Why it’s here: To make Cyrus’ 1.5 hour commute from work to home as comfortable as possible
Yes, you read that right. It takes me the exact same time to get from our office in Jogeshwari to my house in central Mumbai as it took me to get from Pune to Mumbai. Which frankly, is a bit ridiculous. I tried using a scooter and now my old, aging back hurts like hell! Which is why when Volvo offered the XC60 to us, I pulled rank and took away the keys before anyone even got a chance to say ‘I’. And a month and nearly a thousand kms later, I am so glad I did.
The XC60 is the oldest car in its category and although it got a minor facelift recently, that overall shape does remind me of the first time I went and drove one a long long time ago. That said, because Volvo does not sell as many of these as say Mercedes-Benz sells the GLC, it feels more special, you get treated better at hotel valets and of course, people look at it. Maybe its the grille, which has a mixed reaction (I love it) or maybe it is the fact that for most people even today, and that would include my wife and my mother, a Volvo product is just not something thats common. In fact, both had the exact same reaction - Volvo makes cars?
So let’s talk positives. This thing is comfortable. No wait, let me rephrase that to make my point - this is the most comfortable car in its whole damn segment! The seats remind me of those plush chairs in furniture shops I can’t pronounce, the quality of the leather on the seat is super soft, and overall, the XC60 feels like it is made with comfort as a primary selling point over everything else - with the exception of safety of course. Oh, and you get a massage function too.
The first few times I drove my commute, I put on a podcast or two (or three) and as with most cars, the speakers were crisp enough to make me feel like Doug Demuro and his boys were sitting right next to me. But it is not till you put on some proper music that you realise how good the speakers on this are. Krsna’s disses were hard hitting, the Tron Legacy soundtrack was a masterpiece and Freddie aaaaayo’d like I had never heard before.
So that’s the positives. Let’s talk about the negatives. I really think the new screen is great but the surrounding bezel does it no justice. I also think that Volvo key needs a serious redesign and then we get to how it drives. Now, yes, I know this is meant for comfort and I know the kind of person who buys one of these will not look at the same things I do but since it is my perspective here, hear me out. The way the XC60 dips under braking for example is a little weird. Similarly, although it manages to get going really well with its turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, it just feels a little strained. And there are no paddle shifters.
But this is about personal experiences and the Volvo has given me one that I will never forget. A sneak peak of that experience is in the inset picture above, and if you follow me on instagram you’ll know all about it. But if you don’t, the december issue is one you MUST read. Until then, the Volvo is my little daily cocoon. Clean and comfy on the inside, understated and just bold enough on the outside.
