Soulcare Motors South Africa

The 2019 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study ranked Volvo 10th out of 25 in the overall manufacturer table, and it was far and away the highest-scoring premium manufacturer. Should anything go wrong with your XC60, Volvo offers a fairly standard three-year, 100,000-km warranty.

As well as all the crash protection you’d expect the XC60 comes with a range of extremely advanced safety features to help prevent you having a collision in the first place. As standard, you get an automatic braking system that can help to avoid – or mitigate – collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. There’s also ‘run-off-road’ technology that uses the car’s steering and brakes to help prevent you veering off the road unintentionally, as well as front seats that are specially designed to reduce spinal injuries if your car leaves the road and lands heavily. Options include advanced cruise control (branded Pilot Assist) that steers the car to keep you centred in your lane on the motorway, now upgraded to increase its capability. The newly upgraded reversing auto brake system is intended to bring you to a stop if the car thinks you’re about to back into something, but in our experience it couldn’t tell the difference between foliage and a something more solid, slamming the brakes on with an alarming jolt when we backed up towards a hedge. If nothing else that gives you motivation to keep any greenery bordering your driveway regularly trimmed but it's not a very pleasant experience when it does happen.

Seat quality has always been a Volvo USP, and those in the XC60 don’t disappoint, providing superb comfort and excellent side support. The driving position and forward visibility are good and as a family SUV the XC60 fits the bill, with lots of headroom and legroom, and well-shaped seats, front and rear. It's got a big boot, too. Folding the rear seats gives you a runway-flat load bay, and all XC60s come with a powered tailgate that’s very handy when your hands are full. The interior is undeniably one of the most stylish in the class, with a minimalist design and very smart materials. Most functions are controlled via a large central touch-screen that’s responsive and easy to use, especially if you run your life through Google and have an Android phone. Most versions have a very comfortable ride, although the very large alloy wheels that are standard with the higher trim levels and optional for others do add a slightly firmer edge. The XC60 is notably quiet at speed, which makes it a great long-distance cruiser. The Polestar Engineered high-performance model has bespoke suspension and brakes for a sportier character, but doesn’t sacrifice too much in the way of comfort.