Volvo XC60 R-Design T8 2018 review

A long, sculptured bonnet with the cabin set back makes for a pleasing profile. But the stand-out exterior features are its front and back with that stately grille wearing the famous Volvo 'sash', those 'Thor's hammer' LED headlights, and the very Volvo vertical tail-lights. It's prestige, but not of the default BMW or Benz kind.

The XC60 is a mid-sized SUV with dimensions similar to its Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC rivals. The XC60 is 4688mm long, 2117mm wide and 1685mm tall.

Richard Berry The stand-out exterior features are its front and back with that stately grille wearing the famous Volvo 'sash'.

You can tell a T8 from the rest of its family by the sunroof, the R-Design grille, 21-inch rims, and of course, the badge on the tailgate.

The cabin is modern and minimalist. The metal mesh inlay that traces the dashboard and dips under the vertical screen is beautiful and simple. The pedals, seats, carpet and steering wheel get the R-Design treatment.

What you'll see first, though, is the gear knob – it's crystal and handmade by Orrefors glassworks in Sweden. Then there's the start button, which looks like the lid of an expensive bottle of aftershave - you don't push it, you twist it to turn the car on and off. This is a superbly crafted cockpit.

Richard Berry You can tell a T8 from the rest of its family by the 21-inch rims.

The R-Design T8 is the king of the XC60 range and lists for $92,990. Thing is, the R-Design T6 is virtually a carbon copy of the T8, apart from the hybrid system, and lists for $76,990.

Sure, the T8 gets a panoramic sunroof as standard (a $2950 option in the T6) and a handmade crystal gear shift knob (not available on the T6) but the standard features list is almost identical.

Richard Berry It has a 9.0-inch vertical touchscreen.

There's the 9.0-inch vertical touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch driver display, sat nav, 360 parking camera, auto parking system, head-up display, 10-speaker stereo system with digital radio, leather upholstery, power adjustable driver and passenger seat, R-Design steering wheel, proximity key, paddle shifters, roof rails, LED headlights and a power tailgate.

Another point of difference between the T8 and T6, is the T8 has dual-zone climate control, while the T6 gets four-zone. I know, outrageous. If it's any consolation the T8 can be set to cool itself automatically with its pre-conditioning system. You'll also find rear air-vents in the back row.

If you want heated seats it'll cost you $500 for the front ones and $350 for the back row, while a heated steering wheel is $350. Ventilated seats are a $2950 option, but you'll get leather perforated upholstery with them. Tinted glass is a $650 option and the 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo costs $4500.

I'd be fibbing if I said the T8 was great value compared to the rest of the range – not when the T6 has almost the same level of features.

The XC60 comes with excellent advanced safety equipment, too. You can read all about what's looking out for you below.

As for rivals, the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC are yet to come to Australia in hybrid form. The Audi SQ5 3.0 TFSI and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 love fossil fuels, but are close in price. In the meantime, hybrid-wise, there's the Lexus NX300h with the Sports Luxury trim listing for $75,000, but keep in mind this is not a plug-in petrol-electric vehicle.

The XC60 R-Design T8 has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor.

The supercharged and turbocharged engine is impressively powerful for its small size, making 235kW/400Nm, while the motor, which drives the rear wheels only, produces 65kW/240Nm.

Richard Berry What you'll see first, though, is the gear knob – it's crystal and handmade by Orrefors glassworks in Sweden.

Acceleration is swift, we're talking 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds. That makes it the fastest-sprinting XC60 in the range. More than half-a-second ahead of the T6 below it, which has the same four-cylinder engine, but no electric motor.

The Maserati Levante S I road tested recently has a twin-turbo, Ferrari-made V6, and is only a tenth of a second quicker to 100km/h. An eight-speed automatic transmission does a smooth, in fact an unnoticeably smooth, job of shifting gears.

An SUV this size with a turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine would typically see mileage of about 7.0-9.0L/100km after a combination of urban roads and highways, while city driving alone will see a higher fuel consumption. Volvo claims the XC60 T8 will use as little as 2.1L/100km on the the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle.

But, and this is a big but, you'll have to recharge the battery by plugging the XC60 into a wall unit charger or power point regularly if you want to hit that low fuel figure.

If you don't plug your T8 in and you drive mainly in heavy traffic in the city and burbs, bank on a number similar to the fuel reading I recorded without electric assistance – 14.0L/100km.

Take into consideration, however, that on long trips of hundreds of kilometres you will use your electric reserves, and the T8 will rely more on the petrol engine.

Yes, regenerative braking does put a small amount of charge back into the batteries, and yes, the stop-start system saves fuel, too, but unless you plug-in this SUV daily, you'll find yourself using more fuel than the T6 grade.

The T6 also has the 2.0-litre supercharged and turbocharged four-cylinder, but because it doesn't have to carry the T8's batteries and electric motor it's almost 200kg lighter, and that would contribute to the higher fuel usage. So, basically, by not charging my T8, I turned it into a T6 carrying an extra 200kg.

Take into consideration, however, that on long trips of hundreds of kilometres you will use your electric reserves, and the T8 will rely more on the petrol engine. So, while 2.1L/100km may be doable over 100km, what about after 500km straight?

For this reason, as with any plug-in hybrid, the T8 is better suited to regular charging and shorter commutes.

This is a Volvo and safety is this brand's whole schtick. Not only that, this is a new generation XC60, and it's fitted with Volvo's latest advanced safety technology including AEB, which can detect and stop for animals, humans and other cars.

And for once I can actually say it works, because we got all scientific (well sort of) and tested it – see our YouTube channel where we tested the AEB in the XC60 R-Design T8.

Along with AEB there's steering support, blind spot warning, front and rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.

Tested in 2017 the XC60 scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating.