Quality returns to Volvo: the new EX60 | is that good Auto

The Volvo EX30 and EX90 turned out to be far from perfect when they were introduced. Apparently Volvo wants to correct that with the new EX60. Has the brand learned from its mistakes? The answer is yes, provided you have not set your sights on autonomous driving in the future.

The first indication of the improved quality is not immediately hopeful, because it rains heavily during the test drive. And the windshield wipers don’t work hard enough to remove all the rain. The rain sensor works poorly, as we conclude after just a few meters of driving. Fortunately, the rest of the Volvo EX60 much better.

That had to be, since the EX30 and EX90 both felt like they should have matured a few more months when they were introduced. Fortunately, that feeling is very different with the EX60. Not least because of the new chassis on which Volvo builds the EX60.

In accordance with the applicable standard, it is equipped with 800-volt technology, just like its competitors Mercedes Benz GLC and BMW iX3. But while they are currently only available in one variant, with the Volvo EX60 you can immediately choose from three flavors, although the thickest will not be delivered until later this year.

The entry-level model is called P6, although you can’t really call it an entry-level model. This variant already has a battery of 80 kWh net and is good for a range of over 600 kilometers. The charging options are immediately in order. On alternating current you can charge at 22 kW as standard if you have a suitable charging station and at the fast charger the EX60 P6 draws 320 kW from the charging cable.

For the time being, this is the only variant with rear-wheel drive. The single electric motor is good for 374 hp, which means that the P6 is actually very well equipped, we notice.

However, the focus during introduction is on the stronger P10. It has a relatively small additional cost of 3000 euros and for that money you immediately get an extra electric motor on the front axle and therefore four-wheel drive, 510 hp, a battery of 91 kWh net that can charge up to 370 kW, and a range of 660 kilometers.

You also get adaptive shock absorbers as standard. Moreover, you can tow 2400 kilos instead of 2000. Quite a lot extra for your money; This version is expected to attract the most customers in our country.

It is obvious that the performance is fantastic with 510 hp. The fact that the P10 weighs 2,200 kilos really doesn’t matter at all; you get out of place so terribly quickly that you feel like it might as well have been half.

Anyone who wants even more power will have to wait a while for the P12. That version has the same electric motors as the P10, but without software limitation, giving you 680 hp and a gigantic battery of 112 kWh net.

This can take you more than 800 kilometers in the best case scenario. Unfortunately, range and power are always linked. So you cannot choose the largest battery and settle for the power of the P6.

That may seem like a strange criticism, but the EX60 could benefit from less power instead of more. This is largely due to the adjustment of the chassis, which is very comfortable.

Even with the adaptive dampers of the P10 in the hardest setting, the EX60 is remarkably soft, which is very pleasant in most circumstances. The directional stability is excellent, the chassis absorbs bumps very nicely and with the optional laminated windows the Volvo is very quiet.

However, the relatively soft chassis also means that the EX60 is willing to roll, lean and dive. Although the grip is excellent, as a driver you do not want to take turns at high speed or accelerate hard, which you quickly do involuntarily with 510 hp at your disposal.

In this light, it doesn’t help that the steering wheel is small and the device to which it is attached is quite direct. The combination of ‘fast’ steering and a ‘slow’ chassis means that the two do not reinforce each other well. Here too, the effect becomes stronger the faster you go.

The small steering wheel is a direct result of the new interior concept that Volvo has chosen for the EX60. Instead of a separate instrument cluster and a head-up display, Volvo follows the approach of Peugeot, among others, by positioning the instruments further forward and higher. This immediately acts as a kind of head-up display and you should be able to look at it over the steering wheel.

Also new is the central infotainment system, which is now oriented horizontally instead of vertically. It works considerably better than in the Volvo EX90: it is fast, clearly laid out and the icons are nice and large and therefore accurate.

It has to be, because the number of physical buttons on board is minimal. The fact that you are also forced to adjust your steering wheel and mirrors is still not ideal.

Another new feature is the integration of Gemini AI into the system, which allows you to have entire conversations if desired. That works very well, but there are still some questions about the practical value. For example, if we ask to find a parking space near our navigation destination, we will receive a suggestion for a parking space 2,500 kilometers away. So not exactly walking distance.

Fortunately, such omissions can be updated over-the-air and Volvo promises to continue to take steps in this regard. Let’s hope that the new generation of seat belts with no fewer than eleven instead of three profiles works well straight away for different types of occupants and accident scenarios. We didn’t try that.

We have of course taken a look at the space on board and it is really good. There is plenty of space on the back seat, there is a more than usable frunk and 523 liters of space can fit a lot of luggage in the back, although Volvo takes the space under the flat loading floor into account.

But just like with the powertrains and the interior, we don’t see anything in the EX60 that is really inferior to the BMW iX3 or the Mercedes-Benz GLC and that is good news for Volvo.

Especially because the EX60 has another trump card in the form of its price. It is available from 63,995 euros, about 6,000 euros less than both Germans. To make it fair you should assume at least a P10. Then the power is more in line and with a range of 660 kilometers you have roughly the same range as the GLC, but about 140 less than the BMW.

It is still 3000 euros cheaper and on balance the standard equipment leaves no essentials to be desired. For example, seat and steering wheel heating, a heat pump, a battery of safety systems and a 22-kW AC charger are all standard. And that mediocre rain sensor too. It may not work perfectly, but free is of course rarely too expensive.

There’s only one but: if you want to drive autonomously with this EX60 in the future, you’d better wait a year. The hardware of the cars that are currently being delivered cannot be prepared for autonomous driving, not even with over-the-air updates. Copies that can do this will not appear on the market for a year.