 2:

      I find the transition from electric to ICE and back again to be completely smooth in my MY2023 XC60 T8 – I never notice the change at all (unless I am going very slow speeds up a very steep hill, when you can hear the engine kick-in at low revs). However, I drive like a tortoise, so maybe it’s a speed thing…

      Reply
  5. @gdwlaw5549 Avatar
    @gdwlaw5549

    Cheap add on screen…it F..ING AWFUL!

    Reply
  6. @advancelast1740 Avatar
    @advancelast1740

    Always a good review from what car? especially when reviewed by this guy

    Reply
    1. @whatcar Avatar
      @whatcar

      Glad you enjoy them. Plenty more to come!

      Reply
  7. @GarryM66 Avatar
    @GarryM66

    We bought a XC60 T8 hybrid last year and it the worst decision we ever made. It was blighted with software issues meaning the car went into limp mode. We had issues with the braking system as well as issues with the memory seats. Not to mention the car that broke and bleeped for no reason whatsoever which is really scary. The dealer and Volvo were horrendous. BTW the software issues have been happening for years if you look up Volvo forums. They don’t tell you this when you buy one.
    Such a shame because we’ve owned Volvos before but never again. Needless to say we sold the car having had no help from Volvo, the Dealer or the ombudsman.
    You’ve been warned!

    Reply
    1. @mell3109 Avatar
      @mell3109

      I looked into this and issues we’re mainly linked to the Plug in hybrid, if you look at the petrols then they seem to be ok (fingers crossed 😬)

      Reply
    2. @andrebergmann4334 Avatar
      @andrebergmann4334

      Same here. I hope to get rid of the xc60 soon. Really a very bad car.

      Reply
    3. @konstantin7354 Avatar
      @konstantin7354

      I have XC60 2025 T6 in Sweden.
      Already driven 17 000 km. No any single issue with the car or software 🙂

      Reply
    4. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      If I may ask, which MY and dealership?

      I have a MY2023 T8 and have had one hardware fault (very common: the electric cabin heater) and one software fault (very common: the reversing camera) and my local dealership (Taunton, Somerset, UK) were very good at fixing these problems (note: it took two sets of software updates to completely fix the reversing camera – issue which was that it intermittently stopped working – the first software update significantly reduced the incidence of this issue, the second software update fixed the issue completely).

      Someone I know in the US had a lot of software issues (and the infamous electric cabin heater hardware fault) with his MY2023 XC60 T8… then he moved to a different state (and Volvo dealership) and all his issues got sorted out in one visit – we don’t know if this was down to the change in dealership, or whether Volvo had just sorted out the software updates in the meantime, or both…

      Hope that makes sense!

      Reply
  8. @kidfreejones Avatar
    @kidfreejones

    Ignore reviews if you can meet an owner – everyone loves theirs, mostly for the comfort and quiet and it feels big quality. All say they’ve had zero issues. I think that’s compelling reasons to sample one before probably buying it. The fellow here can shove the buy the base model thought, Ultra PHEV for me thanks – it’s Volvo you don’t get entry like it’s a rep car!

    Reply
  9. @robertwalker1742 Avatar
    @robertwalker1742

    Had one for over three years,,and after 52 years of driving can honestly say it’s the best car new or old I’ve ever had. Not one problem in 37k miles great back up from Volvo Sunderland. Just look at the builds quality you know as you close the door that if you love your family, you, especially now with more idiotic people driving than ever,want you loved ones in a car the god forbid anything does happen has a supreme safety record.

    Reply
  10. @Kelveron Avatar
    @Kelveron

    5:52 I would’ve said the boot capacity is more than “a little bit down” on an X3 (483 litres vs 570 litres)!

    Reply
    1. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      Friend has an x3 phev, i have an xc60 phev – we both think the xc60 boot is a little bit larger (and easier to use) – am wondering if the x3 only has a larger boot on the non-hybrid versions?

      Reply
  11. @GeorgeThoughts Avatar
    @GeorgeThoughts

    Seeing that interior just reminds me how much of a Volvo the Polestar 2 is… The interior of that car featuring many of the exact same pieces used in this car and the XC40 too. The gear shifter, the pause/play volume dial, the shape of the air vents, the central tablet layout… etc

    Reply
  12. @josejesusamayz2495 Avatar
    @josejesusamayz2495

    Gran video y excelente audio en español. Gracias ❤❤❤

    Reply
  13. @mell3109 Avatar
    @mell3109

    I just bought this car (ultra B5) in November. All is well. I hated no buttons but it works very well and google assistant works great. The android need to plug in is a red herring, you don’t need it or at least I don’t. Because it’s android when you log in you use your own account. If you want to use it then buy a £20 bug, put it in the glovebox and your wireless. The speed alarm is easy switched off on the steering wheel, not a lot of new cars do that. Very easy to live with. I had a BMW X4M with buttons however they weren’t marked that well so all in all great car. P.s. i am in Aberdeen, we had 500cm of snow, I put my car on full winters and it is a beast in the snow. There is no special modes however in off-road mode the car jacks its self off and it easily went through the deepest snow

    Reply
    1. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      Agree re: the Android Auto – in 18 months I have plugged in my android mobile phone ONCE (just to test it out!) – the car is logged into the same android account (so I can see all my contacts, phone numbers, addresses etc), so absolutely no need to ever plug in my phone again.
      If I want to play music from my phone I just use the Bluetooth Audio app (but I have put most of the music I most commonly listen to onto a USB stick, and leave that plugged in, in the centre compartment, and use the Audio Wagon app instead).

      Reply
  14. @markd5063 Avatar
    @markd5063

    I always watch your reviews and I’ve noticed that fuel consumption/MPG figures are not being included in your reviews now. Why is this? Are you being leaned on by car manufacturers to NOT include them? If this is the case then there goes your impartiality, and along with it another viewer.

    Reply
  15. @kinocchio Avatar
    @kinocchio

    Black Edition is really nice on the Volvos.

    Reply
  16. @ooweesaler Avatar
    @ooweesaler

    Always use google to change temp, directions, heat the wheel, heat the seat even tell a joke find music etc. Never use the screen it’s that good. Its stupidly quick but more impressive is the luxury and ride. Beautiful.

    Reply
    1. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      Agreed!

      Reply
  17. @Just_Chilliing Avatar
    @Just_Chilliing

    Love mine, have to sell as I just dont use it anymore but will be buying another one when I need a new car!

    Reply
  18. @Just_Chilliing Avatar
    @Just_Chilliing

    I might add the voice control is the only I’ve ever used that works first time, everytime

    Reply
    1. @alexshapley8331 Avatar
      @alexshapley8331

      me too!

      Reply
  19. @konstantin7354 Avatar
    @konstantin7354

    I hope you compared trunk volume with Q5 plug-in-hybrid version also, where battery located under the trunk floor right? Otherwise it’s completely unfair.

    Reply
  20. @urbanstrencan Avatar
    @urbanstrencan

    For me personally definitely the best looking premium SUV, no surprise is the best selling model in the Volvo range. Slick Scandinavian design on the outside and inside, not a screen overload in the interior and premium feel materials. Yes it’s the king of the class.
    Great video keep it up 🤟

    Reply

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