The Volvo XC60 crossover SUV is all about family transportation. And for decades the Volvo station wagon was the ne plus ultra super-lightning babe of family transportation. While most manufacturers come to the crossover market after building truck-based SUVs, Volvo's approach is from being a station wagon builder. And it shows in the Volvo XC60 compact crossover.
Sharing its "Y20" platform with Volvo's larger sedan, the Volvo XC60 is sized right in the heart of the compact crossover class. Upon its introduction in 2009 as a 2010 model, it was offered with either front- or all-wheel drive and powered by either a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter inline-6 or a turbocharged 3.0-liter version of the same engine. The suspension consisted of MacPherson struts up front and independent multilink system in back. With the exception of the powerful turbocharged engine, all pretty standard crossover stuff. Nope, the Volvo XC60 wasn't going to rewrite physics (or biology or geography or history) textbooks.
But the Volvo XC60 was every inch a Volvo — the perfect crossover for the paranoid parent who is convinced it's best to surround oneself and one's spawn (plus politically correct adoptees) with as many airbags and as much Swedish steel as possible. There were dual-stage airbags in front, dual-chamber side airbags and inflatable side curtains on both sides standard. Naturally there were anti-submarine and whiplash protection systems built into the front seats and a rollover protection system that would activate the appropriate safety systems if the XC60 was about to turn turtle.
Beyond all that, the unibody's steel was supplemented by a Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) to dissipate the energy of a crash across the XC60's structure. Of course all the usual tech was also aboard — ABS and stability control and brake assist. If that weren't enough, adaptive cruise control with automatic braking, driver alert controls and a lane departure warning system were optional. Terrible drivers stood a pretty good chance of survival if they were in a Volvo XC60.
Any family that wants to survive the 21st century's overwhelming dangers wants a Volvo XC60.
