Volvo XC60 2023 review: Recharge

This is currently the most expensive XC60 you can buy. Wearing a base price of $100,990, before on-road costs, at the time of writing, the Recharge plug-in hybrid sits atop a three-variant range, which also consists of the base B5 ($72,990) and B6 ($85,990) mild-hybrids.

It competes in the luxury mid-size SUV segment, which is most congested in Australia for plug-in hybrids. Rivals include the BMW X3 xDrive 30e ($107,000), outgoing Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e ($94,124 - the PHEV one won’t be replaced when the new generation arrives), and the latest arrival to the space, the Lexus NX 450h+ ($88,323).

The PHEV is only available in the ‘Ultimate’ XC60 trim level, which, as the name suggests, is the most feature-laden. While it is significantly more expensive than the standard versions of the car, Volvo throws in some serious, otherwise-optional kit to tempt you to go PHEV.

Standard gear includes massive 21-inch alloy wheels, full LED head and tail-lights, leather-accented interior trim with power adjustable front seats, charcoal interior colour scheme with aluminium mesh detailing, dual-zone climate control (the PHEV is the only one to get dual instead of quad), a 9.0-inch portrait-oriented multimedia touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay (but no Android Auto as it runs the Android Automotive operating system), a wireless phone charger, a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 360-degree parking camera as part of its comprehensive safety suite.

Adding to the value equation, and closing the gap with the next grade down, the Recharge scores otherwise-optional gear, including an extremely good Bowers & Wilkins audio system (normally a crazy $4300 option), the very welcome air suspension ($2700), and a panoramic sunroof ($3250). 

This option-added strategy is replicated by its rivals, although it still places the XC60 as the second-most expensive of its peers. As with all PHEVs, though, there’s more to the story when it comes to range performance, and charging, so you’ll need to read further to see how the XC60 compares.

The XC60 matches its squared-off exterior angles with a big interior. The driving position offers a high roof and plenty of adjustability, and while it compares well in terms of space compared to its rivals, there are electric mid-size SUVs which are now opening cabins up even more by deleting the raised centre console area.

While we always like to see a set of tactile buttons and dials, particularly for climate functions, there are shortcuts for the front and rear defogger, and a nice big dial for volume control.

Thanks to big windows and wing mirrors, the XC60 is easy to see out of in every direction, bolstered by its amazing 360-degree parking camera. For a mid-sizer, it’s a well equipped city-slicker.

The rear seat offers plenty of knee room for me behind my own seating position (at 182cm tall), and although the seat bases are higher than they are in the front and there’s a panoramic sunroof, I still had sufficient headroom.

The middle seat is an unfortunate story, as a large transmission tunnel (which now houses the battery pack) consumes any semblance of legroom, making it hardly suitable for adults.

Proving its family credentials, though, the XC60 range offers a built-in booster seat on the outboard rears, alongside the usual array of dual ISOFIX and three top-tether mounts.

In terms of storage there are nets on the backs of the front seats and small bottle holders (will fit 300ml cans or bottles but not 500ml ones) in the doors, with a further two in the drop-down armrest (as well as a ski port behind - naturally). There are also adjustable air vents in the B pillars, although the climate functions can only be controlled via the central touchscreen in the front. Finally, there’s an odd small shelf and dual USB-C outlets on the back of the centre console.

The XC60 has a boot capacity of 468-litres (VDA) which is big but not huge for the mid-size SUV segment. It easily fit the whole CarsGuide luggage set, and there’s a helpful amount of room under the boot floor for the storage of charging cables. This area also hosts the compressor for the air suspension and a tyre repair kit. Cleverly, when you park the car or open the boot, the air suspension lowers for best access.

The plug-in hybrid world is just as, if not more complicated than the fully electric world, mainly because there are so many ways to implement a system which blends an electric motor with the driving force of the combustion engine.

In the case of the XC60, the solution is particularly clever. Up front is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 233kW/400Nm. As though this wasn’t already enough performance, there’s an electric motor on the rear axle, producing a further 107kW/309Nm.

The XC60 has a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. (Image: Tom White)

Interestingly, there’s no all-wheel drive hardware, with the centre tunnel being filled with battery instead. This means the XC60 theoretically has better balance than some of its rivals which simply place the battery under the boot floor, but it also creates the strange situation where this SUV is rear-wheel drive when driving in electric mode, but front-wheel drive under combustion power. The two blend nicely using software to facilitate all-wheel drive. 

The combustion engine drives the front wheels via an eight-speed traditional torque converter automatic.

The battery is particularly large for the segment at 18.8kWh, allowing the XC60 Recharge a 77km purely electric driving range according to the WLTP standard, which is ahead of its rivals.

Like many PHEVs the XC60 has an impressively low official fuel consumption of just 1.6L/100km. This, however, assumes the battery gets charged. As with any PHEV, you’ll want to ensure you have a place to charge it, too.

This is primarily because the XC60, despite its long electric range and large battery, has a 3.6kW inverter, limiting its charge time (from the base level to full) to between four and five hours, no matter where you plug it in.

A charge speed so slow means it is difficult to maintain a level of charge using public AC sockets. This is a PHEV which needs to be charged in a garage overnight. If you live in a unit or have to make do with on-street parking, the Lexus NX 450h+ is a better pick, with its battery charging at twice the speed on a public outlet.

Once it is charged, though, the XC60 has one of the longer ranges for a PHEV in its class, with the 77km WLTP range working out for me to be about 65km in the real world. Not bad.

My consumption numbers for the week came out as 3.4L/100km of fuel, and 18kWh/100km of energy. Decent figures, especially since I ran it out of charge on more than one occasion.

Another pillar of the Volvo brand is safety, and the XC60 wants for almost nothing on this front.

Active items include freeway speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, intersection, and even large animal detection, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, driver attention alert, and traffic sign recognition.

There is a standard array of airbags for the first and second row, as well as the expected electronic stability, brake, and traction controls.

The XC60 range was awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2017, although the plug-in hybrid versions are excluded for the time being.

The XC60 range was awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2017. (Image: Tom White)