Wheels Australia - June 2018

TAKING

CHARGE

T8’s battery is

brilliant and frugal in

the city, heavy and

useless on the

freeway

I HAVE a theory that unless you’ve spent

an entire day in a car, you don’t truly know

it. And I mean an entire day. The kind that

starts with a 5am alarm and finishes in the

dark, your eyes ruined from searching the

roadside for ’roos, your lap covered in chip

crumbs and the centre console and door

pockets littered with spent coffee cups.

I endure such trips more often than I’d

like by virtue of living in Melbourne but

having family in Mudgee. In fact, it happens

so frequently now that the Inwood clan’s

migration north of the border unfolds like

a beautifully choreographed dance, with

every task honed for speed and precision.

Fuel stop duties are neatly divided (refuelling

and window washing for me, coffee orders

and fixing up the bill for my wife) and even

our luggage is packed in a particular way to

allow room for the two dogs.

It’s a brilliant test of a car’s all-round

ability, with a particular focus on seat

comfort, cabin space, refinement and, thanks

to a backroads stretch through Muttama and

Wombat, ride and handling. After hours on

the Hume, the undulating 160km shortcut

is a welcome boredom breaker, with fast

sweepers that tighten unexpectedly, blind

crests and rubbish rural tarmac.

This month saw the Volvo complete

its second interstate jaunt and, for those

familiar with the T8’s progress thus far, it

should come as no surprise that it performed

strongly. The seats and seating position are

bang on and inflict no hint of back or leg

ache, the cabin is hush on smooth surfaces,

acceptable on coarse chip, and the optional

air-suspension is quiet and comfortable with

decent compliance over big compressions

while also ironing out most of the small stuff.

It’s an excellent long-distance cruiser and the

T8 is fun on the winding shortcut too, thanks

to precise steering and near-unflappable road

holding that ensures rapid progress without

turning the serene cabin into a mess of dog

vomit and a disgruntled wife.

It was deep into our return leg, however,

that a small hiccup appeared on the digital

dash. ‘Regular maintenance overdue’ it

read, signalling DQC55W was due for its

15,000km service. No biggie, I thought, I’ll

book it in when I get home (handily, you

can organise an appointment at the dealer

through the XC60’s central touchscreen).

But then, with nothing but hours of

road ahead, I began to consider the T8’s

battery pack. While efficient and useful for

commuting on money-saving electricity,

could the batteries and motor become

problematic and expensive to maintain? A

call to Volvo put my mind at ease. Turns

out the T8’s servicing is no costlier or

complicated than a conventionally powered

variant (see sidebar, above) and the battery

pack itself is guaranteed for the life of the

vehicle. With that blip attended to, I was

left to crank up the stereo, dive into another

chip packet and sink further into the plush

leather seat as the glowing city lights of

Melbourne grew ever closer through the

windscreen.

ALEX INWOOD

Enjoying economy while cruising in business class

In for the long haul

@wheelsaustralia 119

WEEK 16

44444

333

015850

URBAN COUNTRY SPORTS

Spanner and the works

Volvo describes the T8’s battery pack as a serviceable

unit, meaning that unlike earlier hybrid batteries,

individual cells can be replaced if they fail. Despite its

powertrain complexity, servicing costs for the T8 are the

same as the rest of the XC60 range, varying from $745-

$865 every 15,000km/12 months. As for resale, the T8’s

respectable 61 percent retained value after three years

consistent with other XC60s, so no hybrid penalty there

VOLVO XC60 T8

Date acquired:January 2018

Price as tested:$105,340

This month: 2370km @ 7.5L/100km

Overall: 8040km @ 7.1L/100km

VOLVO XC60 T8V

s

is

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ORWAY