Jonathan Crouch drives the usefully improved version of Volvo's second generation mid-sized SUV.

Background

Market indecision about EVs has prolonged the life of this car, the second generation version of Volvo's mid-sized premium SUV, the XC60. This MK2 model was first introduced back in 2017, then facelifted first in 2021. By 2025, the company should have been easing this combustion model out of the showrooms to make way for the all-electric EX60. Instead, this XC60 got a stay of execution - and the second facelift we look at here. Once, Volvo was a car maker primarily specialising in spacious estates and solid, safe saloons. It isn't true any more. The brand now builds fewer cars of that sort and today, the majority of its business is done in selling SUVs - cars like this XC60. So successful has the XC60 model line been that in 2025, it surpassed the brand's iconic Volvo 240 to become the best-selling Volvo model ever, with over 2.7 million examples sold. This second generation XC60 first arrived back in 2017, replacing an extremely successful predecessor originally launched in 2008. In 2021, the MK2 XC60 was lightly updated before in early 2025 being updated again to create the car we're going to look at here, which is still built at Torslanda in Sweden and Chengdu in China. It continues to use the 2.0-litre 'Drive-E' engines and 'SPA' 'Scalable Product Architecture' platform that Chinese brand owner Geely bankrolled as part of its brand takeover in 2010 for all ongoing mid and large-sized Volvo models to use.

Driving Experience

Volvo's softened up the passive dampers and worked on refinement for this further updated XC60 (it reckons this is its quietest mid-sized SUV yet). Otherwise, nothing significant has changed in terms of the engineering of this car. In the last few years, Volvo's efforts have been focused on the similarly-sized but unrelated EX60 full-electric model, so the brand had no further budget for engineering development with this second XC60 update. Drive dynamics continue to be based towards comfort. But you shouldn't gauge from that an expectation that this XC60 will be a complete duffer when the road turns twisty. It's very far from that, this model described as 'confident and predictable', which is what we've found it to be and precisely what most likely buyers will want it to be. There's unruffled poise and exemplary refinement, plus you get supple standards of ride comfort from the multi-link rear suspension and top variants continue to have the desirable 'Active Four-C' adaptive damping and air suspension package. A 'Drive Mode Settings' driving dynamics system allows you to tailor throttle response, steering feel and shift timings from the standard 8-speed auto gearbox to suit the way you want to drive. If you do decide to push on a bit, grip and traction are actually quite impressive aided by the standard AWD system, while cornering body roll is also decently well controlled. The engines on offer continue to be of a 2.0-litre, four cylinder configuration and come bolted to the same stiff, sophisticated 'SPA' chassis that also underpins Volvo's larger XC90 model. The brand has long ago banished diesel power in this car, hoping instead to convert customers to the merits of the Plug-in Hybrid powertrain we chose to try for this test. As before, there are two PHEV variants, badged T6 or T8, both with a battery size at 18.8kWh, facilitating an EV drive range of just under 50 miles (which is now a bit behind the prevailing segment standard for this kind of car). What remains top of the class though, is the prodigious 406hp output of the top T8 Plug-in Hybrid variant we tried. Even the lesser T6 version manages 335hp - more than most of its German rivals. So despite the prodigious 2.1-tonne kerb weight, performance is brisk, 62mph dispatched in 5.7s in the T6 or 4.9s in this T8 if you select the most urgent of the provided drive modes, Power. The reason for that performance has a lot to do with the fact that this car's PHEV system is a lot more complex that the set-ups used by rivals, the 2.0-litre petrol engine being both turbocharged and supercharged, its output boosted by a 145hp rear electric motor. If you really don't want to plug your XC60 in, there's a B5 petrol version with a more conventional 250hp version of the 'Drive-E' 2.0-litre turbo engine, embellished with 48V mild hybrid tech. this makes 62mph in 6.9s, on the way to the 112mph top speed that all versions of this Volvo model share. Another thing still shared by all XC60s is this model's very limited off tarmac capability, even though an AWD drive mode is provided. Thanks to the relatively low ride height, the wading depth isn't much higher than the door sills.

Design and Build

You'll need to be an existing owner or know this second generation XC60 pretty well to notice the changes made as part of this second update. The key difference is the revised front grille (like that fitted to the further updated MK2 XC90), plus there are darker rear lights and fresh wheel designs. As before, it all sits on Volvo's usual Scalable Product Architecture platform and is sized to compete directly with premium rivals like Audi's Q5, BMW's X3 and the Mercedes GLC. Unlike those three models though, there's just a single boxy SUV body shape available. It'll be far easier to spot that this is an updated XC60 once inside because the cabin's been notably upgraded by the addition of a much larger 11.2-inch centre screen, which now stretches out of the top of the dashboard. It remains portrait in format and includes the latest generation of Volvo's Google-based infotainment system. This runs on a more powerful Qualcomm chip (which makes it twice as quick to respond to commands) and there are sharper graphics. The brand has plushed up the cabin with more luxurious materials, including on affordable models a combination of Nordico synthetic leather and herringbone-pattern fabric. Otherwise, it's as you were. High-quality materials, intelligent use of space and attention to detail work together to create a distinctly Scandinavian cabin that's simple and elegant. The supportive seats position you lower in the XC60 than you would in an XC90, there's a 12.3-inch digital instrument dial display and you get a CleanZone climate control system that removes harmful pollutants and particles from outside the cabin to deliver Scandinavian-fresh air on the inside In the rear, there's decent space for shoulders and heads and the kind of room for knees and legs that you'd expect from an SUV 4.7-metres in length. Parents will like the fact that you can specify a pair of built-in fold-out booster seats. In a conventionally-engined B5 model, the boot capacity is rated at 483-litres - or 613-litres if you were to load up to the roof; that's about 45-litres shy of the prevailing class standard, though it's more than you get in comparably-priced Land Rover products. The Plug-in Hybrid variant loses a bit from those figures because of its underfloor battery - 468-litres, or 598-litres if you load up to the roof.

