Volvo XC60 News

Premium medium-sized SUVs are a small but consistently popular segment of the new-car market, and it’s easy to understand why.While providing an aspirational mix of luxury, performance and technology, they’re still spacious, practical, versatile and – perhaps most importantly – relatively accessible SUVs.Basically, they’re the sporty family friendly reward purchase for people who’ve earned it –which means they have a lot to live up to.As part of our ongoing 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year awards, here are our top 10 mid-size SUV model ranges from the sub-$130K category in alphabetical order and why they made the cut. Our top three, including the category winner, will be announced on February 6.Nearly four years late to Australia, the Q4 e-tron is available in elegant SUV wagon and racier SUV coupe body-styles that are both pleasingly spacious and practical.And despite leveraging a shared dedicated-EV architecture with other Volkswagen Group vehicles, the interior quality, layout and presentation are on-brand, matching the slick and easy driving experience, with a lovely balance of speed, agility, control and comfort.But the lack of full single-pedal braking and spare wheel are disappointing, while the 55 twin-motor/AWD’s prices are too high.Still, the Q4 e-tron is smart, stylish and sophisticated. And the 45 is all the Audi SUV EV you need.The third generation of Audi’s popular Q5 steps up in several ways, including in price, size and tech, adopting new mild-hybrid assistance for the petrol and diesel choices as well as a PHEV option.Chunkier than before, the Mexican-made medium-sized SUV sits on an evolved architecture. With the same wheelbase as before, it isn’t as roomy as its increased length suggests, whilst the screen-heavy dash looks modern but lacks physical buttons for too many vehicle functions.On the other hand, the boot is big, all powertrains deliver on performance, refinement and efficiency, whilst the handling and ride qualities have improved noticeable from before.Not class-leading, then, but certainly now highly competitive.BMW’s renaissance continues, following on after the excellent X5 and X1, with the fourth-gen X3, sharpening its reputation as the driver’s choice among mid-sized SUVs.Larger yet lower than ever, with ample space, the futuristic, tech-heavy interior is artfully executed, while there’s more equipment as standard nowadays.It’s mild-hybrid xDrive AWD all-round for the punchy inline petrol and diesel engines, along with a PHEV AWD providing ample muscle as well as impressive economy.As you’d hope, the chassis dynamics are first class, with an immersive and flowing driving experience that’s second to none.Expensive options, divisive styling, a fiddly transmission selector and no spare don’t overshadow a brilliantly executed luxury/performance SUV.Another VW Group EV, Spanish brand Cupra’s take on the Audi Q4 e-tron effortlessly melds style and attitude, elevating the genre in the process.With point-and-squirt acceleration, sharp steering and immersive handling – and all without ruining ride comfort – Tavascan is the keen driver’s delight. You can thank the sober German engineering underneath.The interior is spacious for its compact proportions, the ergonomics are fine and the front seats are brilliant, but the scaly-looking dash texture seems cheap, the lack of a spare wheel jars and, being sourced from China, we expect more standard equipment in the base Endurance.Still, there’s personality aplenty in this unique EV SUV and we’re here for it.Challenger brand Genesis’ take on the BMW X3, the GV70’s styling has the visual swagger of a Bentley, while providing a comfortable and functional cabin experience.The Series II facelift brings sweeping improvements, especially to refinement and tech updates, with lots more equipment, upping the lush Korean luxury SUV’s value quotient.Neither petrol engine is a slouch, but the V6’s considerable performance better suits the commanding roadholding and aggressive aesthetics more, while the GV70 Electrified EV’s effortless, isolated pace make it a peaceful retreat. Too bad the former is thirsty and the latter lacks a spare.Whichever you choose, Genesis’ mid-sized SUV is highly enjoyable – and better than you might think.One of this decade’s greats, the Ioniq 5 has been a breathtaking symbol of Hyundai’s tremendous engineering ambition, creating an EV benchmark that’s still yet to be equalled for the money.Yes, prices are creeping up, but the 5’s ability to deliver elevated performance, efficiency, driving athleticism, refinement and pleasure shade rival efforts.And that’s not even taking in the timeless design, vast cabin, thoughtfully presented ergonomics and exceptional practicality.We wish it included a spare wheel and some of the interior plastics look more Aldi than Audi, but otherwise there’s so much that’s radiant about the Ioniq 5. It remains a modern motoring masterpiece. And that’s before even considering the supersonic 5 N that out-Porsches any Macan.The second-gen NX cracks the German mid-sized luxury SUV code that its underwhelming predecessor could not, without abandoning hard-won advantages like exquisite quality and reliability.Basing it on the enduring fifth-gen RAV4 ensures a robust and refined platform, along with affordable hybrid tech access.Yet the NX transcends those with its unique design, sumptuous interior, great seats and ample practicality. The base turbo is rapid, the hybrids are efficient and the PHEV flagship powerful, while the steering, handling and ride qualities are also up to brand expectations.Inevitably, a spare wheel isn’t offered and the PHEV’s electric-only range pales against Chinese alternatives, but the NX provides luxury without the risk.A step forward in quality, ride comfort and refinement over the patchy previous model, the second-gen GLC from 2022 has remained Mercedes-Benz’s best-seller for sound reasons.Along with advanced technologies, a sturdy cabin, top-shelf safety and family-orientated practicality, the GLC provides the luxury of choice – from an attainable 200, through to indecently-quick AMG versions. The newly released PHEV is on the money for buyers seeking efficiency. And the GLC Coupe boasts a sleeker silhouette.The model’s sheer ubiquity may put some people off, options can be very expensive, servicing isn’t cheap, the stop/start tech can be annoying and most models are not exciting to drive, but there’s solid engineering behind the GLC.Devised before the global EV sales slowdown, the second-gen Macan was meant to be a bold, electric-only statement of intent, with Porsche’s formidable engineering expertise delivering a breakthrough experience.Though almost identical at first glance, everything changes, including the body structure and alluring double-screen interior presentation.But it is the 800-volt architecture (shared with the Audi Q6 e-tron) that moves the game on, providing tremendous steering, handling and ride-comfort attributes, along with a powertrain ranging from a brisk (and very on-brand) rear-mounted electric motor opener to the twin-motor AWD missiles.The Macan II’s driver-focused tactility, alacrity and control rewrite the rulebooks. Mission accomplished, then, but we wish it wasn’t so expensive.Launched in 2017, the second-gen XC60 proved to be a compelling premium contender, with lovely proportions, a gorgeous interior, stellar seats and state-of-the-art Volvo safety.An advanced platform provided a sophisticated base, adding to the luxury aspirations of the Swedish family SUV, and enhanced by progressive powertrains, including a rorty PHEV. The XC60 II was ahead of its time.Which explains why the 2025 facelift is so minor – a more-contemporary nose, updated multimedia and fresh trim are the main changes.But the driving experience feels as dated compared to the leading BMW X3 as the styling. Which is classic Volvo: evolve over time. The beloved 240 of the ‘70s lived nearly 20 years and XC60 II could be next!

