There are two key talking points about the new all-electric Volvo EX60, which I’ve just been test driving at its international launch.
The first is the Swedish SUV’s claimed 500-mile plus range. The second is its ability to converse intelligently.
Indeed, the driving is the least contentious part of the mix; it’s all you’d expect of a £56,860 Volvo: safe, secure, comfortable, with some decent pace and handling.
On the tech side of things, Volvo says the EX60 is the first Volvo car with which customers can have ‘a true natural conversation’.
Powered by a welter of on-board tech and electronic ‘brains’, the conversational AI system – powered by Google Gemini Assistant – harnesses artificial intelligence to make your car smart enough to keep you company en route.
I put that to the test, in both English and German, in conversations ranging from Sir Keir Starmer’s woes to Vladimir Putin and frothy trivia. Scarily, it was like chatting with AI computer HAL 9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. We really are in a brave new world.
Intelligent: Ray Massey with the new Volvo EX60 that can chat as you drive
Volvo is now owned by Chinese car-giant Geely, and the new EX60 – designed in Sweden but built in China – is available initially in three versions: P6, P10, and P12.
The entry level, rear-wheel drive P6 has a 83kWh battery, and is powered by a 374hp (275kW) electric motor that propels it from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds with up to 385 miles of range. It is priced from £56,860. From £59,860, the more powerful P10 all-wheel drive (AWD) has a 95kWh battery, is powered by a 510hp (375kW) motor, accelerates from rest to 62mph in 4.6 seconds, and goes up to 410 miles. All models are limited to top speeds of 112mph.
Absent was the range-topping 680hp (500kW) P12 AWD, with a 117kWh battery pack which sprints from 0 to 62mph in 3.8 seconds, has a range of 503 miles and is priced from £64,860 to £70,360.
Two trim levels are available at launch – Plus or Ultra – with Core to follow. Order books are open now, with first UK customer deliveries of P6 and P10 AWD models from September, P12 AWD from January. I drove two versions of new EX60, both in Ultra: the P6 and P10 AWD priced at £62,360 and £65,360 respectively.
Riding on big 22in wheels, my EX60 blended great acceleration with a confident drive, proving long-legged on motorways and nimble as an Iberian ibex on twisty mountain roads.
Gripping tightly to the road on hairpin bends, it showed a tail-gating BMW driver a clean set of heels when I got fed up with his irritating behaviour.
With one-pedal driving, it proved just as adept, handling stop-start rush-hour driving in Barcelona, and was sufficiently agile to avoid disaster in the tightest multi-story car-park I’ve ever encountered.
A Cross Country off-road version of the EX60 will follow in 2027.
The entry level, rear-wheel drive P6 has a 83kWh battery, and is powered by a 374hp (275kW) electric motor that propels it from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds
Terrific in a tight squeeze
Popping to the scenic seaside resort of Sitges for a coffee, the new EX60 also demonstrated impeccable manners in the low-speed urban environment packed with pedestrians. I negotiate the tightest multi-story car park I’ve ever encountered. But, thanks to the pre-set mirrors, cameras and a warning alerts, I managed it without incident.
An even more intensive trial of its urban credentials came at rush-hour in heaving Barcelona when, with some real road-presence in a busy and frenetic streetscape where the ‘one-pedal driving’ and ambient braking mode came into its own.
I was able to pick a safe path though the traffic – crawling slowly when needed but putting on an instant lick of speed when needed to create some safe space. All the while the safety systems kicking in to warn of cars and bikes coming in from blind spots.
Riding on big 22in wheels, theEX60 blended great acceleration with a confident drive
CHAT Swedish style
The new EX60 is ‘the most intelligent Volvo to date’ capable of holding a realistic ‘lag-free’ chat.
We’re not talking here of basic voice control which has been around for a long time – but about a car that seems to have a mind of its own, can scan the web for data before responding in an instant, and is happy to chat with you if you get bored on a long journey.
Conversation was indeed interesting – with echoes of the intelligent and seemingly foolproof AI computer HAL 9000 from the groundbreaking 1969 Stanley Kubrik sci-fi movie ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.
In its honour I decided to call my own on board companion HAL 2026, rather than the generic ‘Hey Google’.
Being ever topical, I first asked my HAL 2026: ‘Who is Keir Starmer?’ After first admitting no knowledge of the Labour leader, it swiftly regained its mojo and there followed a passable enough exchange about the troubles facing his Labour government, their local elections disaster, and his chances for survival. (Not good).
