Volvo XC60 Recharge PHEV 2023 Review

Volvo's progressive strategies on full electrification of its SUV-centric line-up ensure it is well and truly in step with the future. The Swedish car-maker will only sell battery-electric vehicles in Australia from 2026, by which time the forthcoming Volvo EX60 should be available in the popular mid-size luxury SUV class. Right now, however, there's an outstanding alternative to consider – the Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 Plug-in Hybrid. Fast, frugal, luxurious and practical, the XC60 PHEV is not only a hint of what's to come from Volvo, but will be the perfect fit for many buyers – today.

The 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 is the plug-in hybrid flagship of the Swedish premium brand's mid-size SUV range and is tagged at $101,990 plus on-road costs – way above the mild-hybrid entry-level model that starts at $72,990.

While the regular sub-$100K XC60 models remain popular choices at the prestige end of the medium SUV class, the top-shelf version tested here pulls no punches with its truly potent road performance, comprehensive safety technology, high-quality cabin furnishings and SUV utility.

The XC60 PHEV lines up against plug-in hybrid versions of the BMW X3 (from $111,800), Lexus NX (from $91,423), Mercedes-Benz GLC (from $99,600 when last available) and Range Rover Evoque (from $104,310).

There's also an all-new premium-focused Mazda CX-60 PHEV to consider (from $85,675 for the top-shelf Azami), along with the Peugeot 3008 PHEV (from $84,790).

In the premium SUV segment, mid-size doesn't mean middle of the road. That the 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV is priced north of $100,000 comes as no real surprise as you slide into the sumptuously trimmed, exquisitely detailed cabin.

You soon come to appreciate the purified air, tinted glass, multi-adjustable, heated and super-supportive front seats (which, for an extra $1100 can be had with a massaging function), heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, premium 1460W Bowers and Wilkins 15-speaker sound system and auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors.

It doesn't make the larger Volvo XC90 flagship look exactly frumpy, but you could almost be forgiven thinking the mid-size XC60 Recharge, with its road presence, unarguably generous, premium interior and its overall sense of solidity is Volvo's top SUV. (For now at least, given the 2024 Volvo EX90 is heading this way.)

The XC60 Recharge is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty which basically equates with its competitors and is notable for that fact that it includes a roadside assist package that extends for the full warranty period.

It's possible to map out future running costs with the help of two extra-cost, fixed-price servicing plans covering three years/45,000km or five years/75,000km, which are available for $1750 or $3000 respectively.

Running changes to driver assist tech, including cyclist and pedestrian detection with the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, ensure the 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV is well up to date in this area.

You’ll find AEB functionality working front and rear – the former operational at both high and low speeds – along with semi-autonomous Pilot Assist lane tracking with radar-camera adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, road sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, front/rear parking sensors and 360-degree cameras giving a bird's eye view of the vehicle when parking.

Like most premium Euros, the XC60 Recharge is also able to park itself and has "bending" LED headlights to help see its way around corners.

A Volvo tradition to prioritise child safety remains intact and includes inbuilt booster cushions in the back seats, along with ISOFIX mounting points on the outer rear seats.

The XC60 Recharge has an airbag count of seven but does not have a centre front airbag.

The XC60 carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating dating back to 2017, but the T8 is not covered under this assessment and therefore goes unrated.

The portrait-style 9.0-inch centre dash screen remains a definitive feature in the 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV, and although there's plenty going on in the machine-driver interface department it's all mostly intuitive.

That is, until you begin seeking an AM band in the deeply resonant, multi-mode (Studio, Individual Stage, Concert Hall and Jazz Club) Bowers & Wilkins audio system.

In favour of FM and digital reception, an AM band just doesn't exist, and although that's probably fine among most urban dwellers, it can become a bit of a letdown once you escape the suburbs into the country and find station-seeking something of a hit-and-miss affair.

Otherwise, it's an awesome sound system.

Taken generally, functionality will be no problem for those familiar with the sometimes-unexpected quirks that tend to appear on most premium-class systems and will be readily adjusted to.

The Volvo's pleasantly tactile, twisting start-up switch on the centre console is one of them.

The XC60 Recharge gets the full Google Play treatment with Google Assistant, Google Maps and real-time traffic information, as well wireless phone charging, a head-up display (including sat-nav graphics) and four USB-C ports in and behind the centre console.

The 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV received an uprated battery with the latest model upgrade, now with three cell layers and a higher 18.8kWh capacity (up from 11.6kWh) that helps increase the claimed battery-only driving range to a solid 81km.

The twin-charge 2.0-litre four-cylinder T8 petrol engine thumps out a hefty 233kW at 6000rpm, along with 400Nm of torque between 3000rpm and 5400rpm.

