r/VolvoEX60

Is the EX60 a great car? Absolutely. Anyone buying one should be justly proud of what is one of the most accomplished cars on the road. However, and with a dash of remorse, I shall not be joining the ranks of buyers. Following my test drive here is why.

The car itself, in Ultra trim, is fantastic. Whisper quiet. Brilliant suspension. Incredible hifi. Fast. Great battery range. On the outside it looks great. Purposeful. Old money, especially in Forest Lake. So why aren't I getting one?

The simple answer is twofold. First, lets talk price. £65,555 may seem pricey but compared to rivals it sits rather well. What doesn't sit so well are the leasing figures.

Let's take 4 years, 8000 miles a year with a 6-month deposit on a business lease. Once all the VAT and tax implications are considered and factored in the nett cost per month comes in at 763.49 per month. That's Macan money (although I disliked the Macan on several fronts, even though I desperately wanted to like it).

Now, a fully loaded Polestar 4, with performance pack, leather interior and all the bells and whistles is £75,300. Near enough £10K more expensive. Yet on a like-for-like basis the lease is £656 per month. So more expensive car, but for a cheaper cost. £5,159.52 cheaper over the term. Not significant, but not to be ignored.

And here comes the crunch - the car didn't feel like an extra £5K of fun. It is the sensible choice granted and beats the P4 in many ways. However, it didn't give me the fizz.

The centre glove box, drinks holders and door pulls are all a bit fussy for this worshipper of design. It's all a bit gentlemen's drinking club that to go with the times has installed some Arne Jacobson Chair 7's amongst the wood paneling. Both are fine designs but slightly jarring.

When ensconcing myself in the P4 it feels modern and special. Like being in a spaceship with performance to match. It seems capable of the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. It would so in extreme comfort.

Yes, the range is a bit down, yes the hifi is marginally lacking and the suspension is just a little bit off the Volvo's. But, by jim, it's a good car and loaded seems insane value right now (weirdly the coupe is also cheaper than the new, cheaper P4 SUV). The performance pack makes it the best handling cars on the road imo. (Although I also have a Renault 5 which is the best small EV ever produced).

So, all the best to EX60 buyers. You have one fine car. But, for me, I guess I'm done here.

Earlier this year I deposited for a P10 Ultra -- Forest Lake with Cardamom interior. Naturally, I was excited to actually drive a car I put money toward sight unseen. I spent an hour with it today, including 40 min driving it, at Fields Volvo in Chicagoland (shout out to Raj there).

In sum, it's as great as it's portrayed to be in social media, here on Reddit, etc.

Pro:

• A serene driving experience. It really is insanely quiet.
• Ride quality is great at any of the 3 suspension settings.
• 500+ HP: a rocket unlike you'd ever expect a Volvo to be.
• It's not a Porsche, but it handled curves and corners well (mind you, I say this as a boring suburbanite).
• Great visibility from the driver's seat.
• Volvo makes the best seats, and that streak continues with this car. Also nice that the second row reclines a bit.
• The main big screen seemed very intuitive. I never had a problem figuring out where I needed to go to adjust things. Very responsive, too -- though from what I could tell, not iPad-level responsive. (I don't have much experience with the Tesla or Rivian versions.)
• The small driver's display is really nice. Its minimalistic design keeps only the most vital info in front of you -- including map and nav.
• B&W sound system is mind-blowingly good. I logged into my Apple Music account to experience Atmos tracks.
• Material quality is high.
• Panoramic sunroof dimming(?) did seem to help with sun (today was a very sunny day).
• Integrated boosters in the second row will be so helpful.
• Cargo storage in the back (plus the frunk) is plenty big. Additional under-trunk storage great to have, too.
• Those adaptive seatbelts are weird...even startling at first -- you buckle in, engage Drive mode, and they literally "hug" you. Yet further confidence that this car will keep you safe.
• 360 camera is solid.

Neutral:

• Steering wheel. Yes, it's small. No, it's not an issue. I forgot about its size after driving the car for a while. Having tactile buttons is nice, too (looking at you, cheap capacitive buttons on the new BMW iX3).
• The funky door handles are a non-issue.
• Wireless phone charger. I couldn't quite tell how to get it to engage with my iPhone 18 Pro (note that it's kinda deep under the screen, too). Tesla's version is seamless and clear in front of you; the Rivian R2's version even includes a MagSafe-type magnet to keep it in place (though in my test drive of the R2, the glare from the sun -- via the panoramic glass roof -- was super annoying given where Rivian decided to place it).

Con:

• Cabin storage kinda sucks. You have the middle glove box, which is nice. Would have been so much nicer to have had an actual glove box, plus that middle storage area. A lack of armrest storage is unfortunate, too -- and a distinct disadvantage vs Tesla or Rivian.
• Frunk is decently sized and I could see being nice to have -- except it requires an ugly manual opening inside on the driver's side, a la how you'd open a hood on many cars. Seems like a missed opportunity for it to be openable remotely.

For reference, I'm coming from a 2015 Lexus NX -- as solid a car as you'll ever find IMO. Recently test drove the Tesla YL (amazingly comfortable, powerful, versatile, high quality... but gotta vote with my wallet against you know who) and Rivian R2 (powerful and versatile, but with a busy ride, wind and some road noise, less comfortable seats, and lower-quality materials).

I'm sure I'm missing stuff. Feel free to comment and I'd be happy to chime in!

My dealer advises that I am looking at late January to late February for delivery in Ottawa. I’ll take that with a grain of salt, given the delays that everyone is speaking about. But it does seem that a run of Canadian spec units will be heading this way in the new year.

I took another test drive earlier this week and felt just as happy with the car as I was in early September. It’s a really nice piece of machinery.

Edit: I was told by the dealer today that October 15 will be my deadline for confirming any factory build parameters (i.e. trim, colour, upholstery, factory options). I’m going with the Plus, no more options other than mudflaps (I can’t believe that they are not standard - I remember having to add them on for my XC60 back in 2013).

Yesterday was the second time I was able to spend time looking at the EX60, showing the car to my brother to get his take on it.

It wasn’t a test drive as I have already had a two hour test drive a few weeks ago.

It was a visit to have a very close look at rather anodyne things like wheel well liners, rocker panel covers, weather seals, frunk trim fasteners, (stupid) piano black exterior trim items that will need PPF, how 3D winter floor mats will have to be modified to deal with a go pedal attached to the floor…just mundane things that only matter if someone lives in the snow/rust belt like I do.

I was examining the exterior lowest section of each of the four passenger doors; there seems to be adequate non-metallic based trim pieces that will protect the underlying exterior sheet metal from winter time sand/salt blasting from the front wheels.

However, with the passenger doors open, while examining the interior side of the edge of the bottom of the four passenger doors, all of the sheet metal is enclosed in the same plastic trim panel that is cladding the exterior of the lower portion of each door (sorry, didn’t think to take a picture of this at the time).

In other words, there is no base of the door sheet metal showing at all; it is all totally covered.

I could not identify any moisture weep passage holes in the very base of the plastic cladding that completely covers the door base sheet metal.

In other words: when it rains and the water gets inside the door, it should freely drain out the weep holes that everyone is familiar with on their own vehicles.

Can someone have a look at the base of an open passenger door and take a picture and post it, showing the weep/ drain holes please?

It sounds pedantic, but with winter snow and salty slush, I have to be satisfied that (unlike my 2018 TM3) the EX60 is not a ‘Faberge Egg’ when it comes to dealing with snow and salty slush.

And I get it that it’s “A Volvo that is designed and built in Sweden”. Cheers.