2018 Volvo XC60 vs BMW X4

What's the difference?

The XC60 is an outstanding mid-sized all-wheel drive SUV. A great selection of engines and a plug-in hybrid means buyers can better suit their purchase to lifestyle. Super safe, stylish and effortless to drive. The best value is to be had lower in range with the sweet spot being the Inscription grade.

I ‘get’ the X4 – it’s the SUV at the peak of its evolution: powerful, sleek, not at all interested in the off-road world, and not as practical as a box on wheels. But the new X4 is coming with better tech on the inside and more advanced safety equipment. If it were my money I’d hold off and get the latest version.

Remember when Volvos were boxy? Well they’re back baby, but in a better way that the 240 GLE from 1992. No, this is sexy.

There’s that long, sculpted bonnet with the cab set back and the heavily raked windscreen makes for a pleasing profile. The concave door panels and the mirrored wings in the rocker panels below add more toughness to this elegant beast.

There’s also that stately grille wearing its famous Volvo ‘sash’, those Thor’s hammer LED headlights and the very Volvo vertical taillights. This is a prestige SUV but not one of the BMW, Benz and Audi usual suspects.

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

How do you tell the difference between the grades visually? Well that’s a tricky one. From the outside you can spot at R-Design T8 by its sunroof while the Momentum D4 and T5 both have 19-inch wheels which look a tad too small for those wheel guards.

Inside all XC60s are exquisite, bordering on modern art with that minimalist dash decluttered of its buttons thanks to most of the functions being moved to that stunning 9.0-inch vertical touch screen.

There are nine colours to choose from including Fusion Red, Passion Red, Bursting Blue Metallic, Onyx Black Metallic, Osmium Grey Metallic, Bright Silver Metallic, Crystal White Pearl, Electric Silver Metallic and Ice White.

The accessories list for the XC60 is huge there’s everything from towbar hitches and floor mats to roof boxes, kayak cradles, and tablet holders for rear seat entertainment - but not bullbars.

The X4 is a scaled-down version of the X6 and its design polarises opinion. I must admit the X4 is not what I’d call beautiful, but I can see the appeal of a brash, in-your-face vehicle that some people might find challenging to look at – isn’t that one of the purposes of art anyway? And is vehicle design not art?

The X4 isn’t as big as you might think. At 4671mm long, 1881 in width and 1624mm tall the X4 is just 50mm longer than a BMW 3 Series and 37mm shorter than an X3. That’s 132mm shorter than a Range Rover Velar, too.

You can spot a 35d thanks to its M-Sport body kit and the dual exhaust, while the interior has M-Sport door sills and brushed aluminium trim.

The X4’s cabin is beginning to age and the next X4 will have a more modern cockpit. The screen for example is integrated into the dashboard – newer BMWs have a tablet-style screen placed higher; also, BMW’s are moving to ‘virtual’ instrument clusters rather than analogue speedo and tacho. Still the cabin is a refined, elegant place to be.

How many seats does an XC60 have? The answer is five and no there isn’t a seven-seater version. I have a small family with just the three of us, but if you have a lot more take a look at the bigger XC90. 

The XC60’s cabin is spacious, but not XC90 spacious – this is, remember, a mid-sized SUV. Still there’s plenty of legroom in the back seats for me even at 191cm to sit behind my driving position and good headroom even with the panoramic sunroof in the T8.

Let’s talk about the boot space. A luggage capacity of 505 litres isn’t huge not compared to rivals such as Audi’s Q5, BMW’s X3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLC which all have 550 litres of cargo space. But XC60s with the optional air suspension like the T8 I drove can lower themselves to make loading the boot easier.

Cabin storage is good, with two cupholders and large door pockets in the front and two cupholders and smaller door pockets in the back. The centre console storage area under the centre armrest is also a decent size. 

You won’t find a sunglass holder in here though – but does anybody actually use those anyway?

The X4 is not as practical as an X3, but it may not be as bad as outside appearances might suggest. The X4’s boot space is 500 litres, while the cargo capacity of the X3 is 550 litres. That difference is not huge, but where you may run into practicality issues is the smaller aperture of the X4’s boot. Still, during our week with it, my small family didn’t need any more space than it offered.