Market and Model

XC60 prices haven't changed much as part of this update and at the time of our review in Spring 2026 were starting from just under £50,000. The available trim levels start with base 'Core' and culminate with the top 'Ultra' version we tried, also offered in meaner-looking 'Ultra Black Edition' form. With 'Core' spec - and with the mid-level 'Plus' variants most XC60 customers choose (available in 'Plus', 'Plus Black Edition' and 'Plus Pro' forms) - there's a choice between the 250hp B5 mild hybrid petrol engine or, for around £7,000 more, the 335hp T6 Plug-in Hybrid AWD powertrain. With the top 'Ultra' trim levels, if you want an alternative to the B5 unit you have to have the faster 406hp T8 version of Volvo's Plug-in Hybrid powertrain. The XC60 T8 Plug-in Hybrid AWD is priced in its 'Ultra' and 'Ultra Black Edition' forms at around £71,000 at the time of this review. For reference, the brand's similarly-sized full-electric EX60 model is priced from around £56,000 in base 374hp P6 form. All versions of this Volvo have roof rails, front and rear parking sensors, auto headlamps and wipers, a power-operated tailgate and alloy wheels of at least 18-inches in size. Plus there are LED headlights that at night can bend with the road and dip themselves automatically. And of course a class-leading package of electronic safety equipment. Inside on all XC60s, there's a powered, heated driver's seat with lumbar support and memory settings, plus a new Google-powered 11.2-inch centre screen. You can also tick off 2-Zone Electronic Climate Control, an auto-dimming interior mirror, a rear view camera and a 12.3-inch Active TFT Crystal Driver's information display to replace the usual instrument dials. This will change in layout according to the Drive Mode settings you choose. The T6 PHEV comes with a panoramic glass roof too. Ideally, you'd want a variant fitted with the latest version of Volvo's high-end Bowers & Wilkins audio system, which Volvo claims is 'one of the best-sounding audio systems for a car'.

Cost of Ownership

Let's get to the stats: an XC60 B5 manages a combined cycle fuel figure of up to 37.6mpg and a CO2 return of up to 170g/km. Surprisingly, Volvo chose to base the PHEV versions of this car around a version of this engine further embellished by supercharging, never usually a helpful thing for efficiency. In the T6 and T8 Recharge models though, it's aided by a 145hp rear electric motor powered by an 18.8kWh battery which allows for an EAER-rated all-electric range of up to 49.1 miles for the T6 and up to 47.2 miles for the T8 variant. Theoretically then, you could use an XC60 T6 or T8 every day without ever visiting a fuel station unless you needed to undertake a longer trip. That's assuming of course that you keep the lithium-ion battery fully charged. Taking all that into account delivers the usual difficult-to-replicate set of PHEV stats; up to 313.4mpg on the combined cycle with up to 20g/km of CO2 for the T6; and up to 282.1mpg and up to 22g/km of CO2 for the T8. That was enough for a 9% Benefit-in-Kind taxation rating for all XC60 PHEVs at the time of this test in Spring 2026 - a useful saving on the 37% BiK rating applied to the B5 mild hybrid version. These stats assume of course that you keep the lithium-ion battery fully charged. There's a 6.4kW charging speed and a 7-metre Type 2 charging cable's provided. A three-phase AC garage 7.4kW wallbox will be able to fully replenish the battery completely in around 3 hours. We should also mention that it's possible to replenish the battery of your PHEV XC60 on the move, via a 'Charge' option you'll find in the 'Battery Usage' section of the centre screen. This forces energy into the battery on the move, but strains the engine to do it, increasing fuel consumption. The same menu gives you the option to 'Hold' the battery's charge for use later in your journey - say for town driving at the end of a long trip. Ultimately, to justify the XC60 PHEV model's price premium, you really have to try and plug it in at every opportunity, otherwise you'll simply find yourself running a heavy petrol-powered SUV and frequently replenishing the 71-litre fuel tank. If on the move, you want to prioritise all-electric progress, you can select a 'Pure' driving mode that prioritises electric-only operation and would be useful in an urban environment. In everyday use though, most T6 and T8 owners will be driving in the 'Hybrid' mode that the car's powertrain automatically defaults to, a setting in which the vehicle will automatically alternate between petrol and electric power. Maintenance should be relatively affordable for a car of this kind, with intervals every year or 18,000 miles. Three or five year pre-paid servicing packages are available to help you budget ahead. If you pay extra for the useful 'On Call with App' remote connectivity system, this Volvo can be programmed to autonomously realise when a service is due, then automatically book it for you at a dealership of your choice. Finally, we'll tell you that the warranty is the usual three year, 60,000 mile package.

Summary

For quite a number of buyers, this improved second generation XC60 will still represent exactly the way a premium mid-sized SUV should look, should feel and should operate. So yes, there remains plenty to like. The brand's chosen four cylinder 2.0-litre 'Drive-E' engine formula continues to offer most of what you need and little of what you don't in this class of car, but if you get this powertrain paired with PHEV tech, you'll find its EV range capability now a little down on what German rivals can manage - though they still struggle to match the hefty power output of this top T8 variant. As for the small changes made as part of this second update, well they won't convince you into an XC60 if you didn't already want one. But if you did, then you'll probably be pleased with the bigger Google Android infotainment system screen and the subtle exterior update. And in summary? Well there's still a place for this XC60 in the company's line-up - and in its segment. This Volvo remains refreshingly different from its teutonic rivals, cleverly perfected for the actual priorities of its targeted market. This then, is the Swedish SUV. Evolved.