FEATURES | 9 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
It felt as if the engineers at Volvo had worked to make the interior as far from intuitive as possible by lodging the controls for the nav system behind the steering wheel where they're impossible for the driver to see and omitting their location from the owner's manual.
Autoblog
Those who fear Big Brother may grumble, but anyone who has ever been involved in a rear-end accident will rejoice.
Motor Trend
The screen is on the small side, and its position in the housing makes it tough to decipher it at a glance.
Consumer Guide
Drivers have found the active cruise to be one of the best, operating without much drama.
Consumer Reports
Like most new Volvo models, the 2013 XC60 includes a list of features that's comparable to vehicles from all the prestige luxury brands, but at a somewhat lower price. For the past several years, Volvo has been adding even more value by bolstering its feature set without much of an increase in price--a trend that continues for 2013.
Base XC60 3.2 models include power features; cruise control; a large sunroof; power front seats; and an audio system with satellite and HD radio, USB and auxiliary ports, and Bluetooth. For this year, Volvo has added standard headlight washers, rain-sensing wipers, a new tunnel-detection system for the headlamps, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with aluminum inlays. Volvo now provides a factory fill of synthetic oil, for a 10,000-mile or one-year maintenance interval. for all the models.
The quicker T6 models wear stylish 18-inch 'Zephyrus' wheels as standard, and add full leather upholstery, a power passenger seat, a power panoramic moonroof, keyless drive, and silver roof rails. And at the top of the line, the R-Design gets the highest-output 325-hp engine, a sport suspension, huge 20-inch wheels, bi-xenon headlamps, and special trim inside and out.
Top options include a Dynaudio 650-watt sound system, heated seats, a rearview camera and navigation system. Volvo's nav unit takes some getting used to also, by the way—some features are best accessed through the steering-wheel-mounted controls, although for 2013 Volvo has increased the functionality of those.Within each trim there are Premier, Premier Plus, or Platinum packages. This year the Premier Plus level gains dual xenon headlamps (active in T6 models), while the Premier models get Keyless Drive and the Personal Car Communicator system, which can detect security issues with your car as you approach. Equipment between these three trims levels is otherwise different depending on the model.
Major options at the top of the lineup include a Technology Package (adaptive cruise, collision warning, pedestrian detection, full auto brake, distance alert, lane departure warning, active high beam, and road sign info); a Climate Package (heated front and rear seats, heated washer nozzles, and an air quality system); a rear-seat entertainment system; and a blind-spot system.
A fully tricked-out R-Design Platinum can total more than $55k (more than $20k more than a base XC60), but then you'll get one of the best-equipped, most tech-loaded crossovers on the market.
Conclusion
The XC60 offers more features for the money than some luxury rivals; though its navigation interface could be better.
