km : Daily Driver

Lexus may have created the compact luxury crossover market with the RX300, but the Germans in particular have taken to it en masse with the likes of the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLK, and Audi Q5. The Swedes have skin in the game now too; Volvo introduced the XC60 earlier this year, and next year Saab will share the 9-4x with the world. Given the importance of this growing segment in an otherwise slow-moving marketplace, it seemed like adding one to our stable might be a smart move. We chose a Volvo XC60 with the 3.0-liter, 281-hp, turbocharged inline-six engine.

A normally-aspirated 3.2-liter inline-six was a late-addition base engine, but Volvo chose to launch the XC60 with its more powerful T6. Though perhaps a little harder on gas, this is definitely the enthusiasts' choice in the lineup. Paired to a new six-speed automatic it lacks some of the involvement of the manual offered with some XC60s available in European-market XC60s, but it is a much quicker shifting Volvo than the slushboxes of yore. We can live without the manual but we seriously lament the lack of available shift paddles to ease the use of the car's GearTronic manual-style gear selection. All-wheel-drive is standard on the T6 model, as one would expect.



Between its "cross-country" XC badging and Swedish heritage, we weren't surprised that many of the colors on the XC60 pallet are derivatives of brown, reinforcing its rugged character as Volvo has done with the XC70 and XC90. We decided to buck that trend, however, acquiring our XC60 in a subtle metallic silver and fitted with black leather interior accented in aluminum trim for a look that's more industrial than organic. Only brown accent stitching on the seats hints at the car’s inner mountain goat. And we must admit, we rather like this one subtle touch.

Base price on the XC60 T6 is $37,200. Ours came with a decent number of options including the aforementioned metallic paint ($525), a Multimedia Package with Dynaudio sound system, navigation and rear park assist camera ($2,700), and a Climate package with heated front and rear seats, heated windshield washer nozzles, headlamp cleaning system, rain sensor/humidity sensor and interior air quality system ($1,000). Our early-build 2010 XC60 also came with the laminated glass panoramic sunroof as a no cost option (eventually this will cost $600). Combine that with an $825 destination charge and our new XC60 weighed in at $42,250.



Over the next year, we'll bring you regular updates of day-to-day life with the XC60. Not surprisingly, we may succumb to the temptation to upgrade the car as well. Even though an aftermarket has yet to really explode for these luxury crossovers, the usual suspects like Heico Sportiv have already developed body kits, wheels and exhaust for the car, and there are plenty of companies readying or already selling T6 software updates for a few more ponies. Even Volvo itself has created a healthy accessories lineup for the XC60, including some OEM parts from the upcoming R-design version that's just being released. Look for a further update next month highlighting in more detail what we love, what we hate and maybe our first modification if the winter doesn't set in too early.

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