by Candy Chung
What’s Black Edition you ask? The XC60 Black edition has unique all-black design that adds bold character to the already good-looking Volvo mid-sized SUV. Black Edition is available across S60 and XC60. Standard for Black Edition is all-black 21” wheels, black grille and black badging. Does it look cool? Yes, I think so!
My tester was a plug-in hybrid that provides about 58km of pure electric range. Black edition or not, the engine choice is the same; it’s the powerful T8 AWD that produces 455 combined horsepower. It does 0-100km in just 4.8 seconds!
The Black edition, at the time of writing, is only available in the Ultimate trim level, which has a start price of $87,398, while the base trim level starts at $63,398. The Ultimate trim level gets the luxury features such as head-up display, in-car air purifier, 360-degree camera, authentic crystal gear shifter by Orrefors, nappa leather and panoramic sunroof.
The Volvo XC60 Recharge Black edition drives very fast; there is more than enough power. The air suspension works really great to absorb big bumps and also makes loading items into the trunk easier.
The interior craftmanship is top notch. It was hard to fault the interior but if I had to choose, I would say the leg room in the back isn’t particularly spacious. There is also a transmission tunnel that is quite high in the back. Comparing the XC60 to say Lexus NX, I think the Volvo edges above Lexus in the fit and finish department. The plastic in NX screams Toyota, but the Volve has all the touch points immaculately covered and nicely padded.
My tester was equipped with massage function for both driver and front passenger. This makes driving those long roundtrips that much more enjoyable. The interior space is acceptable, but may not be as spacious as some of the competitors.
In my real-world testing, the XC60 had a few rather strange issues. First, the audio keeps getting disconnected. Second, the rear traffic alert seems to be overly sensitive. Third, there was one occasion where the trunk closed on my head; I’m not sure if somehow I accidently pressed the button but I would have thought a Volvo vehicle would have safety measures put in place to prevent the trunk from hitting someone’s head.
The real-world pure EV range is about 40-50km but the overall fuel efficiency is significantly improved over combustion engines.
Check out the picture gallery below to see if the bold XC60 Recharge Black edition appeals to you.
