Volvo XC60 goes under the knife

Entering its fourth year of production this year, Volvo has given the XC60 a subtle makeover in a way similar to the XC90 two years ago.

Visually, the XC60 gains a redesigned front bumper and grille, new alloy wheel options and a selection of new, albeit undisclosed colour options.

More prominent are the changes inside, consisting of a new leather-free upholstery option, the City Weave textile that debuted on the long since discontinued V40 Cross Country and upgrading of the Advanced Driver Assistance System.

Like the C40 Recharge unveiled earlier this month, the XC60’s Sensus Connect infotainment system has been revised to feature the latest Android operating system as part of Volvo’s partnership with Google.

Facelift Volvo XC60 rear view.

The centre piece of the system is a new Digital Service package which Volvo claims “offers hands-free help with Google Assistant, best-in-class navigation through Google Maps and a broad offer of native in-car apps via Google Play”. The system will be rolled out in other models over the coming months.

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Surprisingly, no technical details were divulged, suggesting that the XC60 will continue with the current line-up of petrol, diesel and hybrid power units ranging from the electrified 145 kW B4 petrol to the 235 kW plug-in hybrid T8.

With the marque’s announcement it will focus solely on electric cars after 2030, chances are the next generation XC60 will become such a model, although nothing about it, or even a launch date, is known at present.

Locally, the line-up does without electrical assistance like on the Old Continent, but expect this to possibly change in due course following the brand’s announcement this week that it will be bringing the all-electric XC40 Recharge to market from August.

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