I then had a conversation with my HAL in German: ‘What are the biggest challenges facing Western Europe?’
And he replied in the same language as we discussed Vladimir Putin. Astonishingly HAL can even differentiate between accents – like English, American and Australian.
Fortunately, unlike in the movie, at no point did my HAL 2026 tell me: ‘I’m sorry, Ray, I can’t do that.’
Nor thankfully, did it intervene to terminate me to protect its mission.
Swedish design
The minimalist lounge like interior features has a smart clutter-free dashboard, with a narrow screen in the line of sight showing key data like speed. I still have quibbles about too much emphasis on the screen when physical buttons would be less of a distraction – adjusting the mirrors is done via the touchscreen, as are the aircon settings.
Creative design twists include clever ‘Wing Grip’ door handles mounted on the top of the door near the window, and seen for the first time on a Volvo model.
The long ranger
Volvo says the EX60’s longer ranges mean should help eradicate the biggest customer concern for buying an electric car – because the EX60 matches the range of a petrol cars, charges as fast as an average pit-stop, and is priced as an equivalent PHEV (plug-in hybrid).
The Swedish SUV’s battery-power offering claimed maximum range of up to 503 miles is enough to get on one charge from London Perth in Scotland (450 miles), to Strasbourg in France (499 miles), Frankfurt in Germany (480 miles), or from the Channel port of Dover to Glasgow (490 miles).
That’s the longest range of any model from the Swedish car-maker and likely of any car on the market, potentially just pipping BMW’s rival iX3. It can add 211 miles of range in just 10 minutes while 19 minutes of charging using the fastest DC systems will take your battery from 10 to 80per cent.
The all-wheel drive powertrains are designed to deliver instant electric power and to distribute torque or ‘pulling power’ between front and rear motors on demand for confident traction and control. The P10 I drove certainly had some oomph.
But the P6, which uses its rear-wheel drive for a lighter, more agile feel and a natural connection to the road, was not a disappointing contrast and is great around town.
Plus trim has 20-inch wheels a standard, rising to 21-inch for Ultra, with 22-inch as a £795 optional extra.
Rivals
Volvo says EX60 is a ‘competitively priced’ rival to BMW’s iX3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Polestar 4, and Kia’s EV9.
It is the first Volvo built on the firm’s dedicated and ‘uncompromising’ new EV platform using 800volt architecture.
And it is priced on a par with a plug-in hybrid, says the firm.
The minimalist lounge like interior features has a smart clutter-free dashboard
Safety first
As you would expect from Volvo – which invented the original seat-belt – safety is to the fore.
And even Plus trim level is packed with safety and driver support features.
The new Volvo EX60 will be the world’s first production car to introduce the Multi-Adaptive Safety Belt – designed to use real-time data input from interior and exterior sensors to customise protection, adapting the setting to the situation and individual, such as their height, weight, body shape and seating.
The new SUV also incorporates collision avoidance technology and all-round 360-degree scanning from 5 cameras, 5 radar, and 12 ultra-sonic sensors, as well as updated ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlamps.
State of the art radars across the full cabin – including the boot – can sense submillimetre scale movement such as a baby breathing. The interior sensing system senses movement and alerts when a loved one – child or pet – has been forgotten in the car.
Volvo says the new EX60 is designed for ‘stress-free, convenient and safe journeys, blending ‘progressive’ Scandinavian design with an aerodynamic exterior, natural materials, a calming space and clever storage, say bosses. Its intelligent safety systems learn from real data and update over time.
Sounds fantastic
For the first time in a Volvo, the four main seat headrests are equipped with a loud-speaker in case customers upgrade to a Bowers & Wilkins system. It is the first Volvo to come with Apple Music.
Bi-directional charging means you can power your home or your gadgets using your car as a mini power station on wheels.
Even by EV standards it is particularly ‘green’ says Volvo and delivers the smallest carbon footprint of any Volvo car to date – and on par with the, much smaller, EX30.
Cross Country
A static version of the forthcoming rufty-tufty EX60 Cross Country – jacked up and with beefed up protective trim – was on site to sit in and admire, but sadly not to drive until early 2027.
Volvo says it will add ‘another flavour’ to the range with the looks and capability ‘to venture beyond the paved road with a confident layer of toughness’.
Wider track and wheel-arch claddings, protective shielding below the grille, and black upper door mouldings create a rugged, capable look. It sits 20mm higher and adds adventurous trim, upgraded wheels, air suspension that adds another 20mm.
I wonder what HAL will think? Can’t wait to ask.
