The EX60 is
Volvo's most radical and forward-thinking attempt at an electric vehicle yet.
We headed into the wilds of Scandinavia for an early peek at what makes this
car unique.
2027
Volvo EX60 Ride: Processor-Powered Family SUV
At a time
when many legacy manufacturers are reexamining their EV strategies, Volvo is
going all in on its most advanced electric yet.
By its name
alone, you can draw the reasonable (and correct) conclusion that the
Volvo EX60 is the electric kissin' cousin
to the company's bestselling XC60, just as the EX90 fills that role alongside the XC90. However, there's more than meets the eye
here. The EX60 is Volvo's most radical and forward-thinking attempt at an
electric vehicle yet. We headed into the wilds of Scandinavia for an early peek
at what makes this car unique.
Facts,
Figures, and Lots of Sensors
Hard data
is often hard to come by on very early drive programs, but Volvo did supply
some numbers—and good ones, at that. Three powertrains will be available, each
connected to a battery of unique capacity. The rear-wheel-drive P6 packs 369
horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, and its battery has 80 kWh of usable
capacity. The all-wheel-drive P10 makes 503 ponies and 524 pound-feet with a
91-kWh battery. At the top, the P12 checks in with 670 horsepower, 583
pound-feet, and 112 kWh. All are limited to a top speed of 112 mph.
For Sale
Near Yo
Volvo
estimates that the EX60 will offer a range of 400 miles in the P12
configuration with the smallest available wheels (20-inchers). The lowest range
in the lineup comes from the P6 equipped with 22-inch wheels, an estimated 290
miles. The P12's maximum charging rate of 370 kilowatts translates to adding
173 miles of range in just 10 minutes at a 400-kW charger. The EX60 is potent
for a five-passenger compact SUV too, with Volvo estimating a 3.8-second sprint
to 60 mph in the fastest guise.
The EX60
isn't just a carbon copy of the XC60's footprint, either; the EX60's wheelbase
dwarfs the current XC60's by 4.1 inches, and the EX60 is 3.7 inches longer
overall. The new EV is designed and built in Sweden and will arrive stateside
with a NACS (a.k.a. Tesla) charge port. Properly equipped, it can tow up to
4500 pounds, which is 1000 pounds more than its gas-fed counterpart.
More on the EX60
But we have
to dig even deeper to figure out what makes this such an audacious vehicle for
Volvo. The EX60 serves as a host body for Volvo's SPA3 electrical architecture,
a rolling proving ground for a digital nervous system that's designed to
improve overall safety, a load-bearing component of Volvo's business for
decades. Only now, this happens by way of a legion of sensors and driver aids
all bolted to Nvidia Drive AGX Orin hardware, which handles the background
decision-making. The company has also started in-housing software development,
which reduces complications from working with one-size-fits-most suppliers.
Volvo learned many lessons from the EX90, a vehicle the company admitted was
"painful" to build from scratch. There seems to be less wincing this
time around.
Swedish
Style and Cross-Country Flair
While the
technical bits are impressive on their own merit, all of that work is pointless
if the tactile part of the vehicle equation fails to deliver. Aerodynamics
plays a major role in efficiency, and the EX60 proves quite the slippery SUV
with a 0.26 coefficient of drag. Its rakish roofline isn't the only trick in
the book here; consider the stylish "wing grip" door handles, which
Volvo says boost range by two to three miles when compared with traditional
door handles. The underside is covered in flat panels, with both the rear
spoiler and lower rear air dam helping manage airflow at the stern.
Given the
current consumer climate, an EX60 Cross Country variant is essential to the EX60 game
plan. That piece lands on the board in 2027 as a '28 model, promising both
standard all-wheel drive and air springs that provide a 0.8-inch lift. (It can
raise or lower by an additional 0.8 inch, as well.) All the usual rugged
elements are employed, including a wider track, extended fender flares, and
stainless-steel garnishes.
The EX60's
interior is a textbook example of polished restraint, following the lead set by
other electric Volvos. A curved 15.1-inch OLED display uses Google software and
the Gemini AI voice assistant. A quick interaction with an early, unfinished
build of the technology revealed a far more human experience with no need to
speak slowly or over-enunciate to ensure proper communication.
The
software also integrates seamlessly with your current Google account for a
giant—and hopefully glitch-free—step into this brave new world. A simple
sentence can send a route to the embedded navigation, a text to a contact, and
a recipe and shopping list to the Google account on your phone. Retroactive
Google Gemini updates will be available for 2021 and newer Volvo models via a
free over-the-air update.
Also of
note is the Dolby Atmos–capable 28-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system.
While the history of consumer audio is rife with gimmicky new formats that
failed to live up to their sensationalistic branding, Dolby Atmos delivers a
truly impressive and immersive audio experience with enough undeniable aural
gravitas to silence the critics. We first experienced it in our long-term Lucid Air, and this encore performance
solidifies our belief in the format.
Goes
Like Hällered
It'd be
pretty lame if we went all the way to Volvo's Hällered proving ground just to
look at this thing. Thankfully, we were able to be driven around the wilds of
Sweden too. Our time riding shotgun reveals a tight suspension; impacts are
firm-ish but well controlled, with zero impact echoes through the chassis.
Abrupt high-speed lane changes fail to upset the chassis—after all, you never
know when you'll have to juke a moose at 75 mph. The suspension offers three
firmness levels, which can be adjusted independently of steering weight and throttle
response. ZF supplied the adaptive dampers, but Volvo wrote the software.
Interior
noise levels are low, and noise, vibration, and harshness are nicely
attenuated. There are a few reasons for this: The battery case is now
structural, the body features a large megacast component, and there are
hydraulic bushings throughout the chassis.
Considering
how much went into the EX60, it's clear that Volvo remains undisturbed by the
current wave of EV uncertainty washing over the U.S landscape. The EX60 should
arrive at dealerships later this year, and while pricing is not fully
confirmed, the automaker claims the base price will hover around the $60,000
mark with the entry-level P6 powertrain. While we have yet to sit at the helm,
our brief time as a passenger has us excited for what's to come.
Source: Caranddriver.
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