Styling With The Swedes In The 2018 Volvo XC60 T5

SUVs are all the rage, these days, and the Swedish car wizards at Volvo have you covered with their XC60 T5. Here, we’re going to take a closer look at the stylish 2018 model, how it fares in all the ways you care about, and whether or not it’s worth taking the plunge.

Image by Shirley 501JFW

The drive
First, let’s look at the handling and the performance. Compared to the T6, the T5 is an entry-level model, powered by a turbocharged version of the Volvo’s 2.0L direct injection inline four engine giving 250 hp at 5,500. If you’re looking for a car that needs to be able to handle urban and town environments, it’s worth it to visit wcvolvocars.com and take it for a test drive. It’s a great car for accelerating and manoeuvring around town, with tight handling, and a 6.4-second 0-60 time that makes it surprisingly zippy when heading around town.

The interior
The Swedes show their passion for tasteful, minimalistic design yet again in the 2018 XC60 T5. The dash is sleek, without too many buttons cluttering things up and demanding your attention be pulled in a hundred different directions and there’s a big, impressive center display screen that’s crisp and informative without being too busy. The leather upholstered seats are low maintenance, likely not needing much more than the occasional steam cleaning, and there’s all the space you should hope to find in an SUV, making it easy for those who need to bundle a family up in there. There is a slight hump on the floor that decreases leg-room for the back passenger in the middle, but it’s not too much of an obstruction.

The safety
SUVs are big, burly, and designed to handle tough situations and the T5 won’t let you down in that respect. It has all the expected safety features that have become the hallmark of Volvo cars, including lane-keeping assist, oncoming crash avoidance, crash mitigation, and run-off protection What’s more, it has impressive safety ratings at IIHS.org, managing the optimal score in almost all departments.

The reliability
If you’re running a family around town, you want to ensure that your car can handle the stresses of the job. There have been no major recalls as of yet, but this is the only area in which the T5 falls just a little behind. It’s covered with a four-year/50,000 mile warranty, so most issues won’t be of significant concern, but it has average scores at reliabilityindex.com without too many major common issues, but it’s seemingly not as long-lived as other SUV options, particularly from the Japanese manufacturers. That said, it has an impressive fuel economy of 22 mpg, making it just as efficient as the much more expensive T8 plug-in hybrid model.

All in all, the T5 is a zippy, comfortable, and easy SUV perfectly suited for those who need a family car that can both fit all the kids in but make their journey through the town a lot more comfortable without weighing down too heavily on your budget.

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