Her and His Reviews
May 2012
2012 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
There are always two sides to everything, right? Well, the truth is there are many more than that!
To keep our car reviews innovative and well-rounded, we are providing you with not just one, but two points of view on the same exact vehicle –
Her and His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate,women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| MSRP: $52,875 | MSRP: Test driven $ 52,675. Base price of $43,700 |
| Performance | |
| Am absolutely beautiful vehicle. With remarkable 325 horespower and quick and nimble pick up, the turbocharged six cylinder engine rides as if on ice - smooth, extraordinarily smooth. The dream family machine can haul what is needed without sacrifice or stalling with its 364 feet of torque. The heaviness does impair the fuel efficiency with a disappointingly low 20 mpg. | Standard features include a lusty 3.0 liter, 325 horsepower, turbocharged six cylinder engine, with continuous variable valve timing and a twin scroll turbocharged system. The engine has 364 pound/ feet of of torque, and it's backed by a six speed automatic with adaptive shift logic. The standard equipment list also includes stability control and traction control, independent front and rear suspension, and a "Ready Alert" braking system. The XC60 T6 R-Design feels like a solid, heavy automobile. Until you hit the accelerator. The engine immediately reacts, and you'd best hold on. Learning modulation on the accelerator is a must with this one. Published reports suggest a seven second zero to sixty time, and we wouldn't doubt it. The muscle's all there. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 17 city and 23 highways mpg make lots of room for improvement available to Volvo engineers. The clock is ticking. | Fuel economy is just "meh," however. Though it's rated at 17/23 with a combined city/highway rating of 20 mpg, we got a bit less with ours, and there are competitors that do better on this score. |
| The Car | |
| Volvo is trying to muscle and vie its way from a premium brand to the top luxury brand by 2020. With their 2012 XC 60 model, they are certainly on course. Impeccable Volvo-defined style leads the way with the XC60. Performance and panache are equally touted. Volvo engineers think of everything. Contemporary auto designs allow for an awful lot of blind spots for today's drivers. The fact that the rear seat head restraints lower with the push of a button allows for the driver to have maximum visibility. What a plus when merging in and out of traffic. All supported by 20" Alloy wheels. Fantastic cargo space for all the families needs. A 2012 Women-Drivers.com Favorite. | What's your idea of luxury in a car? Is it flash and bling? Aggressive-looking beauty? Understated elegance? How about architectural drama, subtlety and contemporary flair? If you have an eye for Scandinavian modernity, striking profile, and a complete absence of bling, we have your next luxury crossover: Volvo's 2012 XC60 T6 All-Wheel Drive. Included special R-Designed features like 20 inch five spoke wheels with all season tires, R-Design sport chassis, silk metal chrome plated skid plate and dual tailpipes, color-matched lower body moldings with matte finishes, R-design leather seats with accent inserts, grille with R-Design logo, "Blue Watch" Dial instrument cluster, R-Design aluminum inlays and aluminum sport pedals and a perforated leather sport steering wheel. |
| Safety | |
| The brand known for absolute safety over the decades continues to prove its worthiness and status in this category. The Volvo XC60 is the only SUV/crossover with an IIHS Top Safety Pick and an overall "5 star" safety rating. This is quite a feat, considering the other top rated brands and safety engineering that goes into competing models. Volvo City Safety can prevent an estimate 25% of low-speed crashes says the IIHS with the independent application of the brakes. Driving throughout Interstates 76 and 79, the Collision Avoidance optional features provides a warning when drivers leave their lane unintentionally, a warning for blind spots, and rear parking assist. I experienced this first hand at 7 pm approaching the Squirrel Hills Tunnels. With the sound alert, I was warned of an immediate stop of traffic (due to an accident) even before my eyes registered the 'stop'. Because of this fabulous feature, I was able to avoid the car ahead of me. Home Safe Perimeter lighting, LED tail lights and intelligent driver information system add to the safety of this SUV and how it supports the driver. LATCH safety feature and Tire Pressure Monitoring System included. | Those who are familiar with Volvo and its history and traditions know that the brand is best known for its emphasis on safety. The standard City Safety feature alone is worth its weight in gold. It allows the XC60 to, independent of the driver, put on the brakes if you're moving below certain speeds, to avoid an accident or at least lessen the damage allows the XC60 to autonomously apply its brakes below certain speeds to prevent or lessen damage if you're unable to avoid an accident. We'd like to give a "shout out" to the optional Collision Avoidance package. It gives you a lane-departure warning system, a blind-spot warning system, adaptive cruise control and other forms of assistance, all valuable to have. Our test car validated its safety prowess over and over. If somebody in front of us stopped suddenly, we were instantly alerted via flashing red lights and a warning buzzer as the car automatically braked for us. If a car was approaching us too closely-a common problem in crowded, narrow-streets of Pittsburgh- we were warned about that, too, via the car's amazing safety systems. And the seats were designed in a way that the head restraints were not uncomfortable, and looked terrific. As you can surmise, the safety equipment is extensive, and includes things like an adaptive steering wheel column safe approach and Home Safe Perimeter lighting system, intelligent driver information system, rear foglight and LED accent taillights. Optional equipment included the collision warning system with full auto brake, pedestrian detection with full auto brake, distance alert, driver alert control, lane departure warning system and other items. |
| Technology | |
| Heated front and rear seats, a fabulous sound system, NAV function, rear parking assist, rain sensor for wiper start-up, climate control features and cruise control are great. Bluetooth connectivity, in dash CD, Mp3 capability and HD Radio. | The optional equipment on our car included the XC60 Platinum package with a voice controlled navigation system, a premium sound system, rear parking assist camera, keyless drive, power operated tailgate, HomeLink, grocery bag holder, and lots of other features. There also was a climate package and technology package with heated front and rear seats, rain sensor for the wipers, interior air quality system, adaptive cruise control with queue assist |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| The look, the feel, the layout, the design, materials and touch points, and the functionality are all top rated. Volvo-esque ques and quality lines are evident and eye catching. From the steering wheel to the dashboard touch points and organization, to the comfort of the most exquisit and roomy seats, this vehicle is simply substanitive, powerful, strapping and luxurious. Every detail and cubic inch is unearthed. | With lines and styling elements that would be just as at home in a contemporary art museum as on the road, stunning acceleration and muscle, along with plenty of practicality and safety features, it's a tough one to beat. It's so good in fact that we think it's squarely in the top tier of luxury crossovers. It appears we're not alone in our view: Consumer Reports places it in its highly coveted recommended category. The interior is truly something to behold. No wonder Volvo has won so many awards for interior design. Check out the slender, eye-catching floating center stack. Or look around at the expensive looking metal trim and classy looking side profile of a human being that's used as part of the climate control system. The XC60 is a superb long distance traveler, and is equipped with seats adorned with buttery soft leather that you can sink into and feel like you're in your favorite easy chair. There's stretch out room up front for everyone, and this car is one of the very few-trust us on this one, VERY few cars-in which you actually have plenty of room to buckle car seats for the kids without busting your knuckles, wasting time, uttering curse words or setting off World War III with recalcitrant, "mad as hell" kids who loathe being buckled in. |
| Warranty | |
| Volvo Safe + Secure Coverage Plan -- which is free. 5 years/50,000 miles for warranty, free scheduled maintenance and free replacement of wear-and-tear items (except tires). Roadside assistance is free for 5 years/unlimited miles. | Volvo Safe + Secure Coverage Plan -- which is free. 5 years/50,000 miles for warranty, free scheduled maintenance and free replacement of wear-and-tear items (except tires). Roadside assistance is free for 5 years/unlimited miles. |
