Volvo XC60 SUV R-Design T8 Twin Engine AWD auto 5d Owner Review

We bought this car as we wanted a hybrid or electric luxury SUV. There’s limited options in this category at the moment and after much research, we settled on the XC60 R-Design T8, having already owned an old style XC90. Pros: Beautiful looking car. Great handling with the low centre of gravity and the interior finish really is second to none. The build quality and materials used are superior to the Q5 and X3/5 which we also considered, (in fact I think Volvo design/build quality is now superior to all of the luxury manufacturers). Electric/petrol engine is responsive, quiet and very powerful for a big car. Low BIK for company car users and low running costs (if you are mainly running on electric). The panoramic sun roof is a nice feature. Cons: If you do short journeys, this car is great for fuel economy. We have a pod point installed, so it’s a simple case of plugging the car in when you get home. In fact we have only filled up with petrol 3 times since owning and have done over 3000 miles. However, if you tend to do longer journeys, this car isn’t for you. You’ll be relying mainly on the petrol engine, and the fuel economy is very poor - 30-35mpg at best! In reality the electric range is about 22/23 miles, which is a lot lower than the 30 miles claimed by Volvo. One niggle is that our driveway is on a slight hill, so the petrol engine always kicks in as we are pulling off as the electric motor struggles with the torque. We have the R-Design T8 (not the pro). The car was £53k. Fine - that’s what premium SUVs cost now, but there’s a few items that should be standard for this level of car. Keyless entry - most manufacturers even at the lower end are making keyless entry a standard feature, it should be standard on a £50k+ car. Blind spot information system - same as above. Volvo is famously the safest car brand - why isn’t this feature standard? Same goes for surround camera system. You shouldn’t be paying extra for this in a £50k+ car! The flappy paddle gear changers on the steering wheel are annoying/sensitive and I often accidentally touch them whilst gripping the steering wheel, which automatically puts the car into sport mode. Fun, but annoying when you’re doing 20mph on your local high st. The Volvo infotainment system looks/feels luxurious, but it is hard to use and the voice activated controls are really unreliable. It struggles to recognise the simplest of commands such as changing the radio station. Also, it doesn’t work whilst the satnav is in use. Satnav system isn’t great. Apple car play is a worthwhile upgrade (but another £300 upgrade that is now standard amongst most of the luxury brands). Overall I love driving the car, but the cons I’ve listed mean I can’t give it a 5/5 review.