The article discusses Volvo's new electric SUV, the EX60, its unique features including a range of up to 500 miles, a new SPA3 platform, and a minimalist interior. It also highlights the car's competitive pricing and the potential it holds as Volvo aims to regain its position in the EV market.
► Range of up to 500 miles, new SPA3 platform, Volvo ’s big money maker, and which – even nine years into its life – remains its best-selling car.
It’s a huge customer pool, many of which are already driving the plug-in hybrid version, and Volvo doesn’t want them to look anywhere else when the time comes to go electric. Yes, this is a very smooth, serene and refined electric SUV that is worth considering next to the BMW iX3 and Mercedes GLC Electric, not least because of its competitive pricing. Just make sure you can live with its rather minimalist, button-free interior.
Lack of interior buttons proves annoying, small steering wheel is an odd choice, longest range only available with needlessly powerful model, the EX60 is Volvo’s most important electric car to date, and a lot rides on it. Volvo had a rocky start in the world of bespoke EVs, not helped by various software issues and delays, but the EX60 aims to be a clean slate and get it back on track.
The enabler is a new SPA3 platform, which makes it one of the most computerised cars on the planet. It features a whole new software stack and a new megacasting design that aims to reduce complexity , and importantly saves on cost..
As a result, there are a range of new powertrains and a new landscape touchscreen, with Volvo ditching the portrait screen it’s used for more than a decade. Google’s Gemini AI assistant is also included as standard, and is one of the best voice control systems for actually answering conversational questions.
New powertrains mean big ranges, with the maximum claimed range of the EX60 pushing well past the Mercedes GLC Electric andThe EX60 introduces a new variant naming structure, which you can expect to see rolled out on other electric Volvos in the future, with a choice of P6, P10 and P12 powertrains here, with P standing for ‘pure’ . The first two are available to order now but the longest-range P12 won’t be here until early 2027.
The P6 is the only rear-wheel-drive variant, though still produces 369bhp and 354lb ft of torque, enabling a 0-62mph time of 5.9 seconds and a 112mph top speed – the latter shared across all EX60s, and Volvos for that matter. Its 80kWh battery is the smallest available, and delivers a claimed 385 miles of range.
Up next is the P10, which gets an additional electric motor on the front axle, taking the power up to 503bhp and torque to 524lb ft. The fact those figures are only on a mid-level Volvo SUV are pretty ridiculous, and allows for a 4.6-second 0-62mph time. A maximum claimed range of 410 miles is possible from its 91kWh battery. At the top of the EX60 line-up is the P12.
It’s the only model with the largest 112kWh battery, with Volvo claiming a 503-mile range, one of the longest of any EV currently on sale. Though we haven’t yet driven this model, it’s a pity that this battery isn’t available on less powerful EX60s, as its 671bhp output seems unnecessary, as does its 3.8-second 0-62mph time.
The EX60’s charging performance is impressive, with max speeds of 370kW delivered from the larger battery models and all able to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 20 minutes, on paper. A 22kW onboard AC charger is also included. Serenity and comfort are the main takeaways from the EX60. It is exceptionally refined and quiet on the move, even by premium EV standard.
Aided by its top-notch safety tech and exceptional seats, it’s a tremendous car for longer motorway runs. Rear-wheel-drive models come with passive suspension compared to the adaptive setup that’s standard on P10 and P12 models . All offer a comfortable ride, albeit with the caveat that we’ve only driven it so far on primarily smooth Spanish tarmac.
There’s a slight jitteriness on the standard setup on pockmarked surfaces , where the adaptive setup in its softest setting does a much better job of absorbing ripples. It would certainly seem much better suited to British roads than the iX3, which I found just a bit too firm – having not driven a GLC Electric yet, but having compared notes with my colleagueI’d still prefer paddles to change the regenerative braking but there’s an ever-present shortcut button on the touchscreen to change between four modes – the ‘adaptive’ one-pedal setup is my favourite.
The brakes are generally good but on occasion I found there was an inconsistency to them, as if there was a resistance band that you needed to push through. There’s a lot more roll through a corner than an iX3, albeit to be expected, but there’s plenty of grip and the steering is linear and predictable. The tyres liked to squeal with little provocation but it never feels as if the car is breaking traction.
