Volvo can’t really do menacing anymore. Persuasive, sure. Plausible, absolutely. For parent-pleasing safety concerns, there is probably none better. And it has nailed down Scandinavian-style luxury like the VIP deck of an Arctic cruise ship. But ever since it offloaded Polestar it hasn’t really been able to lean into the end of the market where buyers expect their cars to come with a bit of go-faster presence - be it real or implied. This is unfortunate from a business standpoint because for a mainstream manufacturer, the margins are never fatter than when you stick big wheels and the word ‘edition’ on something.
Welcome, then, to the XC60 Black Edition, a car that combines an exclusive Onyx Black finish with 21-inch alloy wheels. In black, obviously. As is the logo, the lettering, and the model emblem. ‘The all-black look gives the premium SUV additional sportiness and elegance’, reckons Volvo, with the disingenuous optimism of someone’s mum holding a sticking plaster to a gushing head wound. Granted, it has limited the option to the B5, T6 and T8, which means you can’t have a Black Edition with less than 250hp or without all-wheel drive, so no version is embarrassingly slow. But no example is going to stop you reminiscing about how bang-on the old V60 Polestar looked either.
Probably the nicest thing to say about the newcomer is that it does grow on you slightly over time. Obviously the wheels are a bit much on an XC60. They are roughly the equivalent of hearing a local councillor deliberately use the word ‘bling’ in a school assembly. But the XC60 has always been a solidly handsome crossover, and no fundamentally decent-looking car looks irredeemably bad in black - even when that black has been applied so liberally and totally that it seems, at first, like it’s trying too hard. Eventually, though, if you spend enough time walking toward it at sunset, the car comes full circle on you. Properly bad-ass it clearly isn’t. But it’s probably close enough for most XC60 buyers.
It helps that Volvo hasn’t wimped out on the inside. In the top-of-the-line Ultimate spec car we drove, the charcoal headliner dovetailed nicely with what seemed like wall-to-wall black leather (think Swedish Death Star) with just enough brushed aluminium and natural light (from a panoramic roof) to stop it seeming funereal. Of course, like the actual Death Star, the XC60’s layout now feels about three decades past its prime - but it’s still ergonomically sound, well-sized and thoughtfully arranged. There’s a good reason why people keep buying Volvo’s veteran SUV regardless of how many newer, funkier options become available. After six years on sale, it’s a proverbial pair of slippers. Black leather slippers, in this case.
For the most part, even in range-topping T8 format with 455hp to call upon, that’s how it drives. Like most senior plug-in hybrids - assuming you’ve remembered to disengage Volvo’s innovative (i.e. tedious) safety feature that deadens the throttle response as you approach the speed limit - the quickest XC60 is amenable to the point of genuinely plucky. On paper, Volvo says it’s capable of 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, and while that’s a bit like saying your nan could theoretically vault a farm gate given the right conditions, it is plenty brisk enough with all systems go. Predictably, though, you do tend to waft about on 227lb ft of electric-based torque (expect to get around 40 miles from the 18.8kWh battery) before the 310hp 2.0-litre four-pot gets stuck with all the heavy lifting.
This engine, you might remember, is the unit that Volvo treated to all kinds of forced induction (i.e. both of them) in the vague hope of making it seem bigger than it really is. That never really worked - it definitely always sounds like a four-pot, for one thing - although it never stopped the petrol motor from being a decent enough foil to the XC60 either, because the car is only content to be hustled up to a point anyway. Despite the presence of adaptive air springs, and the optional Polestar Engineered Optimisation software meant to get the best from them, the Black Edition is disinclined to hunker down like a definitively sporty version of its many German rivals would, or even seem particularly lively to steer. It doesn’t even get paddles shifters. Shock, horror: this means you drive it like a moderately fast SUV, not a 2.5-tonne hot hatch.
Whether or not you mind that difference probably depends on the extent that you’ve taken the Black Edition’s suggestive styling to heart. If, like us, you’re inclined to think of even the punchier T8 version as a geography teacher in a biker’s jacket, then the handling (which is basically well-sorted) and the performance (which is ample enough) is likely to fit the bill. Or at any rate you won’t be underwhelmed by it. On the other hand, if you’ve taken 455hp and the word ‘Edition’ to mean that you’re going to give X5 M owners a run for their money, then you might be asking where, precisely, your £70k went.
Probably that’s a valid question in either context. The XC60 is the exact opposite of a spring chicken, and even if you’re willing to look kindly on the paint job and the T8’s time-honoured way of doing things, there are other options available that don’t rely so heavily on palette choice as a game-changer. The Jaguar F-Pace 400 Sport springs to mind, a car with slightly less power for the same money - but also the handling nous to live up to its name. Still, if It really must be an XC60 - and short of it bonging incessantly about the speed limit or making you hunt around in sub menu for the sportier modes (always a sure sign that Volvo isn’t overly bothered with what they do) - then the Black Edition is as good as any. Better if you fancy turning up to play golf looking like Tony Soprano’s accountant. Just don’t whatever you do trade in a V60 Polestar for one.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 VOLVO XC60 T8 BLACK EDITION ULTIMATE
Engine: 1,969cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged, supercharged with electric motor
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 455 (combined); 310 (petrol); 145 (electric)
Torque (lb ft): 295 (petrol); 228 (electric)
0-62mph: 4.9 secs
Top speed: 112mph
Weight: 2,156kg
MPG: 256.5 (EV range: 47 miles)
CO2: 25-30g/km
Price: £69,385 (as tested £70,080)
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