2001 Volvo Xc70 Awd on 2040-cars

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2021 Volvo XC60 Review | Swedish design; no assembly required

The 2021 Volvo XC60 may not be the first car to spring to mind when considering European luxury crossovers, but despite lacking the cachet of tier-one manufacturers, it is a solid, safety-first offering with attractive styling and excellent interior design, rising above the mainstream market and rivaling some of the continent’s best. The XC60Â’s cabin is uniquely Swedish: clean, modern and at its tastefully adorned best when done up in earth tones and natural wood trim. You won't confuse it for something from Germany or Japan. Its seats are among the most comfortable and supportive of any luxury car under $100,000, and its Sensus infotainment system is capable and flexible. No Volvo is perfect. Wheel size upgrades tend to disproportionately impact ride comfort, and Sensus can be slow to boot up and respond to inputs. Its powertrains are also lacking in refinement, with even the 400-horsepower plug-in hybrid model (Formerly the T8; now dubbed “Recharge”) lacks polish despite its robust performance. But the XC60 is nonetheless impressive, and thanks to its diverse array of powertrain options and versatile tech suite, this luxury crossover offers something for everybody. WhatÂ’s new for 2021? For 2021, the XC60 is largely carry-over. Models with the T8 powertrain are now referred to as “Recharge,” which is VolvoÂ’s new universal name for its plug-in hybrids. Keyless entry is now standard, along with illuminated door handles. WhatÂ’s the interior and in-car technology like? VolvoÂ’s attractive and refined shape is mirrored in its stylish, welcoming interiors. With premium materials and beautiful design from top to bottom, itÂ’s difficult to find anything negative to say about the XC60Â’s interior. Open-pore wood and real metal are both available depending on trim, and Recharge Inscription models even get an Orrefors crystal gear selector. VolvoÂ’s Sensus infotainment suite is compatible with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and also offers robust integration with phones via Bluetooth, including speech-to-text, allowing it to read and compose text messages without outside assistance. Sensus lacks polish in some areas, offering slow boot-up times and menus that can be difficult to navigate on the road. Still, several of our editors appreciate its touchscreen layout and find it less overwhelming than admittedly quicker and flashier systems like Mercedes' MBUX and BMW's iDrive.

Ford, Volvo top 2014 EyesOn Design awards

Each year at the Detroit Auto Show, the top vehicle designs are recognized with the prestigious EyesOn Design award for production and concept vehicles. This year, the 32 EyesOn Design judges (comprised of current and former vehicle designers including Chrysler designer and SRT president Ralph Gilles, Kia designer Peter Schreyer and retired General Motors designer Wayne Cherry) handed out three awards for the Best Concept Vehicle, Best Production Vehicle and Innovative Use of Color, Graphics, and Materials.
Beating out the Mercedes C-Class and Ford F-150, the 2015 Ford Mustang was named the Best Production Vehicle as the top auto show debut at this year's Detroit show. The 2014 Volvo Concept XC Coupe took home awards as the Best Concept Vehicle and for its Innovative Use of Color, Graphics and Materials.
Considering the Volvo's primer grey hue and subtle orange accents, it was a rather surprising winner for Innovative Use of Color, Graphics, and Materials over flashier concepts like the Toyota FT-1 and our Editors' Choice top pick, the Kia GT4 Stinger. Other vehicles in the running for the concept car award include the GT4 Stinger and Audi Allroad Shooting Brake

Volvo won't go after S-Class, 7 Series market

Volvo vice president of powertrain engineering, Derek Crabb, recently said that the Swedish automaker is developing smaller and smarter powertrain options that will "turn V8s into dinosaurs" - a statement that could have been our first indication that Volvo is no longer looking to create a luxury flagship sedan to take on German land yachts like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series. Now Automotive News seems to be backing this up after speaking with CEO Hakan Samuelsson, who said that a big sedan wouldn't fit the brand's green image and, more importantly, might not even be a car that its customers would even consider.
Rather than trying to compete in a small, established market against rear-drive, 12-cylinder sedans, Volvo is looking at the emerging, higher-volume premium small car segment to take on its German rivals with the all-new Volvo V40 (shown above). Not wanting to abandon the big-vehicle segment altogether, a next-generation XC90 is due out within the next couple years (and was spotted in some recent spy shots), and it will ride on the new Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), which will be shared with the new S80 according to the AN article.