[stumblingtrout]

Yesterday evening we took delivery of a Volvo XC60 to run alongside our X3. The XC60 will be the OH's car, replacing the Land Rover Discovery which whilst excellent, spend most of its time either at the dealership being fixed or consuming obscene amounts of diesel. It's the new MY14 model Volvo which has the updated front end (DRL's have been moved & the grill widened) and the rear end sees the addition of awesome looking integrated exhausts. Inside sees a revised dash with a fully digital speedo.

The XC60 has the 'D5' engine which is a 2.4 litre Twin Turbo 5 Cylinder 20v common rail diesel engine. It produces 215bhp and 440nm of torque, mated to a 6 speed automatic gearbox. It's a torque convertor box, not double clutch.

It's not as highly specced as the X3, but came in £15,000 cheaper. It is, however, the highest spec offered in the SE Lux Nav guise and we have added a couple of options such as keyless entry, tinted windows, Volvo On Call, Spare Wheel & front/rear parking sensors.

When comparing list prices, the Volvo XC60 D5 SE Lux Nav Geartronic comes in at roughly £3,000 cheaper than a BMW X3 35d. This is before any options are added, and not taking into account differing levels of discount available.

Given many people come on here that may be considering different models from the current crossover lineup, I thought I would do a little comparison - just as I have done on the Volvo Forums. This will not be entirely fair as the SE Lux spec in the Volvo is perhaps more related to the SE spec offered with the X3, rather than the MSport that I have. Volvo do offer an R-Design version of the XC60 with firmer suspension and a sportier appearance and more supportive seats. Most of the points in this review/comparison are relevant though as the engines/gearbox/build quality remain the same.

BMW X3 35d MSport

• BMW Engines are years ahead of the competition. The 3 litre straight 6 twin power diesel outputs 313bhp yet returns 47mpg on a long run. The Volvo will in reality return 10mpg less than this, despite having 100bhp and 200nm of torque less, and of course being 600cc less in terms of engine size.
• The 8 speed gearbox is much more suited to a drivers car than the 6 speed box offered in the Volvo.
• iDrive offers slightly more functionality than Sensus, though both are similar.
• Both of these cars have the top spec diesel engines available in their lineup. The BMW reaches 60mph in comfortably less than 6 seconds, the Volvo takes 8. You can specify a Polestar upgrade at the point of ordering, this will add 15bhp but costs £800+
• BMW offers HUD - not available on the XC60
• BMW offers Top View cameras which are not available on the XC60
• BMW steering wheel is chunkier and nicer to hold.
• Handling is much better when pushed.

Volvo XC60 D5 SE Lux Nav AWD Geartronic

• The build quality and general fit & finish is far superior than the X3.
• The doors are chunkier and make a satisfying 'thud' when closed
• Keyless entry is on all 4 doors not just the front 2, and there is a physical lock button on the handle meaning the car won't get confused when being washed.
• The seats are supremely comfortable - much more so than the X3.
• Fully digital dashboard with selectable themes work very well.
• Illuminated cup holders as part of the winter illumination package
• Volvo offer radar guided cruise control on the XC60
• City Safety as standard - not an option on the X3
• Volvo offer a cool smart adaptive headlight system that automatically blanks out oncoming vehicles when on main beam, rather than just having to dip the lights.
• No run flat tyres (this is subjective - some will see this as a good thing, some as a bad thing)
• Not as involving to drive. Not a car that makes you want to drive fast.
• Excellent standard stereo. I'm no audiophile, but it sounds better than my £980 premium BMW stereo. That hurt!
• On Call is not standard, wheras I think the equivalent is on the BMW.
• Xenons are standard on this model, whereas even on the 35d the Vis Pack needs to be specified.
• Mirrors fold immediately on locking without needing to code the car.
• Electronic Handbrake in a silly place, and no Auto Hold feature

In summary, I wouldn't pitch them as direct competition against each other. On a day where I want to go and throw a car around some bends and have some fun, I would take the X3 without a shadow of a doubt. On a long journey, I'd take the Volvo. I also feel safer in the Volvo. Whether this is accurate or perceived due to brand image, that I will hopefully not need to find out.

I'm very impressed with the Volvo. For those who are interested, I attach some photos below:

[The X Men]

I still cannot get pass that ugly Volvo interior.

