Where many compact luxury SUVs have an heir of similarity in design, Volvo’s XC60 dances to the beat of a different drummer. The XC60 clearly takes inspiration from its larger XC90 big brother, a vehicle that basically re-wrote the Volvo design book. The XC60 defies SUV conventions and is a welcome departure from its long list of competitors. 

Volvo’s best-selling vehicle since its 2009 model-year launch, the XC60 accounts for nearly 30 percent of the automaker’s global sales.  Volvo

Beneath the skin, it can be had with one of four different engine configurations, though all are formed around a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder powertrain. Starting with the 250-horsepower turbocharged T5 engine, it grows to 316 horsepower when both a turbocharger and supercharger are at work on the T6 engine. Hybrids boost that to 400 horsepower for the T8 and to 415 for the Polestar performance-focused model.  All but the T5 come with all-wheel drive standard.

And though the Polestar scoots to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds according to Volvo, it comes at a very high price of $70,495. The Audi SQ5—one of its closest competitors—stickers for $53,895. All the XC60 models perform well when the throttle is buried, though we would skip the Polestar model if price is a consideration.

Selectable drive modes including Comfort, Dynamic (sporty), Eco (efficiency-focused), Individual (configurable) and Off-Road are standard. Though the ride motions of the XC60’s body over bumps is well-controlled, the suspension transmits too much harshness of the road through the steering wheel. The Polestar model puts a bigger premium on handling agility over top-level ride serenity, and for that reason, the occasional harsh impact can be excused.

Completely redesigned in 2017, the two-row XC60 is Volvo’s best selling models and accounts for nearly 30 percent of the automaker’s global sales.  Volvo 

Inside, the XC60 takes its cue from the larger XC90 and the results are elegant and pleasing. the seats are outstanding, and the cargo area offers meaningful storage space. Clear central instruments are flanked by genuine wood along the dash. Centered in the dash is Volvo’s Sensus Connect infotainment display. Looking akin to the vertically-oriented tablet in Tesla cars, the Sensus system looks great, though the menus are not always intuitive and take some getting used to.

Usually, when an automaker offers several levels of interior trim, the standard packages look and feel built-to-a-price. Not so in the XC60. Even though it has faux leather seating surfaces, the base “Momentum” interior trim is perfectly luxe and lacks nothing in feel. Despite the cargo area in back being of a decent size, it’s mid-pack against the competition and the XC60 could use more storage bins and small pockets upfront.

The XC60’s interior manages to be functional and comfortable while maintaining its unique design identity. Volvo

Volvo has earned a reputation as a builder of some of the safest cars on the road. The company actually pioneered the now-common three-point seat belt back in 1959. It was also the first company to set up an internal crash investigation unit to learn about real-world circumstances in accidents so that it could feed those findings into its car-designing operations. 

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety places the XC60 as a Top Safety Pick, giving it top ratings for all individual crashworthiness scores they test for. Every XC60 also comes with a standard suite of active safety features like forward-collision warning and lane-departure warning, though lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control are optional.

The Volvo XC60 T8 eAWD Polestar edition extracts 415 horsepower from its super- and turbocharged plug-in hybrid powertrain. Volvo

With high scores for safety, design, a generous helping of performance from the T6 and T8 drivetrains, plus fairly good fuel economy ratings, the XC60—like other new Volvos—is a fine alternative to standard menu in the luxury compact SUV class.