2025 Volvo XC60 T8 PHEV AWD

Calm, Collected, Cocooned

Best sellers were never really the most impressive, nor the most expensive models out of a particular car brand’s lineup.

Think of the Vios in the mainstream segment, or the Lexus RX in the premium market. They weren’t really game changers, but what drew customers to those models was that they were the most well-rounded in the lineup.

For Volvo, that distinction now goes to the XC60, which has overtaken the Volvo 240 as its best-selling model with more than 2.7 million cars sold since it first came out in 2008. Still in its second generation, the current XC60 has been around since 2018. Now I know the initial reaction would be thinking it’s old, because it is.

But sometimes, an old platform actually brings out the better experience as manufacturers have already polished its rough edges. Let’s see what’s behind the charm of the XC60, which has been updated for the 2025 model year along with a PHEV powertrain.

In the looks department, the XC60 still carries that pared-back look that’s typical Volvo. It still looks sharp after all these years, and you wouldn’t really say it’s old. Mature would be a better fit, as the design is never shouty. Think of it as an automotive version of a man wearing a trusted pair of polo shirt, pants, and casual shoes to pair with an Ivy League haircut. The proportions are just right, the lines are clean, and the 20-inch wheels never look out of place when we talk aesthetics.

The signature Thor’s Hammer headlights and the defined shoulder line continue to define its identity, along with the slim LED taillights that the current-gen CR-V seemed to have borrowed inspiration from. The grille has the new diagonal motif, though I would have wished for less chrome and more gloss black on the outside like the Euro-spec models. But still, you can tell Volvo is not chasing trends when it comes to design; it’s simply staying confident in its own design language.

Step inside, and the calm, cocooned feeling immediately sets in the XC60. Outside noise is noticeably muffled once the doors are shut with a nice thud to it. The XC60 units that are brought here are made in Shah Alam in Malaysia, instead of Sweden, but the quality of fit and finish is still great. The wood paneling, the Nappa leather, the touch points, and the choice of material feel solid, showing the things worth paying extra for when buying something from the premium segment.

With the lack of buttons, yes, it’s a screen-reliant cabin, much like other premium SUVs like the X3 and the GLC. But the screen quality, and most importantly, the interface, remains intuitive. The instrument cluster has a standard display of the Google map in the center, flanked by the speedometer and power gauges on the side.

Most controls live in the first layer of the vertical infotainment display, such as the climate control, yet drive modes are easy to access and not buried under layers of submenus. The Harman Kardon speakers sound great as expected, but one miss, though: still no wireless smartphone connectivity in 2025. You’ll have to plug your phone in for CarPlay or Android Auto, which is rather odd for a premium SUV.

The second row, meanwhile, is a little cramped for my size in terms of legroom, and that transmission tunnel bump does eat into middle-seat comfort because of the PHEV system’s arrangement. Still, for four adults, the XC60’s cabin remains a serene place to be.

There’s 468 liters of cargo space with all the seats up, and cargo height won’t be much of a problem as the rear motor doesn’t eat much cargo real estate. The air suspension can also lower the ride height for easier loading. For more space, the rear seats (along with the headrests) fold in a 60:40 split to form a flat cargo area.

Under the hood, the XC60 has a plug-in hybrid setup that pairs a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder to a rear-mounted electric motor to form an e-AWD setup. When combined, the XC60 delivers 455 PS and 709 Nm of torque. Those numbers are significantly more than the X3 PHEV, as it rivals that of the X5 M Sport PHEV that I reviewed a few months prior. But where the X5’s PHEV powertrain delivers brutal acceleration, the XC60 is all about linearity and smoothness.

What stood out to me is how seamless it all felt inside. The PHEV operation transitions between electric and gasoline power almost imperceptibly. The power delivery won’t be described as instantaneous, and at times, it's going to feel like there's less than 455 horses. There’s just steady, predictable acceleration when you need it, and most of the time you won’t notice you’re already at triple-digit speeds.

With electric mode being the priority even on the hybrid setting, short city trips can return near-zero fuel use with the XC60. My back-and-forth trip to the office is less than 20 km, so the 80 km EV range with the 18.8 kWh battery almost lasted me a whole week. You can go at speeds past 60 km/h in hybrid mode, and the system will still gladly stay with the electric drive.

I reckon as long as you charge up the batteries every time you arrive home, you’ll likely spend months before doing gas station trips if you use the XC60 as a city dweller. However, the PHEV only accepts up to 7.2 kW of Type 2 AC charging, so it’s something to take note of. You’ll spend around 2 to 3 hours charging this, so that’s about the time you’ll spend inside a mall when you plug it in.

It’s only when I decided to manually switch to charge mode that the PHEV powertrain fired up its engine and burned fuel to top up the batteries. But even so, the longer highway runs settled to around 15 km/l in this setting. As the distance to empty lowers in the ICE, the range goes up for the electric side. This is where plug-in hybrids shine in general, as you can use our network of expressways to top up the batteries. So once you arrive in the city, you can maximize electric drive where it’s at its most efficient.

On top of that, what really stood out during my time with the XC60 is its comfort-oriented personality. It’s nowhere near BMW-level sportiness, but I think that’s fine if you’re in an SUV. Sometimes, SUVs designed for comfort can feel like driving a land yacht, but Volvo’s mission here is calm control, not canyon carving.

The steering is light but precise. The air suspension delivers a ride that’s solid yet supple – even with 20-inch wheels. Over rough city roads or expressway expansion joints, it feels composed and confident, while the impressive NVH drowns out the noise from the outside world - this can quickly make your passengers fall asleep as you’re wafting along – Zach can attest to that.

Of course, we won’t wrap this review up without saying something about safety. After all, that’s what Volvo is known for. You can see it with the way the front crash structure was built, and how sturdy they look once you pop the hood open. And for the active devices, I was expecting the XC60’s ADAS  to be restrictive and intrusive to driving, but I’m glad the SUV proved me wrong.

Instead of alarms, you get chimes for warning sounds in blind spots, proximity sensors, and when reversing. Think of it as the system giving you a subtle tap that warrants your attention instead of grabbing your arms to alert you of a potential hazard. That’s what the experience felt like behind the wheel.

Overall, the Volvo XC60 T8 PHEV AWD doesn’t need to shout to get your attention because it doesn’t have to. The XC60 is for those who want something that just glides by. Quiet, composed, but effortlessly premium. It's not perfect by any means, as adopting the PHEV powertrain has a bit of compromise to rear seat legroom. Likewise, the screen-reliant setup might not be everyone's cup of tea either. The XC90 may be a step better in terms of size and equipment, but the XC60 hits the spot for the balance that it brings.

Its rivals may impress with bold designs, party tricks, and newer platforms promising better tech, but the XC60 is the kind of SUV that will win you over not with drama, but with restraint. Some may take this as bland or boring, but at PHP 4,550,000, the XC60 undercuts the X3 and GLC by a few hundred thousand pesos, offering a solid choice for those who appreciate refinement over flash.