Volvo XC60: Why It’s the Best-Selling Volvo in History
[Music] The Volvo XC60 is classy. It’s not the newest car on the market with the most modern facelift, but it’s a design that has so far stood the test of time. The XC60 represents years of luxury and will represent luxury for years to come. This is the 2026 Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid. That’s the Pacific Ocean and I’m Alanis King. The XC60 is updated for the 2026 model year. So, let’s go for a drive and stick around for the end of this video to get this XC60’s full report card. [Music] The Volvo XC60 debuted in 2008 as a midsize option to capitalize on the growing trend of American buyers, especially opting for crossovers and SUVs. This is only the second generation of the XC60, which debuted in 2018. But over the last 17 years, it’s gone through minor and major updates to stay modern. We’re driving the refreshed Volvo XC60 at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, where Volvo brought us out to celebrate its 70th anniversary in the United States by driving some new cars and some historic. It’s actually really fitting that we’re here because Volvo imported its first car to the United States at the Long Beach port in 1955. That was a PV444. And this year in 2025, Volvo sold its 5 millionth car in the United States. We are out celebrating Volvo’s 70th anniversary in the United States, which means we get to check out all kinds of historic Volvos. But our main ride for today is the Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid. And the XC60 is a huge deal because Volvo announced early in 2025 that it had sold 2.7 million XC60s. That makes the XC60 the bestselling Volvo ever, ahead of the very famous Volvo 240. The Volvo XC60 is also refreshed for 2026. And on the outside, it looks newer and sleeker. But the refreshes are so minor that unless you really stare, you might not know exactly what they are. For example, this front grill on the 2025 model was more horizontally oriented, the slats in here. This one has this diagonal orientation that cuts right through that central Volvo logo. And to me, it reminds me of a wrap dress, kind of like what I have on. Inside the Volvo XC60, the big change for 2026 is the new infotainment system. In 2025, there was a 9-in screen that was more integrated into the dashboard than this one, and this is 11.2 in. Volvo also says it is faster and has a better display than the old system. And you might say, Atlantis, that is a tablet attached to a dashboard, whereas the old one was actually integrated. And yes, I understand that. However, when I look at the old interior, this one does look more modern having this tablet kind of style because of the fact that this is the modern trend in automotive and I kind of equate it to pants stylings. You may not like the current size and shape of jeans that people wear, but you can admit that it looks more modern than some of the stuff you may like better. It’s the same thing with this. You may not like a tablet on the dashboard, but it looks more modern than a more integrated, smaller infotainment screen. And honestly, the pants strand is kind of why I just wear dresses now. I’m sick of keeping up with it. The Volvo XC60 has been around for almost 20 years. And this second generation debuted in 2018. Over that time, the second generation has not changed revolutionarily. And in my opinion, there are pros and cons of doing this. When you make revolutionary changes, you are more easily able to sell those products. People buy new iPhones because the cameras change and people see the cameras and people want other people to know that they have a new product. However, on the other side of that, there are pros to keeping something similar for a long time. Say you’re looking for an XC60 in 10 years on the used market. You have a lot of XC60s that look really similar but have all these different slight little changes. So, you can pick the one that fits best for you and the people around you will just go, “Oh, nice Volvo. These points I’ve been making about fashion and products and the passage of time are actually really relevant to the jacket I’m wearing from our partner, Homefield Apparel. Homefield does all kinds of new but vintage style apparel and I’m obsessed with everything they come out with. It’s officially licensed gear for your favorite college or professional sports team or motorsports or the Indie 500. And I absolutely love getting to wear this stuff because it looks so nice and I get so many compliments. I had like 10 different people tell me that they love this today. So, if you’re into it and you want to look up your school or your favorite sports team or check out their motorsports apparel, you can go to homefieldapparel.com. The Volvo XC60 has two big options. There is a mild hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. This is a plug-in hybrid, which Volvo calls the T8. It has a 2L 4 cylinder engine and an electric motor that powers the rear wheels to make this all-wheel drive. The combined system output is 455 horsepower and 523 pound- feet of torque. And this has an 8-speed automatic transmission. I always like to talk about fun facts about the engine bay. And my big fun fact about this XC60 is we opened the hood and it was huge and it goes up so high. It’s so funny how big it is. And the final assembly point is in Sweden. The 2026 Volvo XC60 starts at $49,700 American for the mild hybrid version. The plug-in hybrid starts at $61,150, and this is the ultra version of the plug-in hybrid, which starts at $71,000. This one also has a few optional add-ons. There are $800 21in wheels, an $1,800 active air suspension system, a $3,200 premium sound system, $600 front seat