Volvo V60 T8 Recharge review: Swedish station wagon that impresses

With the V60 T8 Recharge Volvo has brought a solid plug-in hybrid onto the market. We were able to test the 2024 model for you in everyday life and here are our impressions and experiences.

In December 2022 we already had the opportunity V90 T8 Recharge testing. Now it's the turn of the little brother, the V60. Visually, the two differ little. In terms of workmanship, the V60 is in no way worse than the V90.

tl;dr: A good station wagon with a solid range

The Volvo V60 T8 Recharge proves to be rock solid in everyday testing. The car handles well on the road and offers a lot of comfort and space in the interior. The ability to plan trips and thus exploit the potential of the hybrid drive proves to be beneficial for consumption. When it comes down to it, the V60 can deliver enough power or roll along the track quite economically. The vehicle's software is clear and allows you to install additional apps. The only drawback is that there are no shortcuts for the vehicle settings. All in all, the V60 T8 Recharge is a successful station wagon. From a starting price of 65.890 € (including 19% VAT) the T8 Recharge model is available.

Design

From the outside it hardly differs visually from the current V90. With dimensions of 185 cm wide and 477 cm long, the V60 is only 18 cm shorter than its big brother. This makes the car appear somewhat more compact and maneuverable than the V90. Here too there are the typical Volvo, hammer-shaped full LED headlights called “Thor’s Hammer”. Depending on your wishes, the car can be delivered with silver or black accent strips and radiator grille.

inner space

Attention was also paid to high quality workmanship inside the car. Decorative strips made of real wood, crystal gear knob and many other little things make the car look high-quality. When it comes to the workmanship of the interior, in our opinion it's pretty well done. The tailored wool seats offer good lateral support and provide pleasant driving comfort. The driver and front passenger seats are equipped with seat heating and are electrically adjustable. If you want to get a massage while driving, you can configure the seats with leather or imitation leather. For technical reasons, the massage function cannot be offered with the fabric seats. It is also possible to configure the seat heating for the rear seat.

infotainment

Many of the car's functions can only be controlled via the display. This means that only a few buttons remain below the infotainment. The V60's software is beautifully and clearly designed and, in addition to the standard functions, also offers Apple CarPlay. Since the last update, you can also use YouTube when the engine is switched off. The Android-based system allows access to the Playstore, which allows various apps such as route planners or entertainment apps to be installed. Unfortunately, vehicle-specific settings are somewhat hidden in the system, which makes it difficult to adjust while driving. The configurable Bowers&Wilkins sound system sounds very balanced, with a lot of clarity and depth. An 8-band equalizer would be desirable to fine-tune the tone curve even more. Otherwise there is nothing to complain about here.

Storage space

In terms of space, the Volvo offers 519 liters of storage space, which can be expanded to 1431 liters. This is a little smaller compared to other station wagons. As with other models from the manufacturer, there is a hinged partition wall, which allows the trunk to be halved. This means that laptop bags or other objects, for example, do not slip during stronger accelerations and braking maneuvers.

driving dynamics

With its curb weight of just under two tons, the V60 is not necessarily a lightweight. But it's pretty easy for him to seem like one. The steering is clean, light and works harmoniously with the Four-C chassis. The 310 hp 2 liter compressor turbo engine combined with the 145 hp electric drive delivers a total of 455 hp (335 kW). This means that the engine accelerates the almost two tons forward effortlessly. But here, as with all new Volvo models, it stops at 180 km/h.

assistance systems

Like the V90, the V60 also has a steering assistant. This works relatively reliably on wide country roads and motorways, but has problems with tighter bends. The adaptive cruise control as well as cross-traffic and blind spot warning systems work proflawless.

consumption and range

If you drive the V60 in a relaxed manner, you can expect 8-10 liters of fuel consumption without the support of the electric motor. With the electric motor switched on, consumption is just under one liter. If you are traveling with a fully charged battery, you can cover around 80 kilometers in hybrid mode and around 60 km in pure mode (purely electric). In order to use the hybrid drive more efficiently, the Volvo can determine when the car switches from electric drive to combustion engine on planned routes. This achieves the highest possible range. If you are blessed with a sensitive accelerator foot, you can drive the V60 purely electrically most of the time. If the battery does run out, it can be charged with 6,4 kW using a Type 2 cable. This means that the 18,8 kWh battery is fully charged again after around 3 hours. But even with an empty battery, the Volvo cuts a fine figure even without the support of the electric motor.

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