Volvo XC60 2.0T – Local front driver

Even with a price tag in excess of RM300k, the Volvo XC60 had no shortage of suitors. The orders kept pouring in, and the folks at Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) was faced with quite a headache to meet the overwhelming demand. To recap, the Malaysian market received the XC60 in June 2009 with a 3.0-litre turbocharged engine.

Late last year, VCM began selling CKD versions of the XC60, officially ceasing sales of imported units. The locally-assembled versions come with a more attractive price tag of RM280k before insurance, and a downsized engine. Crucially however, the full compliment of safety gear, which were among the CBU XC60’s USP, are maintained.

Front fog lights were an unfortunate omission.

Be warned, however, that getting your XC60 equipped to the level of our test car can cost you quite a bit. Entertainment options alone, which consist of a built-in navigation system and rear seat entertainment, added up to over RM19k. Various decor items (sports pedals, bumper trims and side step) dent your wallet a further RM10k. Our test car packed a total of RM32,740 worth of options, and that was despite VCM leaving out the 19″ alloy wheels and illuminated door sills, which would have added a further RM8k to the price tag.

Rear seat entertainment is an RM8,020 option.

Two particularly useful items in the list which we do recommend taking would be the reverse camera (RM1,850, but needs to be opted together with the built-in GPS) and a load-organizer for the luggage area (RM1,407). The load organizer features two rails running along the luggage compartment on which you can slide mounts for two horizontal bars and also a strap used to hold bottles or any standing objects.

Luggage organizer is another useful feature. Tick this option.

Powering the new XC60 in place of the 285hp/400Nm 3.0-litre straight six is a Ford-sourced 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol direct injection engine. Outputs have been scaled down to 203hp @ 6,000rpm and 300Nm @ 1,750 – 4,000rpm. Paired to the engine is Getrag’s 6-speed Powershift twin-clutch transmission that now operates only the front wheels. We will revisit this engine & transmission combo soon with the Ford Mondeo Ecoboost, which also shares the XC60’s EUCD platform.

6-speed Powershift twin clutch transmission.

With the new XC60 being locally-assembled, sporting a less powerful engine and losing all-wheel drive, natural concerns among buyers would be to wonder if quality, performance, and handling have been adversely affected. To start with, the XC60’s build quality appears uncompromised with excellent fit and finish evident throughout the well-appointed cabin.

There is little need to worry about any lack of performance either. It may be two cylinders short of a six-pot, but there’s more than enough to wheel-spin the pair of Pirelli P-Zeroes up front with hilarious ease, on dry tarmac no less. In fact, there were even times that the XC60 2.0T here feels like it is endowed with a little too much power for its own good, as it no longer has the luxury of having its rear wheels sharing the burden of traction.

Built on the Ford EUCD platform like the all-new S60.

On the go, the XC60 2.0T packs pretty rapid acceleration, backed by the strong surge of torque which we’ve grown so accustomed to with turbocharged direct injection engines. Where it did not impress is in its fuel consumption, with 6.7 km/l (14.9 l/100km) the average figure shown on our test car’s trip computer over our 300km mixed route test run.

The XC60 scores top marks with its interior, which carries nearly spot-on ergonomics, and shows that Volvo’s cabin designers do not laze on their homework. An oddly-angled footrest is the only complaint of an otherwise impeccable cabin, although I found Volvo’s configuration of its electronic parking brake (push to engage and pull to disengage) a little counter-intuitive to use.

Volvo’s electronic handbrake is push to engage and pull to disengage. Not following convention.

Wood paneling is something of a favourite amongst manufacturers in efforts of giving their cabins a ‘premium’ appearance. Many fall flat in their faces with attempts that come out appearing rather tacky, but Volvo’s Nordic Light Oak trim, which we are sure would earn ridicule if put through the hands of any other manufacturer, comes out looking rather classy in the XC60. The cabin’s overall ambiance is spot-on for the purpose.

Only Volvo can get away with using wood trim like this.

As mentioned earlier, the one area where Volvo did not skimp on the XC60 2.0T is safety. There are too many features to list down, but the notable ones would include City Safety, Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Warning with Auto Brake, Active Bending Lights, and Blind Spot Information System.

Sensors for the Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning

Front and rear seatbelts all come with pre-tensioners, and the rear bench has a pair of built-in two-stage child seats. This feature allows smaller children to sit higher up thus preventing the safety belt from inadvertently cutting into the little fellow’s neck in the event of an accident.

Built-in child seats. Very thoughtful feature.

The only gripe against the XC60 would be the lack of an AWD option now that the T6 is no longer offered in the Malaysian market. While VCM’s decision to pick the 2.0T for CKD is the correct one due to our market conditions which favour small engines, it would have been great for buyers to be presented with the choice of an AWD variant if they wanted it. Still, credit to Volvo for not skimping where it matters – safety, where the XC60 remains the best equipped in the business.

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