Volvo XC60: T5, B5, or plug in?
Discussion
Hi - posted something similar in the Volvo forum but it doesn’t get many posts so wanted to ask here as well.
Just sold our F-Pace diesel and want to buy a petrol Volvo XC60. Tried the B5 MHEV and really liked the drive but there are a few choices out there for a c£30k budget.
Is it going to be less hassle to go for pure petrol T5? Or is the B5 with the hybrid a better engine? Are there many differences in how the cars drive? I don’t have outside charging so is there any point of thinking about a plug in? I do have a drive and power could come from the garage but we will be moving house soon and not keen on buying an external charger.
Only thing I am sure of is not buying diesel.
Any options a must have? I don’t want base spec and do want heated steering wheel, blind spot detector (would have thought they all have it but don’t), apple car play (can refit for £300), maybe the family pack for the integrated boosters.
Thanks.
Just sold our F-Pace diesel and want to buy a petrol Volvo XC60. Tried the B5 MHEV and really liked the drive but there are a few choices out there for a c£30k budget.
Is it going to be less hassle to go for pure petrol T5? Or is the B5 with the hybrid a better engine? Are there many differences in how the cars drive? I don’t have outside charging so is there any point of thinking about a plug in? I do have a drive and power could come from the garage but we will be moving house soon and not keen on buying an external charger.
Only thing I am sure of is not buying diesel.
Any options a must have? I don’t want base spec and do want heated steering wheel, blind spot detector (would have thought they all have it but don’t), apple car play (can refit for £300), maybe the family pack for the integrated boosters.
Thanks.
ZX10R NIN said:
All XC60's use the same 2.0T engine petrol engine so if you go for pure ice you can have 250bhp in T5 form or 305bhp T6 form, personally I'd say find the best spec you can find & see which drivetrain it has.
Thanks - I’m off to try a T5 on Saturday and compare that to a T8 they have. Volvo spec list is quite confusing as finding they either list too much or some options missed off. Quite a few available at least. The PHEV version only really makes sense if you charge it every night. You don’t need a dedicated charger for the plug-in. Our T8 recharges using the supplied 3 pin charger from ordinary socket in around 7 hours if completely flat.
I personally wouldn’t bother with the pre 2022 PHEVs - they have much smaller batteries (so a range so small it’s not so useful) and much less powerful electric motors (so it’s harder to do all your driving in EV mode). And the supercharger+turbocharger setup makes them thirsty with a flat battery.
The updated model is much better. 35-45 mile range on battery. 140bhp when EV only is actually more than enough for every day driving in traffic (because it’s EV torque delivery). Fuel economy with a flat battery is 40ish mpg, which is reasonable for a 450bhp car. Even the T6 is a quick car. But I don’t know if you’ll get one of the newer versions for your budget yet.
I personally wouldn’t bother with the pre 2022 PHEVs - they have much smaller batteries (so a range so small it’s not so useful) and much less powerful electric motors (so it’s harder to do all your driving in EV mode). And the supercharger+turbocharger setup makes them thirsty with a flat battery.
The updated model is much better. 35-45 mile range on battery. 140bhp when EV only is actually more than enough for every day driving in traffic (because it’s EV torque delivery). Fuel economy with a flat battery is 40ish mpg, which is reasonable for a 450bhp car. Even the T6 is a quick car. But I don’t know if you’ll get one of the newer versions for your budget yet.
You could buy my old xc60 - 2019 Inscription T5.
Has all the toys plus i added carplay from local volvo dealer.
https://www.12londonroad.co.uk/vehicle-details/use...
Has all the toys plus i added carplay from local volvo dealer.
https://www.12londonroad.co.uk/vehicle-details/use...
I have a 2020 R-Design Pro T8, and can concur with the 'thirsty when depleted' nature of the Petrol + Turbo + Supercharger combo. About 30mpg for me after that's gone, although I do have roofbars and bike racks which can't do much for the drag coefficient. The supercharger sounds good though!
My electric range is about 17/18 miles, so if you have lots of short journeys within that it would be worthwhile. It takes about 4/5 hours to charge from a 3-pin plug.
Other stuff to note -
I think the 'Pro' versions of these have air suspension - R-Design and Inscription definitely do.
Worth looking for one with Pilot Assist and Adaptive cruise (which come together) - it's a great system, and sadly not standard.
Blind spot detection is really useful
Ventilated seats in the Inscription with lumbar / bolster adjustment are way better than the R-design ones I have now (I had these in a previous V60 inscription)
The PHEV models lose a bit of boot space and front fogs for the electrics.
Apple car play on older cars is a bit crap - it appears in a bit of the centre screen but not your HUD / Dash.
Pan roof is a bit crap - our rattles when closing doors but doesn't leak. Used about once, although I live in Scotland. I'm not a sunroof fan though.
As per above, not all models are 4WD if that's important
I think the hybrids are generally fairly reliable, but a small number do have issues, and if anything does go wrong with the elecrtic drive systems they are expensive to fix. I wouldn't run mine without a warranty.
I had a T5 engine in the V60 and it was quick enough, but the XC60 is noticeably bulkier, so not sure how it would fare. The polestar map on the T5 engine made a massive positive difference to how it drove - the gearbox was really sluggish without it.
My electric range is about 17/18 miles, so if you have lots of short journeys within that it would be worthwhile. It takes about 4/5 hours to charge from a 3-pin plug.
Other stuff to note -
I think the 'Pro' versions of these have air suspension - R-Design and Inscription definitely do.
Worth looking for one with Pilot Assist and Adaptive cruise (which come together) - it's a great system, and sadly not standard.
