It’s not often one hears of a prospective new car buyer in South Africa considering a Volvo. It’s something I find rather puzzling considering how heavily consumers have shifted toward SUVs as their preferred mode of family transport. As most would know, Volvo has an absolutely stellar reputation for making safe vehicles, which you’d think would be the number one priority when carrying one’s family. Apparently not.
Rather, us South Africans are lured in by the ‘prestige’ of owning an SUV made by one of the big three German manufacturers. Don’t get me wrong, those are quite safe too, but not Volvo safe.
The other argument is that Volvos have traditionally not been the most inspiring vehicles to look at but truthfully that’s only true of pre-2000 Volvos. Today the company makes some of the most elegant and sophisticated looking vehicles available on sale.
Also read: Volvo S90: Pokes a finger in the eye of its rivals
Like this new XC60, for example. I mean just look at it, oozing suave Swedish-ness. It makes most of its competitors look rather ungainly, frankly. That doesn’t only apply to the exterior either. The ethos from the larger XC90 has been carried through, meaning it gets the same portrait style infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster. The dashboard layout is minimalist with plenty of high quality materials where the fit and finish is right up there with the competitors. The interior is fairly roomy too, with plenty of head and legroom in the rear.
Like all Volvos, the XC60 showcases the firm’s latest safety kit. The highlight is the semi-autonomous cruise control, which will accelerate, brake and steer the car at speeds of up to 130km/h. It boasts all kinds of pre-warning systems should you be about to hit another vehicle, either in front or beside you and it’ll brake should you fail to do so. The XC60 will also alert you to pedestrians and large animals and in the worst case of actually hitting a pedestrian you can be sure the Volvo has been designed to cause the unlucky soul as little harm as possible.
Our test vehicle was powered by Volvo’s 2.0 litre turbo charged diesel motor, mated with an eight speed automatic gearbox. Boasting 173kW and 480 torques it sounds quite good on paper but in reality is slightly let down by the gearbox which always seems a little delayed in responding to driver inputs. Once you’re on the go that problem mostly disappears, it’s more apparent in stop and go situations like you might encounter in a busy city.
From an occupant’s perspective you’ll struggle to match the level of refinement the Volvo offers. The air suspension option in our test vehicle really allows the XC60 to waft along, with the added benefit of being able to raise the car should you want to head off road. The seats are some of the most comfortable I’ve come across in any vehicle, while very little exterior noise makes its way into the cabin. All of this makes the Volvo an absolutely wonderful carriage for long distances. It’s large fuel tank and frugal use thereof further enhances that accolade.
Also read: Volvo XC90 – not just the safest SUV on the market
Pricing starts at R811,400 which includes a five year, 100,000km maintenance plan and warranty. Start adding a few nice-to-haves and that’ll start to rise of course. The R-Design Premium Plus Pack is R78,750 for example, which includes heated front seats, a 360-degree park assist camera, Bowers and Wilkins sound system and LED headlights that turn with your steering inputs to name a few. A panoramic sunroof will set you back R19,500. Air suspension is some R26,750.
So after a week with the XC60 I must admit I struggle to understand why South Africans are quite so besotted with the Germanic offerings. If you want a great family car, get a Volvo. It’s safer, more comfortable, arguably better looking and priced similarly. What more could you want?
