I’m seeing double: two Volvo XC60s! No, the picture above isn’t a trick of the light or smoke-and-mirrors magic; that really is another Swedish SUV next to the car on our fleet.
You’ll recognise our XC60 D5, which has featured in our test pages since we got the keys in March. As I was putting on a lot of miles on my travels around the country for photo shoots, that car has now gone back to Volvo because it was nearing a mileage limit.
But rather than that being the end of our story with the car, we’ve decided to make the most of it by running an XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid for the next few months instead. I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel to see how it compared with the diesel model, because the T8 version picked up an Auto Express New Car Award earlier in the summer; it’s our Premium Hybrid Car of the Year 2018.
I hadn’t driven one before, but now I know why it won. The XC60 is one of the best cars I’ve ever had the pleasure of running on the fleet, and doing away with the slightly rattly diesel engine has made it even better.
On start-up, and for 28 miles after a full charge if you set it to run in full EV mode, it’s absolutely serene. With no engine making a noise and only a faint hum from the motor, the already very refined SUV is truly relaxing.
So far we’ve been commuting as much as possible on electric power and are already bettering the D5’s fuel economy of 40.1mpg: the T8 is managing 57.7mpg up to now over a series of runs in and out of London. That’s really impressive, and although the T8 is pricey to buy, I can see why buyers are flocking to plug-in models these days.
- Model: Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine Auto Inscription Pro
- On Fleet Since: August 2018
- Price New: £57,270 (including Govt grant)
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl plus electric motor, 385bhp
- CO2/Tax: 52g/km/£450
- Mileage/mpg: 4,210/57.7mpg
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