massage, and more. After options and fees, the total price of this XC60 plug-in hybrid Ultra is $79,395 American. We have now made it to my favorite part of any car review, which is how many Atlantises can fit in this Volvo XC60 hybrid’s trunk. Now, there are a few things I want to talk about as I’m getting in this trunk. First, I believe this is the quietest rear hatch motor I have ever heard. Most of the time when you have a rear hatch that goes up by itself, the motor makes a little sound. This, you can hear it, but it is so quiet. Second, we have a little grab handle right here. And when you pick up this grab handle, you see a charger that you can use at home for this car. You see a battery and then you see tanks for the air suspension, which is so cool how accessible that is. You literally just lift that up. And the third thing I want to talk about is I always like to discuss the keys that come on cars. Now, this Volvo key is very normal. There’s nothing super special about it. It’s got this black plastic on it that a lot of keys have. So, it doesn’t look super fancy. But the thing I do like is the raised Volvo logo with chrome on it. And then also we have the little logos on the side for unlocking, locking, and opening the trunk of the car. They’re raised, and that makes it look so nice. And then when we get back here, we got to reach up, smack that button, and hide. This is quite spacious back here, especially with this being a two row. You could sit two Atlantises across. And honestly, if you really wanted to squeeze, you could set another two Atlantises just on top. And so I am going to say four Alanises. It’s time to drive the 2026 Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid. And I want to talk about a few things. The interior styling and comfort, the controls, and the driving dynamics. We will start with the interior styling and comfort. I really like the interior of this car. It’s got these beige tones paired with these darker tones like black. And it looks really nice. It’s simplistic. And I don’t like to say that cars are just going to be timeless forever because I feel like in an industry where things change so much, such as the automotive industry, something isn’t necessarily timeless. It just stays tasteful. It looks like it’s of its time. And I think in 20 years, this car will look like it’s of its time. But I think it will look really tasteful for its time. And that is something that automakers should strive to be. And that is what this car is. When we look around, we have all of these soft touch materials everywhere that make it feel nice. The speakers are chrome, which match the other chrome accents, and they’ve got diamond shaped edging in them. They look really nice. You also have your clear shifter, which people like to call crystal shifters. It looks different. I haven’t seen too many automakers do it. Your start stop is not a button. You actually twist it, which is different. And I just like how this interior looks. I like the washed out woodlook trim on here. I do think it will look of the 2020s and the late 2010s, but I think it will look nice for a really long time. A few other things I want to note about this interior is that the panoramic roof looks really nice. The seats, I love the styling and the shape and the material. However, when I look at it, the material, the surface is very flat. It doesn’t have those pressed imprints like you see in a lot of leather seats and cars or a lot of seats in general in cars. And when I look at the seats, I see little dents and little wear marks from people getting in and out of them. And I feel like over time those wear marks will show more. And they probably do that because there aren’t imprints and patterns to distract you from them. So although they look really nice, I would be concerned about wear over time. And the last thing I want to note about the interior styling and comfort is that our center console area looks really nice, but it’s so shallow and it’s so small. I don’t think this is the worst thing in the world, though, because at least in my center consoles in my cars, I use them to put stuff that I don’t really use that much and they just collect stuff that they shouldn’t have in them anyway. Now, let’s move to interior controls. Obviously, our biggest control is going to be this central touchcreen. And that’s very common in a lot of Volvo and Polestar cars right now. You have a central touchcreen and it has a UI that controls the rest of the car. And say what you want about central touchcreens, the UI in Volvo and Polestar vehicles is very good. It’s fast. It’s intuitive. It’s straightforward. It is very, very easy to work. And although we don’t have physical climate controls, which is unfortunate because I love physical climate controls, they’re so easy to access. They have a permanent bar down at the bottom of the screen and it’s easy to work and it’s so fast. So although I am generally not a big fan of tablets, this one works really, really well. Also, even though there’s no physical climate controls, you do have a physical volume knob, which is the best because if you take away my volume knob, that’s not fair because everyone deserves to be able to crank the volume in their car. When I’m in the driver’s seat, I have a ton of adjustability on my lower leg support, which I love because I love to put that as high as possible, and you can get it pretty high in this vehicle. Also, up front, we have our typical cigarette lighter plugin. We have two USBC’s in the center console and then the back seat passengers get two USBC ports on the back of this center console area. However, the backseat passengers, I was very surprised to learn, do not have their own climate