The X4’s wheelbase is 54mm shorter than the X3’s but there’s still excellent legroom in the back. I’m 191cm and can sit behind my driving position with about 30mm to spare – the same as the X3 I tested recently. 

Headroom isn’t as good back there as it was in the X3, but there’s still plenty of space which is impressive given that sloping roofline.

Storage throughout the cabin is good with bottleholders in all the doors and four cupholders (two up front and two in the back). There’s also a large storage area under the centre console armrest to hide away your wallets or handbags.

The xDrive35d is the king of the X4 range, and at $89,855 it lists for almost $20k more than the base grade.

There’s a good chance dealers will let it go for less, what with the new-gen X4 arriving towards the end of 2018. Tell them I sent you… actually, don’t.

The xDrive35d has a petrol twin – the xDrive35i – and that comes with the same standard features and costs $860 less.

The entry-level and mid-range X4s retain many of the standard features found in the top-spec 35d, such as an 8.8-inch display, leather upholstery, bi-xenon headlights, LED DRLs, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive dampers and dual-zone climate control.
 
So what features are exclusive to the 35d (and 35i), then? There’s the 16-speaker harman/kardon stereo and sat nav (the fancy ‘Professional’ version), proximity key, auto tailgate, 20-inch wheels and all 35ds come with the 'M-Sport' package.

As a model comparison to the xDrive35d check out the Mercedes-Benz 350d, the Audi SQ5 3.0TFSI (yes it’s a petrol), Porsche’s Macan S Diesel for $95,300 and the Range Rover Velar D240S for $92,050.

The XC60 range has four engines and one petrol-electric unit, but you can’t get them in any grade you like.

The Momentum and Inscription come with the diesel D4 and its petrol sibling the T5. Both are lower-powered versions of the D5 diesel and T6 petrol variants found in the R-Design grade.

The D4 has a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel making 140kW and 400Nm, which according to Volvo is enough mumbo for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.4 seconds. 

The D5 is powered by a 2.0-litre twin turbo diesel making 173kW and 480Nm, which according to Volvo is enough mumbo for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.2sec. 

The T5 is the 2.0-litre turbo petrol variant which makes 187kW and 350Nm, and has a 0-100km/h time of 6.8sec.

The T6 is also a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol variant but a higher horsepower version with a supercharger that helps it make 235kW and 400Nm, and it has a 0-100km/h time of 5.9sec. That’s an impressive performance figure.

And finally the T8 – this is the big daddy and uses the same 235kW and 400Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo-plus-supercharged petrol that’s in the T6 in combination with a 65kW/240Nm electric motor. The T8 is a plug-in petrol electric hybrid.

All XC60s use a smooth shifting eight-speed automatic transmission - you won’t find a manual gearbox here.

The XC60 comes as all-wheel drive only, there’s no front-wheel drive (4x2) version. That said this isn’t four-wheel drive and you wouldn’t take it places you’d go in a hardcore 4x4.

I didn’t experience any automatic transmission problems or any other issues but keep an eye out for our XC60 problems page for any faults, complaints, maintenance or reliability issues that crop up.

If you were wondering what the 35 in xDrive35d stands for then stop, because it doesn’t mean anything, not any more, because the engine is 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel, and it is magnificent. And an eight-speed automatic shifts the gears for you incredibly smoothly.

The x in xDrive35d means the SUV is all-wheel drive. We’re not talking four-wheel drive, so don’t you dare go anywhere tricky or you’ll be that guy/girl getting towed off the beach. The all-wheel drive system splits the torque between the front and rear axles continuously to maintain optimum traction.

The 35d is the big daddy of the X4 range. It’s the most powerful with 230kW and provides the most torque at 630Nm. The 35d is also the quickest of the range with BMW claiming 0-100km/h acceleration in 5.2 seconds.

After a combination of urban and open roads, Volvo claims the diesel D4 will achieve 5.4L/100km and the more powerful diesel D5 should need 5.6L/100km. Meanwhile, the petrol T5 should use 7.8L/100km and its big brother the T6’s official mileage is 8.0L/100km.

The eco-warrior of the range is the petrol electric T8 with its impressive claim of 2.1L/100km. This isn’t an EV, you’ll need to fill it up with petrol as well.

If somebody tries to sell you a new LPG XC60, be suspicious ... very suspicious. 

