The Volvo XC60 Gets Another Light Facelift Because It’s Still A Damn Good Car

Nine model years is an awfully long time for a vehicle to stay on the market without a complete redesign, especially one that isn’t a niche model. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from stretching out model cycles, and the Volvo XC60 is getting a second facelift for its ninth model year on the market. In this case, however, an extra-long shelf life isn’t a bad thing. After all, change isn’t always synonymous with improvement.

On the face of things, the updated Volvo XC60 cribs a whole lot from the updated XC90. No surprise there, as Volvo’s built a rather consistent image. As such, you can spot the incoming model by its funky grille of perpendicular slats, new wheel designs, and its ever-so-slightly darkened taillights. Three new colors are also on tap: Forest Lake, Aurora Silver, and Mulberry Red, but that’s about it externally.

See what I mean by subtlety?
Refreshed Volvo Xc60

It’s a similar deal on the inside, with Volvo only changing what it needed to change. The updated XC60 gets a larger 11.2-inch touchscreen for the infotainment, revised metal speaker grilles for the optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system, updated cup holders, and a revised wireless phone charger – but the real magnificence comes in the form of new upholstery choices.

Fancy skipping genuine leather? Well, Volvo’s in tune with the times, offering two textiles that aren’t the hide of a beast. One’s called quilted Nordico, a blended textile made from recycled bottles, organic material, and recycled corks, and it gives the impression of being a new-age feel-good thing. If that doesn’t float your boat, another interior option sounds even more enticing: Volvo plans to offer the updated XC60 with navy blue herringbone-woven cloth that looks richer than rich. It looks wealth.

That’s all welcome stuff, which is important, because everything we like about the XC60 stays more or less the same. It still gets delightful knurled metallic knobs, flowing wood trim, an available crystal shifter, and enough real buttons to offer reasonably intuitive usability. The seats are still divine, outward visibility will still be good, and there should still be an inherent rightness to the XC60, possibly improved by the promise of additional noise reduction measures.

In a way, the Volvo XC60 has carved out an important niche by staying more or less the same. The new BMW X3 feels noticeably cheaper than the old one, the new Mercedes-Benz GLC offers an overload of in-car tech, the Lexus NX is a bit too heavy on shiny black plastic, and the new Audi Q5 is basically a branch of Best Buy on four wheels. The XC60? It’s a real luxury crossover. It’s comfortable, feels incredibly well screwed together, keeps its tech from being too intrusive, and is made largely of lovely stuff. The middle child of Volvo’s fuel-burning crossover lineup is easy to drive, easy to park, and easy to get on with.

So, if you’ve grown disenchanted with what the big three German luxury automakers are offering and the Genesis GV70 doesn’t do it for you, why not try something Swedish? It might not be cutting edge, but given how the latest wave of luxury crossovers is going, slightly older bones could be much nicer to live with.

Top graphic image: Volvo

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

Relatedbar