controls. They cannot decide their own climate. They have some vents back there and they have seat heaters, but they are stuck with whatever the front passengers are doing. It’s not the worst thing in the world cuz it’s not the biggest car in the world, but for $80,000, I would expect them to have their own physical climate controls back there. And the last thing I want to mention about the controls in this Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid is that oddly, when you’re using the cruise control feature and you’re trying to adjust it up and down, it goes in increments of five. And I love using cruise control and I love adjusting it. However, I like to adjust it in increments of one or two, not five. Now, if you adjust your speed and then reset it, you’re totally fine. It will adjust to a non5 or zero number, but I would just love to be able to do it in increments of one because that’s what I do and that’s what I’m used to and I think a lot of people are like that. Now, it’s time to talk about how this Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid drives. And I do want to say we’ve only had this car for a couple of hours. It’s a very quick loan and a lot of it has been highway driving. So, we’re not going to get as deep as we usually do about driving. dynamics, but I will tell you about the basics. And the basic that I want to start out with is the accelerator feel. It is oddly light and you experience that a lot, I think, in Volvos and Polestars. You have that light accelerator feeling, and I prefer it to be a little bit heavier. However, you get adjusted to it so quickly that it’s not that big of a deal. The acceleration itself in this XC60 plug-in hybrid rocks. When you are driving around town, there is a lot of emphasis, especially when you’re in that hybrid normal driving mode. There’s a lot of emphasis on the electric power. And so, you have that very smooth, powerful, elasticy feeling on takeoff. And you don’t have the grunt of a gas engine on takeoff. It feels very luxurious, very fancy. And I just really like that when we have these plug-in hybrids and some normal hybrids, we are able to have that elasticy takeoff feel sometimes at low speeds, sometimes at higher speeds because it does feel so refined. One of the first things I noticed when I got in this vehicle was how nice the suspension was. We were going over speed bumps and it was like they were barely there and we were just like, “Wow.” Then we saw the Monrroni and we saw that it had air suspension and we saw the air tanks and we went, “Duh, it has really, really nice air suspension. So, when you’re driving this around, it will feel so good.” This XC60 plug-in hybrid does not have a ton of road noise, but you do have a little bit of wind noise and it kind of washes over you like a wave, so it’s not really distracting and it’s not unpleasant to hear. Also, this vehicle is so quiet when you’re in that electric hybrid mode and it’s using a lot of that electric power. However, you can hear when the gas motor kicks on around town and it is a little loud, but when you’re on the highway, you’re totally good. In addition to not having too much noise from that gas motor on the highway, you have a really good lane centering assist system. And I love using lane centering because the car is able to put in minor steering inputs to keep you in between the lines on the road. I find that a lot of people don’t use it as much as I do, but I think it’s a great system. The one thing I will say about this XC60 plug-in hybrid is that it does not have a capacitive wheel. And basically when you have a lane centering and adaptive cruise control system, the car needs you to remind it that you are paying attention both by where your eyes look and by having your hands on the wheel. And usually cars sense that by adding torque to the wheel. So I will just put a little bit of torque into the wheel cuz I’m holding it. However, more and more cars are using capacitive wheels where all I have to do is rest my hand on the wheel. That is so nice. It’s such a good feature and you’re seeing it in luxury cars and some normal cars like the Toyota RAV 4. This does not have a capacitive wheel and I do think at $80,000, a capacitive wheel is something that I would look for as kind of a necessity if I was going to spend that. A few stats to know when you’re driving this Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid is that on gas alone, you will get 28 mp gallon combined. On gas and electric, you will get 63 MPG when you are using that electric capacity to its full extent. And you can have 560 miles of range on this vehicle. I think that’s the beauty of hybrids is having those long ranges where you don’t have to constantly stop for gas. And 560 mi of range is very good in my opinion. Volvo also says that this XC60 plug-in hybrid has 35 mi of electric only range. That means if you fill the battery up, you are good for 35 miles driving in electric mode. However, when we got in the vehicle earlier today, it had 38 miles of electric only range. And a lot of people, the average American, their commute to work is 40 miles round trip. So, you would be pretty good on a 35 mile electric only range to go home, charge your car, and get back out. And the last thing I want to note about driving this Volvo XC60 Hybrid is that the turn signals, oh, they sound so crispy and they feel so crispy when you hit them. They have a nice thump to them. Oh, it is very, very rewarding. And overall, this Volvo XC60 is really nice to drive. And it may not be timeless because I don’t think really most cars are timeless, but I think it will be extremely tasteful and it will look luxurious for many years to come. And that’s the