[Mamasgotkids]

Thank you for the comparison. Since I'll be considering both of these cars in the future (though probably not a diesel version). I am disappointed there's no HUD in the Volvo - whenever I go from my car with HUD to my husbands car without it drives me crazy. I've gotten so used to I'd definitely want it in the future.

How do you find the Sensus vs the iDrive? Is it easier to use? That's one area where I think bmw is really lacking. I hate using it because the iDrive has 20 steps when it should take about 3 (I'm exaggerating but since my first bmw in 06, I've hated the system).

[brissim]

Thanks for the comparison. Its rare that you can get an objective comparison short of doing what you did - ie buy one of each. In time I'll be interested in hearing the long term comparison.

Pretty much agree with your points. When we got our X3 30d two years ago, it was between the X3 and the XC60 D5 after a string of Volvos (our second car is a C30 T5 which we are currently looking to "upgrade" to a V40 T5). The Q5 simply did not figure in our final deliberations.

The main reason for finally going with the X3 30d over the XC60 D5 was the engine. The D5 engine was simply outclassed in every aspect with respect to performance, fuel economy and especially refinement. I would expect this difference would be even more so between the 35d and the D5. I appreciate that for our North American colleagues the X3 35i vs XC60 T6 (especially with the optional Polestar tune) might not be so clear cut.

Volvo still make the best seats in the business for long distance drives. We regularly go on 800km/10hr drives and the seats in the X3 while being OK, are simply not in the same class as Volvo seats for those long trips.

As you say, the runflats on the BMW are a love/hate proposition. We overcome this issue (at the expense of reduced luggage volume by replacing our runflats with conventional tyres at delivery, together with a full size spare permanently tied down in the back.

The minor things about the XC60 we didn't like was the silly location and action of the electronic handbrake (and the Volvo doesn't have the auto-hold function the BMW has) and the fact that the panoramic roof on the Volvo only had a fabric-type blind as opposed to the solid blind on the BMW.

Overall over two years of X3 ownership (our first BMW) we would still go with the X3 over the XC60. But as I said in an earlier post, the XC60 certainly is not disgraced in any comparison with the X3.

Tony

[stumblingtrout]

Originally Posted by Mamasgotkids

Thank you for the comparison. Since I'll be considering both of these cars in the future (though probably not a diesel version). I am disappointed there's no HUD in the Volvo - whenever I go from my car with HUD to my husbands car without it drives me crazy. I've gotten so used to I'd definitely want it in the future.

How do you find the Sensus vs the iDrive? Is it easier to use? That's one area where I think bmw is really lacking. I hate using it because the iDrive has 20 steps when it should take about 3 (I'm exaggerating but since my first bmw in 06, I've hated the system).

The Sensus is actually better than I expected. It works on much the same principle - there are physical buttons for phone, media, radio, nav etc and then a rotary wheel on the centre console to scroll through the options. You can also use the thumbwheel on the steering wheel to scroll through and select these options.

It's really quite intuitive to use too, probably more so than the iDrive.

Doesn't offer the same level of functionality as you can't read your text messages and there are no 'apps' but for the most part it's much the same. Really impressed by it actually.

The screen isn't as big, and there is no satellite view on the Sat Nav. We haven't tried the Nav out yet to see how good the routing is so I can't comment on that yet.

No HUD and top view cameras is a shame - like you, I have gotten very used to the HUD. The only saving grace is that you can set up the speedo to show your speed in big numbers on the speedo (see the pic) so it's easier to glance down at it.

Edit: There is a Sensus Touch option that lets you do a bit more, like get Spotify etc. It costs a bit more though. We didn't see the need to go for it.

[Rodion]

Originally Posted by The X Men

I still cannot get pass that ugly Volvo interior.

And the new digital instrument panel makes it even worse.

Pardon my French, but to have RPMs and Fuel indicator in bars rather than dial is a huge let-off.

Reminds:




Otherwise thanks to the OP for very good comparison.

[Yeltzer]

Originally Posted by The X Men

I still cannot get pass that ugly Volvo interior.

Have to agree, although it is a handsome brute from the outside!

[mac10]

Hi Stumblingtrout,

You take better pictures than your mate the photographer!!

