D5 AWD SE Lux Nav 215 Geartronic Auto 5dr

Bruiser

After demands from darling wife (swmbo) for a premium SUV we bought an approved used XC60 with all the bells and whistles from our local main dealer. I personally would favour a large estate but was overruled by management who wanted maximum posh for our budget.

The car itself is a very nice low mileage example. The quality is high, the 5cyl 215bhp motor pulls very well and sounds nicely quirky with that slightly offbeat note. It is a bit grumbly at low speeds but at motorway speeds it’s very quiet. The seats are excellent and it’s very roomy inside. It handles very well for a tall SUV, far more nimble and stable than the CRV that preceded it.

Downsides. Well to start with the dealer is appalling. They asked me to leave the car for an extra few days to let them valet it fully but when I turned up for collection they’d done nothing of the sort, I took delivery with a layer of grime and bird dirt on it. They then lied about the timing belt interval, saying it was 6yrs instead of Volvos recommended 10 but when I reminded them I had just picked it up and that it was thus their responsibility it was hastily revised to 10yrs. Seems it’s advised for us to do every 6yrs but when the dealer is paying it’s 10yrs... go figure. Then a few months later I have need to use that much hyped approved used warranty and shock horror the electrical component concerned isn’t covered. They are utterly useless and complaints to Volvo UK are merely redirected to the dealer.

The ride quality is also awful, it’s far worse than the CRV we had. It’s constantly moving around underneath you on anything short of a perfect surface. I’d far rather sacrifice some of that handling capability for a little more ride comfort as I didn’t buy a large SUV to go on B road blasts. The CRV was a better setup for this sort of car. The only saviour is the quality of the seats which are excellent.


Rust has also appeared in two stone chips above the windscreen which I didn’t notice when buying so to be fair that’s my fault but I was surprised to see them there when there’s not a mark elsewhere. The rear fog lamps are also a stupid design, being so low in the rear bumper directly behind the rear wheels they get all of the spray and thus water ingress and costly replacement are almost guaranteed. This was of course rejected under the warranty.

Overall I like the car, despite its overly firm suspension. It looks good, it has great seats, the engine has character and power and it feels a safe place to put my family. But Volvo really need to work on customer care, their dealer in this case is next to useless. So far, I wish I’d waited for a decent Honda CRV, only trouble is the same dealer also runs the Honda franchise and is equally useless from past experiences. This one will be serviced at a trusted local independent where I get a knowledgeable person on the other end of the phone.

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