For 2026, the XC60 gets a redesign with a slimmer grille and revamped front and rear lights.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
When Volvo recently took the wraps off its first long-range plug-in hybrid at a posh recording studio in London, Frank Vacca, director of vehicle product planning for the Americas described it as “a great leap forward.” The reason is the electric range – all 126 kilometres of it.
Vehicles like this one, Volvo says, will play a key in their lineup as an option for consumers who want to reduce fuel consumption, but aren’t ready for a fully electric car as infrastructure improves.
“It has more than twice today’s electric range. By far, it’s the most electric range of any car sold in Canada or the United States,” Vacca said.
For 2028, Volvo’s best-selling model, the XC60 midsize SUV, gets a major overhaul including an all-new design, enhanced safety technology and a new powertrain that enables the massive jump in range.
Most PHEVs have a range of 40 to 70 kilometres; the current 2026 XC60 PHEV has up to 56 kilometres. The extra range in the new XC60 comes courtesy of a new, larger-capacity floor-integrated battery and a more powerful electric motor.
Google Gemini, which comes on the new XC60, understood natural language and responded to voice commands easily and quickly when we tested it.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
The new XC60, Volvo's best-selling vehicle, will have up to 126 kilometres of electric range in the PHEV version.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
Together, the four-cylinder turbocharged engine and electric motor deliver 455 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive, the XC60 can hit 100 kilometres an hour in 4.8 seconds and offer a total driving range of up to 950 kilometres. It also has more than twice the battery capacity compared to the previous XC60 – 41.2-kilowatt-hours of battery capacity (37.9 kWh useable) compared to 18.8 kWh in the 2026 model.
Volvo officials see long-range PHEVs as a bridge to electrification. “Of course, we want to be a fully electric car manufacturer. We recently launched the EX60, but at the same time some of our customers are not ready to make that leap to full electric, which is where the plug-in hybrid makes much more sense,” said Akhil Krishnan, product line owner 60 of Volvo Cars, who oversees the XC60 and electric EX60.
The XC60 is Volvo’s top-selling vehicle in Canada and abroad. “This is Volvo’s most sold car in its 99 year history. As of June 2025, we’ve sold 2.7 million XC60s,” Krishnan said. In Canada, Volvo sold 4,731 XC60s in 2025, representing 33 per cent of total sales in the country.
The trunk of the 2028 Volvo XC60 with rear seats that fold flat.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
The 2028 XC60 PHEV has a four-cylinder turbocharged engine and electric motor that delivers 455 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
Volvo chose the XC60 and its big brother XC90 for the long-range PHEV treatment. For 2028, the seven-seater XC90 will have up to 117 kilometres of electric range. On a Level 2 home charging system, it takes about 5.5 hours to charge the XC60, Volvo said. It will not come with a North America Charging Standard port for fast-charging at Tesla Superstations.
“We view plug-in hybrids as a bridge. It really is a way to stick your toe into the (electric) market,” Vacca said.
When asked if the long-range plug-in hybrid will join other models such as the 2028 XC40, he answered, “in the future, who knows?”
The XC60’s exterior is tasteful and sophisticated with clean lines and a cool new metallic colour dubbed Heather Bronze. It also has a slimmer grille, revamped front and rear lights and new 20- and 21-inch wheel designs.
Inside, there’s a new dashboard and door panel design as well as a larger, tablet-like 11.2-inch centre display for accessing the infotainment system. All the seats are solid, well-padded and comfortable, even for taller rear-seat passengers.
There’s no shortage of technology including Google Gemini, Google’s next-generation artificial intelligence assistant, which understood natural language and responded to voice commands easily and quickly when we tested it.
On the safety front, there’s a new advanced driver assistance system with an upgraded sensor set with new cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors as well as a lane change assist in the Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving system, a 360-dgree camera with a 3D view and a door opening alert system that warns passengers when it’s unsafe to open the door if a cyclist or another car is passing by.
While the 2028 Volvo XC60 will be built in Torslanda, Sweden and Charleston, S.C. – Canadians will get the made-in-Sweden version. Orders open early next year with vehicles arriving in Canadian dealerships next spring. Prices will be announced closer to the sale date. The 2026 Volvo XC60 starts at $58,100 plus $3,100 for freight and pre-delivery inspection and additional fees and taxes.
The seats are well-padded and comfortable, even for taller rear-seat passengers.Petrina Gentile/The Globe and Mail
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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