Blind spot detection is really useful
Ventilated seats in the Inscription with lumbar / bolster adjustment are way better than the R-design ones I have now (I had these in a previous V60 inscription)
The PHEV models lose a bit of boot space and front fogs for the electrics.
Apple car play on older cars is a bit crap - it appears in a bit of the centre screen but not your HUD / Dash.
Pan roof is a bit crap - our rattles when closing doors but doesn't leak. Used about once, although I live in Scotland. I'm not a sunroof fan though.
As per above, not all models are 4WD if that's important
I think the hybrids are generally fairly reliable, but a small number do have issues, and if anything does go wrong with the elecrtic drive systems they are expensive to fix. I wouldn't run mine without a warranty.
I had a T5 engine in the V60 and it was quick enough, but the XC60 is noticeably bulkier, so not sure how it would fare. The polestar map on the T5 engine made a massive positive difference to how it drove - the gearbox was really sluggish without it.
Gin and Ultrasonic said:
I have a 2020 R-Design Pro T8, and can concur with the 'thirsty when depleted' nature of the Petrol + Turbo + Supercharger combo. About 30mpg for me after that's gone, although I do have roofbars and bike racks which can't do much for the drag coefficient. The supercharger sounds good though!
My electric range is about 17/18 miles, so if you have lots of short journeys within that it would be worthwhile. It takes about 4/5 hours to charge from a 3-pin plug.
Other stuff to note -
I think the 'Pro' versions of these have air suspension - R-Design and Inscription definitely do.
Worth looking for one with Pilot Assist and Adaptive cruise (which come together) - it's a great system, and sadly not standard.
Blind spot detection is really useful
Ventilated seats in the Inscription with lumbar / bolster adjustment are way better than the R-design ones I have now (I had these in a previous V60 inscription)
The PHEV models lose a bit of boot space and front fogs for the electrics.
Apple car play on older cars is a bit crap - it appears in a bit of the centre screen but not your HUD / Dash.
Pan roof is a bit crap - our rattles when closing doors but doesn't leak. Used about once, although I live in Scotland. I'm not a sunroof fan though.
As per above, not all models are 4WD if that's important
I think the hybrids are generally fairly reliable, but a small number do have issues, and if anything does go wrong with the elecrtic drive systems they are expensive to fix. I wouldn't run mine without a warranty.
I had a T5 engine in the V60 and it was quick enough, but the XC60 is noticeably bulkier, so not sure how it would fare. The polestar map on the T5 engine made a massive positive difference to how it drove - the gearbox was really sluggish without it.
Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to trying an R Design tomorrow. I like the look of these but bit concerned about a ‘sporty’ ride. There are quite a few Inscriptions available and I do like the idea of the better seats. The options on all of these seem like a bit of a mine field - so many adverts lost options that then turn out not to be there, or the advert is basic but as you look through the pics you see they have certain features. My electric range is about 17/18 miles, so if you have lots of short journeys within that it would be worthwhile. It takes about 4/5 hours to charge from a 3-pin plug.
Other stuff to note -
I think the 'Pro' versions of these have air suspension - R-Design and Inscription definitely do.
Worth looking for one with Pilot Assist and Adaptive cruise (which come together) - it's a great system, and sadly not standard.
Blind spot detection is really useful
Ventilated seats in the Inscription with lumbar / bolster adjustment are way better than the R-design ones I have now (I had these in a previous V60 inscription)
The PHEV models lose a bit of boot space and front fogs for the electrics.
Apple car play on older cars is a bit crap - it appears in a bit of the centre screen but not your HUD / Dash.
Pan roof is a bit crap - our rattles when closing doors but doesn't leak. Used about once, although I live in Scotland. I'm not a sunroof fan though.
As per above, not all models are 4WD if that's important
I think the hybrids are generally fairly reliable, but a small number do have issues, and if anything does go wrong with the elecrtic drive systems they are expensive to fix. I wouldn't run mine without a warranty.
I had a T5 engine in the V60 and it was quick enough, but the XC60 is noticeably bulkier, so not sure how it would fare. The polestar map on the T5 engine made a massive positive difference to how it drove - the gearbox was really sluggish without it.
I like the idea of the pan roof as we had one on our last car. Def want BLIS and a heated steering wheel. Anything else is a bonus really.
Test drive tomorrow and then see how we feel. I’d like to buy from Cinch as really rate my last buying experience from them (and the warranty putting a new engine in when ours blew up!)
AmazingGrace said:
You could buy my old xc60 - 2019 Inscription T5.
Has all the toys plus i added carplay from local volvo dealer.
https://www.12londonroad.co.uk/vehicle-details/use...
Missed this post - looks lovely and thinking the Inscription is the one to go for, but I’m nervous about the blonde interior with a 4 year old! We had bi-colour cream and black in our Jaguar and that looked tatty towards the end, even with regular cleaning. Has all the toys plus i added carplay from local volvo dealer.
https://www.12londonroad.co.uk/vehicle-details/use...
Update: tried the T8 and T5.
T8 was fully loaded and lovely to drive. It was at the top end of budget (as always seems to happen!) but was the perfect car for us. The power was really nice but the panoramic roof, head up display, BLIS, 360 camera, auto park etc means I can see us enjoying this for many years.
T5 was also nice to drive and had there been a really well specced option available I’d have had a hard time choosing.
Volvo offer 2 year warranty and servicing which is peace of mind.
Thanks for the advice.
T8 was fully loaded and lovely to drive. It was at the top end of budget (as always seems to happen!) but was the perfect car for us. The power was really nice but the panoramic roof, head up display, BLIS, 360 camera, auto park etc means I can see us enjoying this for many years.
T5 was also nice to drive and had there been a really well specced option available I’d have had a hard time choosing.
Volvo offer 2 year warranty and servicing which is peace of mind.
Thanks for the advice.
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