When I road tested the R-Design D5 my fuel economy was 9.4L/100km, and this is where it gets embarrassing: my mileage in the R-Design T8 was 14.0L/100km. That’s because I never re-charged using the cable, instead I let the regenerative braking add charge to the batteries. This meant I forced the SUV to mainly use the petrol engine and carry myself along with 200kg of batteries and electric motor around. This - and me taking full advantage of the great acceleration at every traffic light - would have something to do with my high fuel usage.

Yes, if you go for the R-Design T8 make sure you charge it regularly and drive conservatively otherwise you too will use lots more fuel than Volvo’s serving suggestion.  

The biggest, most powerful and torquey engine has almost the best mileage of the range with BMW saying you should see it use 6.0L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads.

If you stick to mainly urban rat runs with the occasional motorway excursion, as I did, you’re likely to see that double to an average of 12.1L/100km, which is what our tip computer was reporting after about 200km.

I’ve road tested the R-Design D5 and the R-Design T8 and so can only vouch for the driving experiences of them.

First, the D5 – there’s much to like, such as all that 480Nm of torque barrelling in low down in the rev range at 1725rpm, the responsive brakes, the tranquil cabin, and good fuel economy. 

The downside to the D5 is a noisy diesel engine, particularly under heavy load. The diesel isn’t best suited to sporty driving either – I found myself busy paddle shifting constantly to keep the revs in the torque band which ends at 2250rpm. The twin-turbo set-up in the D5 is designed to spool up one to ‘pre-charge’ to reduce lag before the second kicks in – the result is an almost instantaneous power delivery.

Now, the R-Design T8. 

This is an impressive beast. The combination of that powerful supercharged and turbocharged four-cylinder and the electric motor provides grin-making acceleration. The optional air suspension in our test car turned the ride cushion-soft but kept the car composed.

Just to sit in, the D5 and T8 both feel special and the driving experience goes a long way to matching that prestigious impression from the light and accurate steering to the great pedal feel and the responsiveness of the powertrains.  

A well-insulated cabin cuts out most of the diesel clatter in the D5, not to mention the T8's road noise - it is common for tyre roar to be noticeable in hybrid and electric cars, which don’t have a noisy engine to cover it up. 

The adaptive cruise control with steering assistance worked eerily well for me, it’s almost - but not quite -self-driving autopilot. That head-up display is one of the clearest and least intrusive I’ve seen.

Good visibility and a turning circle of 11.4m also help make the XC60 effortless to drive.

Forget the harman/kardon sound system, that 3.0-litre straight-six engine is the reason to step up to the 35d. The torque appears like a massive croquet mallet which whacks you hard up the road and the way this X4 pulls itself out of corners is just grin inducing and made this grown man make little delighted giggly, squealy noises.

It’s a pity the body roll isn’t controlled better, there a times when there’s a bit too much lean. This SUV’s suspension seems to have been set up with comfort in mind more than hard edged agility. There’s a feeling of the suspension being ‘over sprung’ with a pogo stick bouncing sensation at times, too. Grip is impressive though from those giant, sticky Pirelli P-Zero tyres (245/40 front, 275/35 rear).

As you can imagine visibility out of that heavily sloped and small rear window isn’t great, but the forward and side views are good. An excellent driving position with comfortable and supportive seats makes this a great long hauler, too.

The X4 hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP, so we can’t give you an star rating, but the vehicle is based on the X3 which achieved a maximum five-star rating.

While fitted with a flotilla of airbags, along with traction and stability control, the current X4 has fallen behind in terms of advanced safety equipment. AEB isn’t offered at all and lane departure and blind-spot warning need to be optioned.

For child seats you’ll find three top tethers and two ISOFIX points across the rear row.

The X4 has run-flat tyres, which means you won’t need a spare wheel, but you will need to hobble to a place immediately after you’ve discovered that puncture.

The XC60s has a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. 

Volvo offers two service programs: the basic SmartCare and the more comprehensive SmartCare Plus. The SmartCare three-year/45,000km plan is $2225 (SmartCare Plus costs $3050); a four-year/60,000km version is $3500 ($5200 with SmartCare Plus) and the five-year/75,000km agreement costs $4230 ($6400 with SmartCare Plus). 

The X4 is covered by BMW’s three year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is condition-based which means your X4 will tell you when it needs to go for a check-up.