The entire Volvo 90-series, was a leap Volvo has never made before.
Compared with the previous generations of S80 and V70, the XC90, V90 and the S90.
And now, the brand new Volvo XC60 is on the same SPA-platform.
So the question is, can it make the same leap as the 90-series?
To find out, I've put one of the most important competitors next to it;
the faithful and successful Audi Q5.
First of all; some objective things.
Space in the back for example. Right now, I'm behind myself.
You can see there's lots of legroom, my feet fit beneath the seat nicely, even though it's in the lowest position,
the headroom then... It's got a panoramic roof, so it's a little bit compromised,
but my hair doesn't even touch the roof here. You'll be alright back here.
The seat itself is alright as well. It could be a little deeper,
but it's nothing to complain about. The finishing in the back is also very neat.
It's often not as good in the front, so it's interesting to see that Volvo thinks it's just as important.
You've got your own climate control in the back, just like heated seats.
You'll be alright back here.
So what's it like in the Audi? Again, I'm behind myself.
Let's see. Headroom; a little less than the Volvo.
This has got a panoramic roof as well, but I'm still alright.
Legroom is fine. Volvo is a tad more spacious, but I can fit my feet beneath the seat here as well.
The seat seems to be a little shorter, so there's less leg support.
On the other hand, there's more sideways support, and that's pretty nice if you're back here.
If you corner, you won't slide across the seat.
So I'm more comfortable on this seat than in the Volvo.
The finishing is better in the Volvo. The doors in here are alright,
but it has a simpler look to it.. The XC60 has a better appearance overall.
Then, a look at the boot. When the car was introduced, I noticed it had a high floor.
The sill isn't, but the whole loading floor is, and that takes up space.
The numbers say it can hold 505 litres, but if you fold down the seats,
with these two easy buttons, you go to 1432 litres.
That's a lot, but nothing spectacular.
Beneath the floor we only find a spare wheel and no other compartments.
I can already tell you, Audi has done it better.
In the Audi, the boot is shaped as a square.
That means more space on paper; 550 litres.
If you put down the rear seats, which can be done by levers instead of buttons,
the luggage space increases to 1550. That's noticably more than the Volvo.
So that's a point for the Audi. If we look beneath the net and the floor,
we also only find a spare wheel. Nothing else.
Today we've chosen for petrol version. In the case of this Volvo,
it means I'm driving the XC60 T5, with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing a little more than 250 horsepower.
That's sufficient for a car like this. The engine is very smooth,
there's enough torque. It works seemlessly with the 8-speed automatic gearbox Volvo connected to it.
It isn't a fast, exciting gearbox, but it's smooth and you won't be annoyed by the speed it changes gear.
It really fits the tune of the car. A very comfortable tune.
Volvo clearly aimed at comfort in this segment. Mercedes is also present there, with the GLC.
Audi isn't as present though. Volvo has not just managed to get in there,
because I think it's a relaxed and comfortable car, and that's more important in a SUV than in a saloon or station wagon,
but the car is sturdy as well. It doesn't feel weak, and I think that absolutely is the biggest improvement to its predecessor.
That one was comfortable as well, but it sometimes heaved to much,
it felt like it almost went, but that isn't the case in here.
I'll have to admit; this very car, and the diesel which I drove when it was introduced,
are fitted with air suspension. That keeps the whole lot in place even better than a conventional suspension.
So how that drives, is something you'll find out later on.
If we look at the finishing in the interior, we can see they've tried to copy the XC90.
The famous multimedia system in the middle. Personally, I don't like a vertical screen,
and I don't like a touchscreen. But if there's one brand which does it properly, maybe together with Tesla,
it's Volvo. It's very quick, it's very clear,
there are big buttons, so you won't be fooling around.
Also, it reacts very quickly to your fingers. And that's important.
Nowadays you want the satnav screens to react as quick as your smartphone.
You don't want to wait for three seconds after you push the button, that is unacceptable today.
The rest is also neatly finished. The digital screen is very nice,
you can change settings and you've got a map in the middle. I've got a nice HUD in front of me, and look at the materials.
This wood for example. It isn't particularly Dutch to like wood,
but Volvo does it in a way it doesn't look posh, but very sophisticated.
And that's a big step for Volvo as well. We've never seen that before.
This model is quite loaded with options. We'll discuss the price later, but the features are really useful.
There's a winter package with heated seats, heated steering wheel...
You have safety features with semi-autonomous driving. If I turn on cruise control,
and I can sit back. It's got pilot assist as well,
so you'll stay between the lines. If you want, you can wave to everyone around you.
After 30 seconds however, Volvo warns you to put your hands on the wheel,
otherwise the pilot will be turned off. That's a choice rather than a technical flaw,
and with that, Volvo is more advanced than the Audi I've brought with me.