When this is aided by the electric motor that contributes 107kW and 309Nm, the combined power outputs are elevated to a mighty 340kW/709Nm, which is more than enough to provide acceleration that is almost indecent for a relatively staid-looking Volvo.

The official claim for the 0-100km/h sprint is an eye-blinking 4.8sec.

Officially quoted fuel consumption figures for PHEVs such as the 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 can be a bit misleading because they assume the battery is always on full charge and that the car is essentially operating in EV mode only.

So although the stated claim is 1.6L/100km, the fact is that real-world expectations, if you travel beyond the battery's 81km range, are not as frugal.

Depending on operating conditions, we saw the XC60 Recharge, in hybrid mode, varying from as low as 6L/100km to around 10L/100km.

But staying within the XC60 Recharge's battery-powered range did indeed see fuel consumption hovering around the claimed figure.

Not surprisingly, given the petrol engine's power and torque outputs, Volvo asks that the XC60 Recharge be fed on 95 RON premium fuel.

On test, we regularly fully replenished the XC60 Recharge's battery overnight on a 240-volt home supply and this proved convenient enough to deal petrol-free with most daily driving chores.

With such a smooth and potent powertrain, an AWD driveline (the rear wheels are purely electrically driven) and an air suspension system, the 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV is more than competent on the road.

Asked to reveal what's really lurking underneath that conservative but timelessly attractive Euro body, the XC60 hybrid can be expected to deliver something special.

As alluded to earlier, it certainly hides its light behind a bushel.

The XC60 Recharge is quiet at all times, especially so in pure EV mode. When the petrol engine does kick in, which it needs to if it's to acquire that maximum acceleration, the overall unruffled calmness remains and the eight-speed auto transmission shifts with a remote, steady smoothness.

The Volvo XC60 Recharge's ride quality, via the air suspension, is assiduously controlled and, despite the aero-profile 21-inch wheels that are new to Recharge Volvos, is absorbent enough on all but the most challenging hard-edged ruts.

The steering is weighted towards light and though it's clearly not a Mercedes-AMG stalker in terms of overall agility, the XC60 Recharge with its big 255/40R21 rubber remains convincingly sharp and concise on the bends.

As befits its role as a premium $100K-plus SUV, the XC60 PHEV is quiet on the move too, and the electronically well-informed Pilot Assist system helps follow the plotted path with a natural-feeling smoothness that's of a higher order than many other vehicles aspiring towards semi-autonomy.

The 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV remains as purely a two-row five-seater, without any of the compromises that afflict three-row mid-sizers and, with a body that tends to be wider than many of its premium-class competitors (Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, etc), there's generous overall stretching room for up to five adult passengers.

The seat cushioning, in traditional Volvo style, is plush and supportive throughout and the build quality of this Chinese-built SUV is irreproachable.

Although the XC60 Recharge's standard level of trim is laudably luxurious, there's a $3150 interior upgrade mentioned earlier that brings higher-class Nappa leather, upgraded trim combinations and colours, plus power-adjustable side support profiling for the front seats.

Various other trim options, including wool-blend seat coverings, are available for the XC60 Recharge at no extra cost.

With a 505-litre capacity, the XC60's boot is accessible via a power tailgate and is pretty much class-average. The space is clean and eminently useable with a conventional 60/40-split folding rear seat arrangement enabling a varied mix of passenger/luggage combinations.

There's no spare wheel, just a repair kit.

The 2250kg braked towing capacity is nothing special but the Volvo XC60 Recharge is still ahead of its main rivals, which tend to top out at two tonnes or less.

With its greatly enhanced performance, welcome improvements to its EV range and various safety and technical upgrades, the 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 PHEV reminds us why the SUV was such a success in the 2018 carsales Car of the Year awards, where it gained a podium position alongside the XC40, which finished first outright.

The admirably homogenous nature of this accomplished mid-size luxury SUV impresses as much today as it did five years ago – a fact well recognised by buyers in the Australian car market and adding further credibility to the Chinese-owned Swedish car company.

There might be some aggressive and impressive competitors out there, and more on the way, but the Volvo XC60 Recharge isn't about to be jostled aside by anyone.

2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 Plug-in Hybrid at a glance: Price: $101,990 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowPowertrain: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol-electricOutput: 233kW/400Nm (electric motor: 107kW/309Nm)Combined output: 340kW/709NmTransmission: Eight-speed automaticBattery: 18.8kWh lithium-ionRange: 81km (ADR)Energy consumption: 19kWh/100km (ADR)Fuel: 1.6L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 37g/km (ADR Combined)Safety rating: Not tested

Price & Equipment

Safety & Technology

Powertrain & Performance

Driving & Comfort

Editor's Opinion

What we like

Not so much

Become a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.