2014 Volvo XC60 Consumer Reviews
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
This car is an exhibit in practicality, safety, luxury and speed! Gorgeous interior, sound system amazing. Honestly, I realized the true value of this car when a few days after my purchase, I drove about 750 miles in horrific storms. It was raining sideways, visibility was very low and there was flooding on I-95. This car handled the road so securely as cars slid off to the side in droves. While it is beautiful, nothing compares to the feeling of confidence developed when a vehicle is truly tested in dangerous conditions and performs well beyond expectations. Don't think twice, by the way, insurance companies LOVE this car and you see it in your rates.
VS
Critical Review
I bought my XC60 T5 AWD Platinum in October 2015. I'm a former Audi A4 Quattro standard driver (from their late '90s Golden Age) looking to trade up to a more fun ride than I got in my Lexus RX 350 yet with good safety features since I have kids. After test driving all the major luxury models and the top-rated competitors, I drove a Volvo and was hooked. The ride was tight, the handling precise, and the responsiveness was stellar. Add in the great safety options and life is good, right? Wrong. The first thing I noted about the car is that the gas mileage is considerably lower than advertised. I opted for the T5 rather than the T6 for fuel economy and regardless am getting a combined highway and city of a lowly 14.7 MPG, significantly less than the MPH Volvo advertises of 19/26. The real killer however is the ridiculously poor voice recognition. I have worked in the voice and telephony industry and cannot understand how Volvo would have put such a sub-standard product into their cars. Having driven many cars with voice recognition, including my Lexus and the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid that I traded in, I was shocked at how badly Volvo's product performs. While it seems to do OK with navigation commands, it is completely flustered with certain names, does not hang up calls and instead leaves them open (especially inconvenient and costly when making international calls), and takes a long time for data to load, giving the user a "phonebook is empty" response. I run my own business and make a lot of calls while on the road. It is staggering to me that Volvo would have put a voice product in their pricey luxury cars that is clearly deeply flawed and performs more like a high school science project than one that is prime-time ready. After trying to unsuccessfully resolve this issue with Volvo, even tapping their North American President's office for help, I'll be looking to trade in my Volvo and looking at other brands. It's a pity because the car is a sweet drive, but the voice recognition issues are a brand killer.
2014 XC60 Reviews
Showing 8 of 119 reviews.
We have been very happy with our 2015.5 XC60 with the turbo 4 cylinder engine. The ride is very nice, and acceleration is more than adequate for highway merging and passing. I think it looks great (although I like the newer ones more). We did have a oil consumption problem after 50K miles but Volvo had a recall and fixed it no problem. Was sad back to happy. Still think its a good vehicle.
Read some of the lower rated reviews! This car has all of those problems. Worse... Volvo knows and continues(ed) to sell them to consumers. From 2nd to 3rd gear there is a lull in the engine. The GPS is horrible as well. No touch screen, and it's a turn knob (where you have to find the alphabet and spell out the street). Now to the real issues: the engine itself! If the car starts asking for oil, sell it. There is a serious and very expensive issue with the intake/exhaust and piston coils. They have gone bad or are going and the excessive oil consumption is because the oil is spilling into engine components. Again, Volvo is aware of the issue and they will tell you to 1) just keep putting oil in it, 2) change your oil pump, etc. until the issue hits you driving somewhere and the car has 'reduced engine performance' where it will only go about 30 miles an hour. The fix for this STARTS AT $8,000 unless you would like them to replace the engine (that starts at $15,000). Even after you get it fixed no guarantee that the car will not have more problems in the future. I say go elsewhere for luxury! And if you own one, get rid of it now. Even after getting my car serviced every 10,000 miles as they have recommended at certified Volvo dealerships, they still will not own up to the fact that they were aware of the problem, never shared that with me, and now won't fix my car.
Very smooth driving. hardly feel the bumps in the road. In good shape. a nice car. Good tires and paint. No dents in the body.
I have owned Volvos since 2002. I have had S60's, XC-90 and now this XC-60. Reliable and solid cars. The only issue is the cost of maintenance at the Volvo dealers and new pricing since they change ownership. Having said that, if the car is properly maintained, there won't be a need for such expense. I also taught all my children to drive in volvos. That was their first car. Used S60 or 750 models.
Plenty of power, good fuel economy, solid ride.
Some weird controls
I bought this car used in 2018 for $10,000 from a private party. I use it as a tow vehicle for our 2950 lb (dry weight) Jayco Hummingbird 17FD travel trailer. We use a Reese Pro series weight distributing hitch with anti-sway bar and electric brake controller. Never a sway problem even on interstates with big trucks around. The turbo 6 cylinder XC60 has plenty of power to accelerate promptly and climb Colorado mountains, all the while consistently giving 14.1 mpg on regular gas (Colorado's 85 octane) without knocking. Without the trailer I average 25.0. (It improved from 22.0 after I changed the mass air flow meter.) The car is comfortable on long trips, the leather seats are very nice. There is plenty of space in back for all our stuff, and three can sit in back for a while with good legroom. The dash controls are a bit weird and require some reading the owner's manual, but nothing bad. I've had to have the full driveshaft rebuilt, one wheel bearing replaced, the power steering hose assembly replaced, and of course the brakes. The spark plugs, battery, oil filter and air filter are so easy to replace by myself: they're all on top!
Good Sounding Engine, Fun to Drive, and Safe.
Engine is Underpowered with the 3.2 FWD Trim.
We purchased the car back in 2012, and it is the best car we've purchased. Our XC60 is finished in Ice White paired with Segin 17 Inch Alloy Wheels and a matching Sandstone Beige Textile "Leatherette" Interior inside. Despite opting for a base model, it does have some excellent features such as Dual Zone Climate Control, Volvo's City Safety, a good Sound System, and a very cozy and welcoming Interior. I also think it lacks a few features at the base model, such as maybe a standard Backup Camera, Power Folding Mirrors, Power Liftgate, Power Passenger Seat, and even Automatic Headlights. Because our car is old, some things have worn down a little. Like the driver's interior door handle is loose, and our seat folding latch is missing as well. But overall, I do recommend this vehicle to those who are thinking of buying a used vehicle and aren't sure what to buy.
Most comfortable seats of any car I've had
The digital speedometer gauge displays kilometers
In 10 years I've only had to replace the AC compressor and one AC hose. Other than TBA, this $39,000 car has cost me nothing. At 91,000 it still acts and feels like a new car. Friends cannot believe how this car looks and drives. And with the turbo, I can accelerate just like many of the EV cars of today. This is my 2nd Volvo and you can bet I'm buying another one.
None
Wonderful car to drive and be driven in! I always bring in for scheduled Volvo tuneups Long and short distance trips are a delight in this well handling car
