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New Volvo XC60 - T6

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New Volvo XC60 - T6

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New Volvo XC60 - T6

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The new Volvo XC60

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The new Volvo XC60

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The new Volvo XC60

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The new Volvo XC60

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The new Volvo XC60 - Teaser image

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The new Volvo XC60 - Teaser image

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It seems only fitting that the first 2018 vehicle to make its way to our driveway this year be the all new Volvo XC60. This new version of the XC60 is completely redesigned as a replacement in the Volvo line of their smaller SUV; we had the opportunity of driving the larger SC90 last January as the first replacement in the Volvo line using what they are calling Scalable Platform Architecture or SPA for short.

SPA is a unique way for a manufacture to design and produce vehicles; in essence the underpinnings of the entire Volvo line will be the same. So the frame is the same, the engine is the same, even if the vehicle is to be a hybrid there is space for all the wires batteries and additional electric motors that make up the hybrid.

Why this is important for a smaller auto maker like Volvo is that the first car off the line that day could be a XC90 followed by a SC60 T6 and then a XC60 hybrid. Given that they all start out the same it allows them to add the right part and ingredients to make any of their vehicles on the same line without having to retool or change things as other automakers do. Usually one line will produce the same vehicle for a company to fill all the orders then change to make a different vehicle in the line for the orders received.

In the past Volvo has not been known for having the same updated technology as other manufactures, as they had kept the phone like keypad around way to long and most of their systems were quite awkward to use.

Not any longer, Volvo technology in our humble opinion, now leads the pack not only in design but also giving more than others have to offer. This new SPA way of manufacturing should insure that they stay at the head of the pack in that department, also as new technology and ways of doing things come along they can implement them quickly into the entire line, not having to wait for a mid-cycle refresh or complete redesign of the products because the tools or parts will not work.

After we got our heads around how this works it really is quite ingenious and should prove to be a huge boon to Volvo. The new SC60 proves that it is going to work as they have completed this SPA process with the entire line of the 90 series, with the smaller SUV being the first to come out in the 60 series using it.

There are 3 different engines available on the XC60, which are the same as engines that are available on the 90 series. There is the T6 that is turbo charged and super charged making 316 horsepower, a T5 turbo charged engine that makes 250 ponies or the T8 hybrid that make a combined 400 horsepower. We drove the T6 for a week, and it has plenty of power and enjoyment under the hood, enough to keep everyday driving anything but boring!

We are still in awe with all the new technology that Volvo has offered up with their newly redesigned vehicles, up to this new SPA adventure they are involved in it seemed that Volvo was in no way keeping up with the Jones’s in the technology department. Of course they had the standard Bluetooth and such for smart phones and screens for navigation and what not, but there were also many buttons for getting all the stuff to work.

No longer is this the case as it appears that the entire dashboard is now an LED screen, in fact even better it’s a huge touch screen that is located front and center in the console, over 9 inches high, which runs everything from the radio to seat massagers. The only buttons were for advancing songs or channels on the radio, a volume control and a button for opening the glove box.

We loved the way this became the center point of the vehicle mounted in an up and down fashion instead of wide screen. It does take some getting used to in jumping around the menus, but became second nature and was the first place we would go after starting the Inscription, mostly to get the seats cooling, or choosing a new radio station, and even more important setting up the massaging seats.

It could also be used as a very large navigation screen, and came with the best predictive traffic abilities that we have seen to date. It was programed so well, it would warn us of school zones and other small traffic occurrences along our path.

The gages in the new Volvo design have been replaced with a huge 12.3 inch LED display that is just plain great to look at. Centered between the two projected gauges is now a navigation systems that lets the driver know where they are at all times, again one of the best dashboard systems we have encountered!

Volvo’s vehicles have always been known for their safety features and this new architecture was no different, as we found you would almost have to work to get in an accident with the new XC60. A couple of the new features that are now included in the Volvo are steer assist, if the vehicle detects that a collision with a pedestrian, cyclist, or large animal is eminent it will steer away from that to try and avoid and accident.

Blind spot intervention will work with this steer assist also and try and steer the Volvo back into the land if the driver tries to move into a car that is next to it. The engineers have also added oncoming lane mitigation that will steer the Volvo back into the proper lane if the driver drifts over the center line and it sees an oncoming vehicle. These are some great additional safety features that we have not seen on other vehicles yet.

Of course this was not all that the XC60 has to offer, auto braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, it would even detect if the driver was going off the road and try and steer back on. There is even a new drowsy/distracted driver alert, so not to worry Volvo is also carrying all the new technology over into the safety design also.

Volvo still makes the most comfortable seats around and with all the new features and safety that comes standard with the new SPA designs it won’t matter which Volvo one chooses they will all have the same abilities.

Not to mention that the Swedish design is really appealing to look at and drive around in, one cannot go wrong with this new Volvo look and design. See the new XC60 today at Ken Garff Volvo in Salt Lake City, 525 South State, 866-789-7162.

Base Price: $44,900

Price as Driven: $63,290