Volvo's backflip on its plan to only sell electric cars in Australia by 2026 won’t be accompanied by a new target date.Despite the carmaker believing it’s the right thing to do, it says Aussie buyers aren’t ready to go EV only.Speaking to CarsGuide at a brand event, Volvo Australia Managing Director Stephen Connor explained the brand’s decision to step back from its 2026 commitment.“We’re still committed to a fully electric strategy,” he said. “What we identified in this journey is that it can’t be a switch on and switch off kind of view.“Why? Because infrastructure isn’t ready for it, consumers are also not ready for it.“What does the consumer want as opposed to what we want? We’re still committed to being climate neutral by 2040, so those milestones are still there but it may take us a little longer to be fully electrified."Connor detailed how Volvo will eventually reach its goal in Australia.“Every new model that we bring out is fully electric from now onwards. But that doesn’t stop us from refreshing our current line-up, because that’s what the consumer is telling us they really need.“I’d love to tell you today we’ll be there by 2027 or 2028, but it’s not a race, and we can get there gradually and when it suits consumers.“We could have forced it through, no doubt. We’ve got the product to do it, but is it necessarily the right thing for the brand today? Probably not.“It’s the right thing to do, but the world, I think, has shifted so much in the last three-to-four years.”Volvo wants to continue to record solid sales numbers of its popular combustion cars, which it now intends to keep updating. According to Connor, the XC40, XC60, and XC90 SUVs are “big volume cars” that are “selling really well in the marketplace".He confirmed the mid-size EX60, arriving in 2026, will mark Volvo's next step on its electrification journey, adding that the brand may re-assess its progress on electrification at that point as its range of core vehicles will have electric versions.“As soon as that arrives we can sit back and go ‘Okay, what’s the product cycle?’ Then we can redefine whether it’s 2028, 2029, or 2030,” he explained.How does Volvo know its consumers aren’t ready? Connor highlighted the growth in plug-in hybrid sales, as well as feedback at a corporate and dealer level that “not everyone wants to go straight from a petrol or mild hybrid to a fully electric car".“Who would have thought we’d be here talking about plug-in hybrids as the next big thing?“We could have been egotistical and pushed it through, but that’s not Volvo and it’s not who we are.”He said the growth of PHEVs in particular came as a bit of a surprise, given the brand has offered them for some time. However, it seems the shift to longer electric driving range has been a turning point for buyers.“What’s actually changed as part of that surprise is that when we first launched PHEVs the range was probably like 35 to 40km in the real world, now the average range of most PHEVs is more like 70 and then the next generation coming through would be up to 100 to 150km."So what’s really changed is the technology evolving so quickly. All of a sudden, it really makes sense.”There is also an element of what Volvo’s Gothenburg, Sweden head office makes available to the Australian division, which weighs into the equation.“When we made that original announcement, the weren’t going to be made available.” he said.“But because we’re nimble and agile, head office decided to re-invest back into the two staple cars that we’d loved and known, so that also gave us the ability to redefine what we want to do. “That decision though is made at a local level. If we don’t want XC90, we don’t have to take it, but because they refreshed it, we went ‘Yeah, it’s a great car, why wouldn’t we take it.’”In addition, he added HQ offering updated versions of the brand’s core combustion range came at the perfect time, as the scale-up of the EX90 - which the brand had hoped would be a volume seller immediately - was impacted globally by software-related delays and the announcement of an upgraded 800-volt version which will allow faster charging than the current 400-volt version.Volvo sales are down 21 per cent year-on-year in Australia to the end of September, although the company has managed a significant percentage of its yearly volume in just the last month as deliveries start of updated and new models.Next for the brand will be the arrival of the ES90 electric sedan, with the EX60 mid-sizer arriving in 2026.