Performance is so plentiful from the standard rear-wheel-drive car I don’t understand why you’d want or need to upgrade. Yes, the P10 is noticeably brisker, but this is a mid-size Volvo electric SUV and quite how useful a sub five-second 0-62mph time is, I’m not sure. The EX60 carries on Volvo’s recent tradition of going for absolute minimalism in its interior, though this is possibly the best – or least frustrating, I should say – execution so far.
I like the new landscape touchscreen, which is super responsive and has a better menu design than an EX90 and EX30, but I’ll never stop complaining that adjusting mirrors should NEVER be something buried in a touchscreen. Google Gemini is genuinely impressive, and one of the best voice assists I’ve tried so far in a car.
It works seamlessly with the in-built Google Maps integration that is now present in every new Volvo and it’s worth noting over-the-air updates will see Gemini integration adding to existing Volvos made from as far back as 2020, too. The firm slowly seems to be listening to feedback, with four electric window switches , more shortcut buttons on the touchscreen and a new button on the steering wheel to turn off speed sign bongs.
Material quality is hard to fault, with a great combination of artificial leather , some lovely metal details for the speakers and a delightful glass volume control. The stepped interior layout ahead of the dashboard is a bit unusual, and I couldn’t get on with the small steering wheel. It just seems odd in a car of this size. Perhaps its most impressive attribute is its space.
A hybrid XC60 is hardly an impractical car, but the EX60 is noticeably roomier. Adults will have no trouble sitting in the rear even with tall occupants in the front, and there’s a vast array of storage in the front – from a pop-out drinks holder in the centre console to a large in the centre of the car. It does replace a conventional glovebox, however.
The boot offers 634 litres of space , and has a useful split so you only need to open a portion of the boot floor to access any cables and odds and ends you have beneath. There’s even a plastic bin kept here for odds and ends, while flat-folding seats are a nice reminder of practical Volvo estates of years gone by.
The frunk is useful to have but it’s pretty small and doesn’t open with the key, so quite how useful it is I’m not sure. Volvo’s aim was to get the EX60 priced the same as a plug-in hybrid, and it’s achieved that.
A £56,860 starting price undercuts the BMW iX3 and Mercedes GLC Electric by £2,000 and £4,000 respectively, although with the disclaimer that neither of those two cars are available with a cheaper rear-wheel-drive variant like the EX60 yet. It’s only a relatively small £3,000 increase for the P10, while even the P12 starts from under £65,000, which for a 670bhp and 500-mile EV is hard to knock.
All powertrains are also available in the two trim levels offered: Plus and Ultra. Standard equipment is expansive, including many features that the German brands would charge for – matrix LED headlights, a 360-degree camera, heated front and rear seats – with electrical adjustment in both rows – and an electric steering wheel column. If you looked at how basic a low-spec Audi Q6 e-tron is, they’re practically incomparable.
The Ultra adds ventilated front seats, tinted rear windows, and an electrochromatic glass roof and a highly impressive 28-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system for a £5,500 premium, but the Plus model offers everything you need already. A more rugged-looking Cross Country model will follow at the start of 2027, and with standard air suspension to provide more ground clearance.
The EX60 is unquestionably the best electric Volvo to date, seemingly ironing out the ripples that have hindered the EX30 and EX90’s usability, although it’s only in the long-term that we’ll see if Volvo’s software hiccups are behind it. The EX60 is a classy, well-made and very refined take on the electric SUV, and manages to feel every bit like an electric version of an XC60, which is a hefty compliment.
Providing you can deal with most controls on a screen, it would be an easy swap to make from the XC to the EX60. It’s a very different proposition to the sportier feeling BMW iX3 and seems much closer to the GLC Electric in execution. But its competitive pricing and generous equipment levels will go a long way to help it. The triple test in the autumn will most certainly be an interesting one.
Volvo EX60 Electric SUV SPA3 Platform Range Of Up To 500 Miles Minimalist Interior Competitive Pricing BMW Ix3 Mercedes GLC Electric New Passenger Car Platform Megacasting Design Gemini AI Assistant P6 P10 P12 Powertrains P Standing For 'Pure'
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