XC60 D5 - First 1000 miles mini review
 

I have had my XC60 for three weeks now and covered the first 1,000 miles over a mix of short commutes, trips to the airport and a couple of longer motorway runs. In that short time/distance I have started to form my impressions of the car...

Positives

Possibly the greatest surprise to me is the ride quality. My car is on the 17" rims which have quite tall tyres (235/65). Frankly, compared to my previous car (A Mercedes R280 Sport with 19" 255/50) the ride is a revelation. This car smoothes out road imperfections and glides over the surface.

The drivetrain (D5 205/Geartronic) is very impressive. The gearbox is responsive to the accelerator position and keenly changes down when required - without having the 'gear hunting' phenomenon that happens on some cars. For me, there seems ample power for normal give and take driving, and of course, if more urgency is required, there is always the 'S' mode - although I don't imagine that does much for fuel consumption. At this early stage I am not feeling the need for a Polestar upgrade..

In day to day driving the car is (of course) very comfortable. I found a nice range of adjustment in the steering wheel/seat and the lumbar support has made two hour drives (my longest uninterupted stint so far) no problem at all. Compared to the Merc, the visibility is also very good, good position of the 'A' pillars and a nice deep windscreen, together with excellent door mirrors.

Negatives / Niggles

In general the car is great, but there are a few things that could be improved..

I have noticed a couple of bits of trim which appear quite coarse for a car sold on its 'premium' status. Of particular note is the inside of the interior door pull (a place that gets touched each and every time you use the car). It is not a fault as such, but there are a couple of rough edges which I frequently notice. There are a few other places where it is clear the car has been built to strict cost targets. Hardly surprising really and not a big deal.

The way the central locking works is a bit irksome. If the car is set to lock automatically when you drive away, then the unlocking process is a bit over the top in my opinion.

The engine is quite noisy/agricultural on cold start up. This period quickly passes, but it is noticeable.

And that's about it so far. Of course, there are a few 'quirks' in the way things work (the phone does not pause the ipod, why do I need a light to tell me the rain sensor is on, why do I need that huge remote control thing, do I really need the start/stop button, why do I need to acknowledge the satnav warning (I know, it's ar$e covering), but none of this is a real problem to me.

Overall

Great car, looks excellent (to my eyes at least), goes well, is a better size for UK roads than the Merc (which is just too wide) and I am enjoying driving it.

I must admit I didn't buy the car for its fuel consumption, but so far it is averaging low-mid 30's (on the computer) and improving with each fill. Of course it is all relative, but compared with the 27 (computer) I got from the Merc, this makes quite a difference to the cost of each fill-up.

My car is quite a standard spec (SE Premium). Of the extras I added, I have the following views:

Front & Rear Park assist - a great benefit. Well worth the extra in my opinion, although I think it should be standard on cars at this price point.

Tinted Rear Glass - this is a vanity/cosmetic thing to me, although it does seem to keep the car cooler - for which my dog seems grateful. At first, the view through the rear-view mirror seemed very dark, although I quickly got used to that and no longer notice it at all. Of course, this is completely subjective, but personally, I think it improves the look of the car (but I would say that!).

Winter Pack (heated seats/headlight washers). So far, I have not needed these features. I have read about the 'wasted water' caused by the headlight washers, but thanks to this forum I already know which fuse to pull should I feel the need....... I'm sure the seat heaters will be of benefit come Autumn..

http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/g...IMG_1623xx.jpg

The ipod is paused on the podded system - I assume you are connecting through the USB? I checked this evening on the way home and it definitely does pause, cant think why they would lose this on the Sensus.

Down in the depths of the SatNav menu you should find an option that automatically acknowledges the warning which disappears after 15 secs and displays the SatNav screen which will pick up on the last journey, assuming that you have not completed it - this is really handy when you stop for fuel, etc.

i have this set too. warning goes off without me even realising it's been on.

The Sensus definitely doesn't pause the ipod - but the mute button does. V odd...

Hadn't spotted the auto ackowledge thing on the sat nav - but come to think of it I think mine does that!

Thanks. Yes, I have the auto acknowledge option set 'on', but it still annoys me a bit. Obviously it's not a real problem, but I think it just feels unneccesary...

However, it's that is my biggest complaint about the car, then I think it must be a pretty good result. :thumbs_up:

My wife's CR-V is the same, the sign of the litigious times I'm afraid.

Agreed, I'm hoping to get mine in the next week or so and I hope I have as few niggles :)

Very interesting review, many thanks :)