[richard in NC]

Thanks for the comparison.
I am surprised by your comment on the XC60 seats being more comfortable. Granted the X3 sport seats aren't soft but they were highly supportive on a recent 550 mile drive, 1300 miles on a long weekend.

[lbjgh]

Great reviews!

From my recollection I'd have to agree that the Volvo seats are much better than the BMW seats.

One thing that may be worth discussing is the Nav control on both cars. I really found the Volvo system to be a pain in the arse. The update interior is nicer than the 2012 XC I drove.

[stumblingtrout]

Originally Posted by lbjgh

Great reviews!

From my recollection I'd have to agree that the Volvo seats are much better than the BMW seats.

One thing that may be worth discussing is the Nav control on both cars. I really found the Volvo system to be a pain in the arse. The update interior is nicer than the 2012 XC I drove.

Volvo seats are more comfortable by multiples. I have to give it to Volvo, they have made their seats really well. My only gripe is that the passenger seat is manual, the driver is electric + memory.

In terms of Nav input, it's identical to iDrive. Button to select address entry then rotary wheel to input postcode/address. Simple. Possibly even easier than BMW. The position of the wheel is better in the BMW though.

[richy577]

Good review and comparison, I really enjoyed that seemed fairly objective, can I just ask what price you finally bought the Volvo for and did you buy it from a dealership?

Thanks

[stumblingtrout]

Originally Posted by richy577

Good review and comparison, I really enjoyed that seemed fairly objective, can I just ask what price you finally bought the Volvo for and did you buy it from a dealership?

Thanks

Richy, thanks for this.

We paid near enough £35k for it. It's a D5 SE Lux Nav Geartronic [215], Saville Grey Metallic, Winter Illumination Pack, Volvo On Call, PCC Keyless Drive, Tinted Windows, Spare Wheel & Front/Rear Parking Sensors.

List price is about £44k. We got the price from drivethedeal.co.uk and our local dealership matched it without too much hassle - worked out at about a 20% discount. 5 years of servicing for £500 too. Financed at 5.9% APR.

Delivery was 5-6 weeks from ordering.

[The X Men]

Its a shame that BMW does not off the multi-contour seat in the X3 as in the X5 and 535i. Those seats are every bit as comfortable as Volvo's.

[RustMonkey]

Until 2 weeks ago, when some blind dude used my X3 F25 2.0 MSport as a ski ramp, I had a fantastic car.

Mine was fully loaded - minus the HUD - and agree with previous comments regarding the Top View camera system. Excellent feature.

I loved the car, especially the engine and gearbox, but despised the dealer.

After the first service, at the dealer, I decided I wasn't going back. I had a full blown paddy with the service manager in the showroom. Lets face it, I'd paid £45k six months previously for a SatNav with a car stuck on it. They wanted £12 for a DVD and £220 for a licence for an upgrade to the maps - I was driving about Scotland on uncharted roads. They wheeled in the colleague that had obviously been trained in dealing with raging customers and it was apparent she had extensive experienced in just that!

Despite the paid for service pack, I then serviced independently at approx 10k mile intervals. She had 75k miles on her when she was destroyed and running smoother than velvet chocolate.

The sole complaint I had about my X3 was the lack of heated windscreen. Although the SatNav wasn't as good as it could be on account that you could not set a route via a specific location. You had to set it for the first location then to continue the journey with a second route. Not really a big deal but annoying at the time.

She is being replaced by a fully loaded XC60 - not taken delivery yet and in that horrible stage where I'm getting cold sweats, am concerned about having done the right thing and getting serious cold feet.

At least I will not have to engage with a BMW dealer?

[RustMonkey]

I should have mentioned:
In the first week I had the X3 I took a bunch from work out to the local farm shop for burgers. An experienced Disco driver asked if I had experience of driving SUVs.
I didn't.
Shortly after that conversation I whanged her round a series of twisties; all I heard from the back seat was:
"Jesus, you'd not do that in a Landy!"

[Pinewood]

Interesting comparison and thanks for sharing. I did look at other mid size SUV's before settling on the X3, but i have always associated BMW with sporty driving where as i see Volvo and Mercedes as more gentrified relaxed driving.
My Mrs said when will we get a Merc, and i think it will be after the X3 in 7-10 years time. This is my fourth BMW and still love em