So my Mom and I Test Drove a '14 XC60 Wednesday..

"K-Roll-PorscheTamer" (k-roll390)
05/17/2014 at 12:45 • Filed to: Volvo XC60

Damn she's got good taste in cars! :D

A couple months back, I finally convinced my mom to start looking for replacements for her POS '99 Ford Windstar, appropriately nicknamed the "Super Pinto" after I convinced her that it was a "potential death-trap":

She was looking for a car that could carry a decent capacity, she owns a retail store and carries a lot of merchandise to and from work. I had told her to look at the new !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ; it's new design and funky-looking interior really interested her, but she never went to the dealer to test drive one. Primarily, that was because I didn't have the time to go with her and she wanted to have someone with her that knew cars when she went so she wouldn't be sold on anything that didn't sound right.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

When I went to pick up my ST back in March, she was very interested in the new Ford Explorer, and that was a problem. If you can tell from the picture of my driveway, it isn't very big, and we already have to fit a Focus and a Magnum there, and if I'm honest, she really isn't the best parker when it comes to our driveway but that isn't to say she's a bad driver. I just don't like bigger cars like minivans and the Explorer, I've also noticed that in my area, it seems that the majority of women drive bigger cars. Explorers, Traverses, Encores, BMW X1s and X5s and so forth. Most of those women that I notice aren't very good at parking either and are very aggressive drivers(not my mom though). If it helps anymore, I was almost run over by an Explorer about 30 minutes ago in a parking lot as I was returning a shopping cart to a store because she didn't even look behind or presumably use the backup camera(if it has one)....I digress.

Now before I go forwards with how the test drive went, you should know this. My mom isn't originally from America, she's from Ghana, west Africa, so her taste in cars is very much different from most as I've noticed a lot. I'll say this straight forward, she doesn't like sedans at all. She grew up with Peugeot, Mercedes Benz, and Volvo, she especially loves Volvo because the last car her father had before he passed was a Volvo. She's as emotionally attached to Volvo as I am to Porsche. When she moved to America in the 70s-80s, she had a couple Ford Escorts and one Ford Pinto.

The car we drove was a '14 XC60 T6 AWD, with a twin-scroll turbocharged Inline-6, pumping out a very generous 300hp and 325lb-ft of torque! Mated to a very smooth-shifting 6spd automatic, 0-60 comes in at a decent 7.1 seconds, seems to be very quick for the class! And the best part is that it has....PADDLE SHIFTERS(yay for me)!!

The drive was rather short at about 20 minutes, but we were able to get on the freeway and do some city driving, so here's what I thought.

1. The ride is very smooth and comfortable, no doubt because of the very orthopedic leather seats in the car. Those power seats move in every way imaginable, at least more than 10 I think! while we're on the topic of the interior, it really is a nice place to be. very hospitable and comfy, and quiet; you could easily spend the night in that car I reckon.

2. The acceleration definitely impressed me! It's a very quick car for what it is, power is always there when you want it in just about any gear. The car also has three specific driving modes: Eco, Elegance, and Performance(which is what I drove in). If it wasn't obvious, the Performance mode quickens the shifts and makes them more aggressive. The handling was decent and steering inputs were very precise, I'm not used to driving cars bigger than my Focus around, but it did well. Braking was great too!

Needless to say, my mom fell in love with the car and was sold after the test drive. and since 2014 has been the best year for her, she decided that it's time she treats herself to a new car, and I'm very happy for her, she plans on picking one up later this summer, in fact the one in the pictures I provided, is the one she plans to get! Riding on these very sexy 18" rims! When she picks the car up, expect an update and another review for me to add to the list!

DISCUSSION (25)

offroadkarter > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
05/17/2014 at 12:54

I've been trying to talk my mom into an XC60 to replace her trailblazer but its a hard sell since my parents don't buy foreign cars.

JohnPlayerSpecial > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
05/17/2014 at 13:01

That Windstar:

Kinja'd!!!

scoob > offroadkarter
05/17/2014 at 13:02

Tell them the platform is used on Ford cars.

Even though it's European market Fords... shhh

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > offroadkarter
05/17/2014 at 13:05

Tell her to give it a chance. Volvo doesn't really have a premium on the price like most "German" brands are stereotypically known to have.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > JohnPlayerSpecial
05/17/2014 at 13:06

WE HAVE TO GO BACK!!

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
05/17/2014 at 14:25

That really is a great choice! We have a 2012 S60 and love the car so much!

Volvo really knows what they are doing!

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
05/17/2014 at 14:30

So it seems! I love their current design language and their interiors are fantastic! The price seems to be just right for them right now too, a very luxurious car for the money.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
05/17/2014 at 14:39

Kinja'd!!!

The taillights at night just look insane and very unique.

But the interior is just heaven. I personally love the numberpad in the middle; it becomes very useful! But the seats are easily the best in its class.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
05/17/2014 at 14:43

I love those lights!! The interior was a freeway-rolling bed to me. :)

4age20vsilvertop > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
05/17/2014 at 16:28

The XC60 is pretty awesome, but it feels bit dark and small due to the small glass area.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > 4age20vsilvertop
05/17/2014 at 16:35

The lighting in the showroom wasn't the best for pictures. I should have taken some photos of the actual test car, but I didn't think about it. It was also silver rather than the gunmetal gray.

4age20vsilvertop > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
05/17/2014 at 17:01

But that was just my own experience with the car, since my dad has a similar one.

m2m, apex detective > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
05/18/2014 at 09:28

306 horses ... 7.1s to 100 clicks ... that's poor form. :>

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > m2m, apex detective
05/18/2014 at 12:05

Yeah, but it'll be the fastest car my mom's ever driven. :P

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/13/2014 at 14:04

That one looks to be speced just like the 2013 my mom has. It is a great driving car.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 14:05

It has soo much POWER!!!

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/13/2014 at 14:08

I know. I had the best and fastest car in my high schools parking lot for the 3 months after my Kia Soul was wrecked.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 14:14

Geez what cars were in your lot? I had one of the nicest cars but it was one of the slowest.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/13/2014 at 14:19

I'd say the other fast cars in the lot was a 350z (but then the kid wrecked it) or a 300zx turbo. I go to a really small quaker school, so most people are all about simplicity, and so not many people have fancy cars.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 14:25

I didn't have a fancy car, but it was a Saturn Astra...

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/13/2014 at 14:33

Oooh. Opel badge conversion?

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 14:38

Nope, just a straight Saturn, all stock:

Kinja'd!!!

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/13/2014 at 14:39

Nice!

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
07/13/2014 at 14:42

T'was an awesome first car.

TA4K > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/13/2014 at 22:02

Wouldn't it escape that by not being German?