The power gap between these cars is very small. Right now we're driving the 2.0-litre TFSI Quattro,
with S-tronic automatic gearbox. It's a turbocharged 2.0-litre producing 252 horsepower,
two full horses less than the Volvo. Of course, you don't notice that at all.
I'll have to admit, the engine is a little bit smoother than the 2.0-litre turbo in the Volvo.
The TFSI really delivers, whatever the rev count may be.
However, the S-Tronic gearbox isn't really great. It's the tuning choice from Audi...
I've said this before. It feels like the throttle is way too heavy.
You have to use a lot of throttle if you want it to shift back.
I tend to engage Sports-mode to get it to shift down, that way you'll get more torque.
You just have to put your foot too far down to get it to go.
And that's too bad, because it's a choice. It has nothing to do with the technique.
Then, the drive. This car has air suspension as well,
and I find it difficult to position Audi. Peugeot has the same problem in the C-segment;
Because they aren't incredibly comfortable, but they aren't very dynamic either.
It really is inbetween.
It isn't a bad car, but it's a good 'middle of the road'-car.
And that's always the case with an Audi. It's always difficult to define the way an Audi drives,
it isn't distinctive. It's without character really,
and I think that's the most important difference in this segment, especially if you put the Volvo next to it,
which does offer a personality.
Audi doesn't excel in anything, but it's all good.
I always think "Truth in Engineering" is a strange slogan for Audi, because they tend to fall a tad behind.
But still they deliver good and complete cars, and this Q5 isn't any different.
The biggest disadvantage in here is definitely the steering, because it tends to get heavier when you corner,
so you never get a natural feeling. I don't really understand why they do that.
Also, the balance is a little off. The engine is a little too far in the front, if you want to drive it dynamically.
On the other hand, I'm not very annoyed by it in a SUV like this,
it would be a bigger problem in a sportier Audi A5.
If we take a look at the quality... I mean it's a matter of taste,
but it absolutely looks amazing. Just look at the middle console.
It's wide, it's got an automatic touchscreen for the MMI, or these buttons for the airconditioning.
You'll just have to touch it and it'll know what you're going to do, even before you press the button.
The aluminium... It really looks great.
It's a tad dark, but it's still a matter of taste.
You might want to choose a lighter color for the dashboard, or a lighter color for the seats or something.
Then, the multimedia system. If I'm honest,
the combination between touchscreen and buttons is the best. In here, we don't find a touchscreen though.
Only a MMI is available. If you're driving however, a touchscreen would be better,
because your finger moves with the car. It gives you more control.
It's all top of the bill, right up there with the Volvo.
Also right in front of you; a nice digital screen.
If you want you can enlarge the dials, or you can make them small again.
You'll get a big screen in front of you. If you switch to the satnav,
a big map will appear in front of you. Beautiful.
Everything is on here. If you fully load your Audi,
you get a car which you don't want to drive to the south of France, but to the south of Spain.
It's that complete. However...
Previously, even though the Volvo had more personality, the previous XC60 was no exception, but it didn't have the refinement the Audi had.
And that was the reason why Volvo always was inbetween the normal and premium segments.
But if you ask me today, they've jumped to premium with the new XC60.
They can now officially compete with the Germans. Audi, Mercedes and BMW.
But above all that; Volvo still has that personality and Audi hasn't.
So that leaves us with one question unanswered; the pricing.
Previously, Volvo always trumped the big Germans when it came to that.
So let's move to the conclusion. When it comes to driving; they don't really differ when it comes to quality.
Of course, the Volvo is a little bit more comfortable, and the Audi is a little more dynamic,
but that's according to taste, so it isn't better or worse or anything.
The drivetrains are almost similar, it's the same story with the finishing because they're almost alike.
On personality however, the Volvo takes the victory.
The Audi feels a little superficial. Also, the Volvo used to offer a lot of value for money.
So let's take a look. We'll start with the Audi, and as always, you might be in for a shock.
Let's see. It's a Q5 Launch Edition 2.0 TFSI.
It's got a lot of exterior options, a lot of interior options, a lot of safety options...
The Launch Edition starts at €74.000, but the way it stands here?
€96.186... Audi has really done their best.
So you might think that's it then, because the Volvo will be cheaper.
Think again. It's a Volvo XC60 T5 AWD,
the Geartronic Inscription. €66.415 as standard.
On this however, we have Business Spec,
Luxury Line, Versatility Line, Winter Line, some safety features,
air suspension a lot of other things. The price of all that? €91.030.
Delivery costs and such will set you back even more, so you'll be paying more than €92.000 for a Volvo XC60.
That's funny, because if you ask me Volvo has closed the gap to the premium Germans,
but they have closed the price gap as well, because for the new premium Volvo comes a new premium price.