2020 Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid T8 R-Design Review

Описание: In the last part of our series looking at the range of Volvo plug-in Hybrid’s we take a look at the XC60 T8.

This is the all new Volvo XC60, its been completely redesigned for 2018, with the T8 Twin Engine plug-in Hybrid being the top of the range.

New exterior styling fits in with the rest of the Volvo family, and a hybrid drivetrain delivers huge amounts of power and convenience of almost 30 miles on a single charge.

What does the T8 actually mean - essential what Volvo give you is a 2 litre four-cylinder engine up front producing over 300bhp which in itself is quite impressive, and behind me is a powerful battery producing an extra 100bhp. In total, this XC60 produces 407bhp, which in a car of this size, makes interesting driving.

From the outside, extra exterior styling thanks to the R-Design package makes this XC60 stand out a little more from others, whilst only having a 20cm shorter wheelbase than it’s bigger brother, the XC90, it’s a vehicle with a lot of potential.

The XC60 offers 495 litres of boot space and has a perfectly square layout unlike a lot of other vehicles that suffer with protrusion from wheel arches.

The interior, as you expect from the new era of Volvo, is beautifully crafted - R-Design seats make it a little more special and the hand made Chrystal gear selector certainly finishes the cabin to a high standard.

What does this mean for a chauffeur firm? Well, if you live in an ear prone to adverse weather then it’s certainly an option, and client would not be disappointed with the interior and ride of the XC60. However, I’d choose the diesel version which can mean a saving of up to £20,000.

There are essentially three ways of charging the hybrid battery on the XC60. You can plug the vehicle into a normal 12v socket or use the petrol engine during your journey. In addition, the Volvo does offer a useful gearbox mode, simply labelled B.

What this does is use entirely regenerative breaking to put miles back into the battery. This does make the brakes extremely sensitive, so I wouldn’t recommend this for chauffeur work.

The XC60 range starts from around £32,000 and is available on the manufacturers chauffeur programme with an extended 100,000 miles warranty.