There is almost no free space left under the hood — they even managed to squeeze a turbocharger in here.
WILL THE COFFEE STAY IN THE CUP?
I close the hood and settle into the driver's seat. I look over the dashboard and don't see a single button that would be responsible for adjusting the suspension stiffness. They simply aren't here: for an engine producing 286 horsepower, only one option is provided — sport. And that's wonderful. The driver doesn't have to rack their brains. The engineers have already decided everything for them. I'm also for such a radical approach. It's calming.
Volvo has always tried to please its customer. That's why it also offers a powerful engine — to choose from. But this Swedish helpfulness is only good on perfectly smooth surfaces. Because the XC 60 resembles a serving table. On carpet or parquet, it is impeccable. But try driving it over wires — and the coffee will spill. During hard acceleration, the Volvo noticeably squats back and loses contact with the front wheels. And on tram tracks and broken asphalt, vibrations are transmitted to both the body and the trim elements.
THE LONGER THE LEGS
When a car comes to you for the third time, you start noticing details that previously escaped attention. Take, for example, the design. The Swedes have long abandoned welded bodies — this is an outdated and, by Northern European standards, dirty technology. Instead, they place a tall Scandinavian inside a solid metal blank, who bends it from the inside in an environmentally friendly way, working with legs and arms. As a result, everything turns out smooth, but there was a problem with the fifth door: its profile is too swift. As if the person sitting in the cabin is trying to get out, pushing with long legs. However, that's exactly how it is.
But it is precisely thanks to these long legs that we get one of those rare cars where it is truly comfortable to sit. If you want to create a comfortable interior and perfect seating position, entrust this matter to the tallest people on the planet, that is, the Scandinavians. After all, if it's good for the long-legged here, then everyone else will be even more comfortable.
And what about the new engine? It has made the front part heavier, but not so critically that it seriously affects handling. In terms of sound, there's nothing to complain about — the timbre is pleasant. Fuel consumption, as you understand, is far from ascetic for such a unit. It might even take offense at the word "economy." But acceleration to a hundred takes only 7.5 seconds. That's appealing. And yet, when inside the Volvo it's so humanly cozy and warm, you instantly forget about such trifles as the engine. Only one thing remains in memory: 400 newton-meters from just 1500 rpm. And that's from three liters of gasoline! The car literally shoots off from a standstill.
