Volvo XC60 - 2012ish

Author
Discussion

Skylinecrazy

Original Poster:

13,986 posts

201 months

Sunday 28th February 2021
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Hi all, looking at getting one of these as a dog wagon in the near future. Anything to look out for specifically? Reliable?

Thanks smile

Timmos1974

260 posts

62 months

Friday 5th March 2021
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I had one, it was the worst car I ever owned.

Got rid of it in under 3 months

Skylinecrazy

Original Poster:

13,986 posts

201 months

Friday 5th March 2021
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Timmos1974 said:
I had one, it was the worst car I ever owned.

Got rid of it in under 3 months
Cars to elaborate?

djone101

950 posts

291 months

Monday 8th March 2021
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I had a D5 AWD R Design in 2013 - my first Volvo experience and it was flawless. Never missed a beat - nothing went wrong.
Replaced it with another one in 2013 which also was great - again nothing went wrong.

Took both skiing each year - with winter tyres on they were perfect for the job.

Replaced the second XC60 in 2018 with an XC90 due to expanding children and subsequent University deliveries and collections.

Maracus

4,476 posts

175 months

Monday 22nd March 2021
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Had a 2014 2.0 D4 for two years, sold it in March last year as I joined the company lease scheme.

Faultless, comfortable and a relaxing commute.

It was an R Design Lux Nav Auto.

Murph7355

38,909 posts

263 months

Tuesday 23rd March 2021
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I haven't had an XC60, only 2x XC90s. I think the key thing is to set your expectations properly.

Volvos of that era are pretty utilitarian. Our XC90 was a 2010 and was a great family wagon, but pretty agricultural in some respects and not exciting at all. But what it did do is cement our love for the brand as safe family transport. The Volvo Owners forum is a great source of help and recommended.

Our 2016 XC90 is a league ahead of the old one. A real step change from Volvo in adding luxury to the utilitarian angle. We looked at all 7 seat options when buying it and the XC90 was head and shoulders the best overall buy in our opinion.

I think the later XC60 does the same for that model - friends of ours just bought one and love it.

Go into an earlier model expecting rough edges and a pretty beige steer and its virtues will likely shine through. Expect something different and you may be disappointed.

DennisTheMenace

15,605 posts

275 months

Tuesday 6th April 2021
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We have had ours for 3 and a bit years now, it’s brilliant, other than a clutch at 105k it’s needed just routine servicing. It’s a rare beast too being Rebel Blue, it’s also an ex Volvo press hack so more kit than curry’s,



ollyh1988

962 posts

207 months

Tuesday 6th April 2021
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DennisTheMenace said:
We have had ours for 3 and a bit years now, it’s brilliant, other than a clutch at 105k it’s needed just routine servicing. It’s a rare beast too being Rebel Blue, it’s also an ex Volvo press hack so more kit than curry’s,


That looks fantastic - we have been looking at the new shape xc60 and one of the disappointments is the really boring colours available. If you don’t go for an R-design they are pretty much all silver, grey or black!

DennisTheMenace

15,605 posts

275 months

Sunday 11th April 2021
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We are discovering the same. You can get a nice blue still, but only on R-Design, car colours have become greyscale!

Vibrant copper was another colour Volvo did that looked good, but this Rebel Blue, I haven’t lost it yet in a car park!

Nigel_O

3,057 posts

226 months

Sunday 2nd May 2021
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SWMBO bought a 2012 XC60 D5 2.4 about three years ago. It has been a very pleasant surprise.

In that time it’s had a battery (replacing the with year old original), a pair of rear springs and a couple of services. Also changed the oil in the “sealed for life” auto-box.made a lot of difference.

Good points

Solid build quality - probably close to Audi / BMW / Merc. In fact it’s probably better that the equivalent Merc ML that we test drove when searching for a car.
Roomy
Comfortable
Quiet on a cruise
Utterly reliable
Economical (33 for local driving, 40+ on a long run)
Modestly quick for a two-ton diesel with a slush box
Amazingly good on tyres - all four wore out at the same time with perfectly even wear - 25,000+ miles

Not so good points

Sounds a bit thrashy when pressing on
Handling is on the vague side of wafty, especially when heavily loaded
Door handles freeze up quite regularly
Dog hates it - he’s a 12-stone Newfoundland and can’t get in and out of it - bizarrely, he much preferred the previous car - a 3-door Grande Punto, even though he touched both sides at the same time....

When driven accordingly, it’s great

Bonefish Blues

29,410 posts

230 months

Sunday 2nd May 2021
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Consider the XC70 as an alternative - it's the route we went when looking for a family bus.