idea. I think that’s why we’ve been able to have these longer generations of XC60 and they have still become Volvo’s bestselling vehicle because they do a great job of communicating luxury as the years go on. And that is a really good goal and a really good thing to do. Now that we’ve driven the 2026 Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid, it’s time to give it a grade. Welcome to Atlantis’s report card. The exterior on this car gets an A minus. It looks really nice. It’s not the newest and flashiest thing in the world, but it does what it’s supposed to do, and it does it well. The interior is the same. It’s also an A minus. It looks really, really nice in there. I’m only taking a few points off because I do think a lot of people will not love the fact that most of the controls are in the touchscreen, even if it’s still really good. The performance is an A minus. Again, I say that because the plug-in hybrid is fantastic. The auto hold at the brake allows you to take your foot off the brake at a stoplight. It is a great driving experience. It’s only an A minus because it’s not really a driver’s car. The value is unfortunately a C. And I say this is unfortunate, but it’s not really. This isn’t supposed to be a value proposition. It’s a luxury vehicle. And when you have a luxury vehicle, you’re not going to get a bargain on it. So, it’s okay that it’s not the best value because that is not the goal. Would I take this XC60 hybrid on a road trip? Yes, I would. It is absolutely lovely to drive. And that hybrid means you’re not stopping for gas all the time. And overall, this gets a B+. The only reason it’s brought into the bees is because we account for value in our report card, but it is a good vehicle. [Music] It’s hard to find much fault with the Volvo XC60. It packs the Volvo reputation into a respectable shell, making it a safe and classy choice for those with enough budget to consider it. The Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid is tame. It’s refined. It has those minimalist luxury tones like beige and brown. Its goal is to represent luxury for years to come. And if we look at the second generation alone, it’s already done that. [Music]
Let’s test drive and review the 2026 Volvo XC60 Ultra Plug-In Hybrid! And thanks to @homefieldapparel for sponsoring this video!
The Volvo XC60 has been around since 2008, when it debuted as a mid-size SUV to capitalize on the growing trend of shoppers opting for crossovers and SUVs. This is only the second generation of the XC60, which debuted in 2018, but it’s gone through a few facelifts over the past 17 years to stay current.
Earlier this year, Volvo announced that it’s sold 2.7 million XC60s, meaning it passed the iconic Volvo 240 for Volvo’s best-selling vehicle ever. The XC60 also just got a refresh for the 2026 model year. The exterior looks nicer and newer than the 2025 model, but unless you really stare, it’s hard to pinpoint why.
The grille went from a horizontal slat styling to this diagonal layout that looks almost like a wrap dress, and to me, these headlights stretch to more of a point, making them look less flat and more like they’re in motion.
Inside, the big change on the 2026 XC60 is the new infotainment system. The touchscreen has gone from 9 inches to 11.2, and Volvo says both the display and responsiveness of the system are better.
And you may say that you’re fatigued of big tablets in vehicles, but in a way, when you look at the 2025 and 2026 models back to back, the 2026 big tablet looks more modern than the 2025 dashboard that hugs the edges of the screen, because that’s the era we’re in.
Volvo offers the XC60 in two main configurations: a mild hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. This is the plug-in, which Volvo calls the T8. (The other is called a B5.) It has a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor that powers the rear wheels for an all-wheel-drive layout. The combined power output is 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque, and this has an 8-speed automatic transmission.
In terms of cost, the Volvo XC60 mild hybrid starts at $49,700 USD, and the Plug-In Hybrid starts at $61,150. This edition is the Ultra, which starts at $71,000. That, plus a few optional add-ons, brings it to $79,395.
In this video, we’ll talk about all kinds of things: interior (the black and tan looks lovely together); exterior; acceleration and on-road performance; how the XC60 rides; models and price structure; fuel mileage; quirks with the cruise control that I found during the drive; electric range; and more.
Thanks to Volvo for the loan, and for bringing us to LA to celebrate Volvo’s 70th anniversary in the United States. We saw and drove all kinds of cars, from Polestar-engineered versions to R-Design models.
Thanks for watching my YouTube channel. Enjoy the drive (and the video)!
#cars #automotive #carreview #carreviews #alanisking
FOLLOW ME:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alanisnking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanisnking/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@alanisnking
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alanisnking.bsky.social
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alanisnking
Website: alanisnking.com
USE PARTNER CODE ALANIS20 FOR 20% OFF TONS OF XPEL CAR-CARE PRODUCTS:
https://www.xpel.com/shop/c/care-detailing
USE PARTNER CODE ALANIS20 FOR 20% OFF YOUR HOMEFIELD APPAREL ORDER:
https://www.homefieldapparel.com/
USE PARTNER CODE ALANIS FOR 15% OFF YOUR APEX COFFEE ORDER:
https://www.apexcoffeeroasters.com
CHECK OUT MY SHORTS CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/@AlanisKingShorts/shorts
WORK WITH ME:
workwithalanis@gmail.com