Volvo explains how Geely is encouraging it to move to faster model cycles, but it won't move as quickly as Chinese rivals.

Volvo says 'fighting in the trenches' with Chinese premium brands on price is a losing battle.

After eight years in market Volvo’s mid-size, five seat XC60 SUV has been upgraded with slicker multimedia, a cosmetic refresh, new wheel designs and extra colour options.Late last year the Swedish maker shifted its goal of being fully electric by 2030 to “90 to 100 per cent of its global sales volume by 2030 to consist of electrified cars” (BEV and PHEV).So, with more than 1.5M units sold worldwide, an update for this evergreen five-seater, offered here in mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid form, makes sense as the brand continues to massage its global line-up.The main focus of the revamp is a faster multimedia system that’s “more focused and personalised than its predecessor” with additional Google services built-in, accessed via a larger 11.2-inch central touchscreen.In fact, Volvo claims pixel density is increased by 21 per cent and thanks to the ‘Snapdragon Cockpit Platform’, developed by US specialist Qualcomm Technologies, the system is more than twice as fast as the one it replaces with 10 times faster graphics generation. At the same time an exterior makeover includes a revised grille, new wheel options and darker tail-lights. Three new colours - ‘Forest Lake’, ‘Aurora Silver’ and ‘Mulberry Red’, have also been added to the available palette.Inside, highlight inlays have been given a glow up with trim materials including quilted synthetic leather also added. In terms of practicality, there’s additional cabin storage, new cupholders and a reworked wireless phone charger as well Volvo’ current-gen air purification tech.The refreshed Volvo XC60 is on sale now, offered in two 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol mild-hybrid grades - Plus B5 Bright and Ultra B5 Dark - with two 2.0-litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrids beside them - Plus T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark and Ultra T8 Plug-in Hybrid Dark. All are all-wheel drive.

Volvo has given its luxury mid-size XC60 SUV a modest update to keep apace with its fresher-faced European rivals.

Here are five cars that, while fine as they are, could benefit from a little 'more'.

Volvo Australia has adjusted pricing for some of its models ahead of the 2024 model year, with three of its SUVs and its more traditional models all now pricier than before.Starting with the most popular Volvo model so far this year, the XC40 small SUV is

Volvo has ramped up its shift to full electrification by dropping all non-electrified versions of each of its models. 

Volvo XC40 is now over 50 per cent electric as a share of sales, seemingly vindicating the brand's position that its customers are ready to go fully EV by 2026.