2025 Volvo XC60 B5 AWD Ultra First Drive: Don’t Snooze on the Base Engine
Dated infotainment aside, the XC60 compact SUV is still a strong player in the luxury space, even when equipped with the four-cylinder.
Today, Volvo is known for quietly making excellent, attractive, and well-outfitted cars that don’t go shouting about themselves. Barring outdated infotainment and its center-console setup, the 2025 Volvo XC60 very much delivers on that front—and this review shows the version with the base engine is worth your consideration.
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What’s New for 2025? Not Much
The current second-gen XC60 hit the market in 2017 and hasn’t really undergone major changes since; most updates have come in the form of powertrain availability. This year, there’s a new and more efficient version of the base B5 turbocharged four-cylinder mild hybrid engine, and the Ultimate trim level is now called the Ultra.
Still, despite debuting eight years ago, the XC60 still looks modern and fresh. No other automaker’s exterior design has escaped the ravages of time better than Volvo’s, especially the fascia that combines clean lines with the sleek Thor’s Hammer headlights. The SUV’s silhouette is also eye-catching: long, low-slung, and less ungainly than others in its class. Inside is where things show their age, though. Despite upmarket materials and general serenity—the warm, milk-chocolate leather upholstery is stunning in person—the center console and infotainment layout feel decidedly clunky and old.
More than once, we confused the twist engine start/stop knob for the transmission selector. And the portrait-oriented screen, while attractively flanked by the two vertically oriented air vents, was positioned too low and difficult to read due to its small font sizes and poor resolution. Touchscreen-everything was perceived as cutting-edge in 2017, but as was the case then as it is now, having to adjust climate with a screen rather than buttons while driving is distracting.
Furthermore, Android Auto isn’t supported, and Apple CarPlay only connects via a cable; it’s not wireless. The XC60’s built-in Google apps cover most of what you’d need, but seeing as most luxury buyers expect wireless phone mirroring, this is a demerit.
The new 2025.5 (and no, that’s not a typo) Volvo XC90just arrived with an updated screen, however, that promises to be bigger, easier to read, and more thoughtfully laid out. You can expect that technology to eventually wind up in the XC60, as well.
Hitting the Open Road
Undeniably, the XC60 is a very lovely place to be. Front seats are supportive and remain so even after a few hours of commuting, and the back seats are decently roomy, as well. The cargo area is large and becomes downright cavernous when you fold down the second row. We fit a 60-inch glass-topped console table there with zero issues. The ride is whisper-quiet, too, thanks to the SUV’s superior sound-deadening and double-paned window glass.
The B5 four-cylinder is more than enough to get the XC60 going. It’s surprisingly peppy off the line and yields good acceleration for passing and merging. Under hard throttle, some engine drone permeates the cabin, but the powerplant is otherwise undetectable. Same goes for the transmission, which does its job undetectably in the background. The brake pedal travels smoothly, with no uncouth behavior.
We wish there were a little more weight in the steering, but at least it follows orders obediently; light steering is expected by luxury SUV customers, anyway. The XC60 lounges on the more relaxed side of things, so it lacks the honed athleticism of a Porsche Macan or BMW X3. Although the hood is long, and you can’t see where it ends from the driver’s seat, this Volvo is easy to place on the road. The optional air suspension ($1,800) is capable of serving up a cloud like ride; however, we’d recommend sticking with the standard 20-inch wheels, as the 22-inch wheels on our test car ($1,475) cause the ride to be choppy at times.
The EPA rates the B5 XC60’s fuel economy at 23 mpg in the city, 30 on the highway, and 26 combined. In the week we spent with it, which included mostly highway driving and some local runs, we averaged an indicated 27.3 mpg. In addition, we didn't need to visit the gas station very often because of the car’s large 18.8-gallon tank.
As a Noncompetitive Competitor
Our test car came with some very nice options, including the Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system ($3,200). Out the door, the MSRP came to $68,245—a luxury car demands a luxury price. But there’s plenty of goodness here. Objectively, the Volvo is a stylish and comfortable car that’s easy to drive and looks great. Even with the base engine. If the outdated infotainment setup isn’t a problem for you, it fulfills the majority of a buyer’s needs and wants.
But individual cars never exist in a vacuum, and we shouldn’t treat this Volvo like it does. In the face of relentless technological advancement, especially in the highly competitive luxury SUV space, the XC60 trails competitors like the Genesis GV80 and the Lexus NX and RX—all of which are more modern and offer the expected contemporary amenities.
Then there’s Volvo’s current product roadmap. Until very recently, the automaker’s ambitious plan was to exclusively offer EVs by 2030. That’s since been walked back, with Volvo announcing late last year that ICE engines would remain on offer into 2030 and beyond. Armed with that context, it certainly helps explain why the long-in-the-tooth XC60 feels like a great car for 2017 and merely a good car for right now. Perhaps we can infer the XC60 was meant to be phased out much earlier than this and its replacement—the upcoming all-electric EX60—should have been on sale for some time by now.
Maybe none of that matters to you. If you want something safe, pleasant to drive and be inside, and with a fashionable cabin—and which sips fuel rather than electrons—the XC60 is still around to faithfully deliver
I got into cars the way most people do: my dad. Since I was little, it was always something we’d talk about and I think he was stoked to have his kid share his interest. He’d buy me the books, magazines, calendars, and diecast models—everything he could do to encourage a young enthusiast. Eventually, I went to school and got to the point where people start asking you what you want to do with your life. Seeing as cars are what I love and writing is what I enjoy doing, combining the two was the logical next step. This dream job is the only one I’ve ever wanted. Since then, I’ve worked at Road & Track, Jalopnik, Business Insider, The Drive, and now MotorTrend, and made appearances on Jay Leno’s Garage, Good Morning America, The Smoking Tire Podcast, Fusion’s Car vs. America, the Ask a Clean Person podcast, and MotorTrend’s Shift Talkers. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, and watching the Fast & Furious movies on repeat. Tokyo Drift is the best one.
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