2026 Volvo XC60 Ultra B5 Dark review: The mild-mannered mild hybrid

If it feels like the XC60 has been around and unchanged for about a decade, you would not be far off. Last year Volvo treated its mid-sized luxury SUV to a facelift that was more chemical peel than full-scale surgery, operating under the sensible assumption that if it isn't broken, you shouldn't mess with it.

With Volvo increasingly offering electric vehicles, this lovely little turbo petrol with its mild-hybrid helper may not see out a decade, but right now it remains an exceptionally comfortable, quiet cruiser that still easily holds its own against much of the newer, flashier metal. Sure, it shows its age in a few interior quirks, and it makes absolutely no pretence of being 'sporty', but that is not why one would buy this car.

And a quick spoiler alert for the Apple loyalists complaining about the tech: as an unapologetic Android user, I do not despise the native Google brain it's been given, which is many over-the-air updates better than when it first launched (and scared even the devout with its glitchy slowness).

The 2026 Volvo XC60 line-up keeps things relatively straightforward, split cleanly between two specs with a mild-hybrid B5 petrol and the pricier T8 plug-in hybrids.

Both B5 trims use a smooth 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with all-wheel drive, with entry into the range starting at $74,990 for the Plus B5 Bright and our Ultra B5 Dark costing $81,990, both prices not including on-road costs. The extra dosh in the Ultra pays for gloss black finishes (hence Dark over Bright), and some higher-spec equipment like a panoramic roof and Harman Kardon sound system.

You have to cross the $90K barrier for the T8 Dark Plug-In Hybrids at $92,990 for the Plus, while the flagship Ultra T8 asks $101,990, both prices plus on-road costs. If a little more go and a little less fuel is on the cards for the hard-earned cash, the hybrid may be preferable, but the B5 is an honest engine tuned for judicious power delivery and a smooth, fuss-free ride (and servicing).

You may want to save your coin for added extras that make this car quite the special SUV, like our test car's Lifestyle pack that adds an even better stereo, massaging front pews, and almost-mandatory air suspension.

This places the Volvo hard up against the German trio, the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. Those wanting more Germanic handling and a sportier bent may seek out the Audi and BMW. Mercedes's new GLC, while offering a similarly lovely air-suspended ride, has a cabin that now looks like a high-tech lightshow compared to the subtle Swede. It will depend if you want tech-forward features at the fore or prefer the strategically straightforward XC60.

Load any smaller-capacity turbo up with bags and humans, and you are going to see the fuel use climb, it is inevitable. We saw fuel almost touch the tens around town before some highway miles brought it back to 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres.

Drive it gently or two-up instead of loaded and it's feasible that it would clock lower of course, and it's worth noting that it requires a minimum of 95RON. If fuel sipping and longer-term savings are on the agenda, the full hybrid may be worth a look.

Volvo offers a five-year Genuine Service Plan for $2995, or the set-and-forget (but far less of a deal) Service Plus plan that also includes turnover items like brakes, rotors, wipers and 12V batteries for $5995. Peace of mind is offered further by five years of roadside assistance for anything from breakdowns to a flat tyre.

A comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW, came in at $2673.84 per year for comprehensive cover on the XC60. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The Volvo XC60 range is currently not rated by Australian safety body, ANCAP, as its statute of limitation on its crash test expired in 2023. However, it should not come as a shock that the original scores were five stars.

The XC60 netted an absurdly high 98 per cent for adult occupant protection and 95 per cent for safety assist, proving that the active software keeping you out of trouble is just as robust as the physical steel protecting you. Throw in a highly respectable 87 per cent for child occupants and 76 per cent for pedestrians or cyclists, and the expression 'safe as a Volvo' is as relevant as ever.

The list of safety features is long and intensive – and below if you want to have a squiz. But what some of Volvo's front-end marketing material fails to mention is the (still) absolutely awesome built-in booster seats. Sometimes its passenger cars have one seat, some have two, and the XC60 gets the latter. These are simple hinged seat pads. When you need to get a child sitting higher so the belt doesn't dig in to soft and vulnerable tummies or necks, a catch underneath the outboard seats releases the pad and flips it up like a step, raising the seat by inches.

Nothing replaces a proper booster seat, of course, but for older kids going for a quick trip with the grandparents, extra friends piling in the back, or if the booster simply isn't available, it's a wonderful solution. More car companies should do it. Volvo introduced it in 1995, and only a few car manufacturers have dabbled in similar setups.

The exterior updates to the Volvo XC60 over time have been quite minimal – and not just Scandinavian minimal. More a case of if it ain't broke, et cetera. Usually facelifts involve new bumpers and headlights, new diffusers and splitters, but the only way to spot a 2026 model is the slightly different front grille, different five-spoke 20-inch alloys, and slightly darker tail-light lenses. That is the entire list of changes.

Some people might call that lazy, and realistically, the design is feeling a bit tired after nine years. But it is a classic, understated shape that has aged well, and Volvo didn't need to mess with it just to prove it was doing something.

It feels smaller than its dimensions suggest, especially its width, thanks to excellent vision, and our test car's rather effeminate purple-tinted 'Aurora Silver' paint job still did not detract from its strong road presence.

Also, the designation of Bright and Dark in Volvo land means one gets chrome and the other blacks out where the chrome was, such as window trims, highlights and borders. Overseas you can pick your engine and spec then get a Bright or a Dark for your trimmings, but here we get one or the other. Apparently, a dark trim is more exxy, or exxy-looking, so the upper-spec trims get the Dark designation.

Put simply, it's a lovely interior and the ergonomics are still hard to fault. The front seats in this car are simply some of the best around – power-adjustable, stitched and quilted and wrapped in ventilated nappa leather, and perfectly supportive. The front seats and steering wheel have heating; the wheel's is so effective it can make your hands slippery. If you can spare $1170 for the massage option, you won't regret ticking the box on those longer drives in particular.

The rear seats offer solid head room and leg room, and Volvo’s built-in, forward-facing child booster seats (see Safety section) remain a genuinely practical feature for families and grandparents. The four-zone electronic climate control pumps well out of the second-row vents, and an airborne particulate matter sensor and a cabin pollen filter are standard.

The cabin feels high quality, and the Drift Wood decor is a nice, natural touch amid the thick carpeting, padded cladding, and silver speaker covers that look and at first touch feel a little like a fine cheese grater until you realise the pattern is actually smooth. The wireless charger is in a good handy spot, and you can tuck away the cupholders under a handy rolling cover if they aren't needed, stopping wayward crumbs from depositing themselves in the crevices (why, even if you don't eat in the car, do crumbs find their way here?).

The shifter is branded Orrefors crystal, which could be described as naff if it weren't so darn gangster.

Boot space is reasonable for the segment at 483 litres to the back of the rear seats, or 613L all up if you fill it to the brim. For perspective, the RAV4 that is still famous for its boot quotes 655L, and that is also cheekily measured to the roof. There is room for small bits and bobs underneath the boot floor around a space-saver spare tyre, and the 60:40-folding back seat also features a ski port in the centre armrest. Because Sweden.

You'd think Volvo committed a cardinal sin by ditching its old software and going native Google... but the ones complaining either experienced the early system with its niggles and bugs, or they are waving an Apple OS Forever flag. Speaking as a dedicated (and die-hard) Android user, the system was perfectly acceptable.

When Volvo first rolled out the native Google system in 2021/2022, it was the first automaker in the world to do so, and there were definitely growing pains. The system was reported as glitchy, crashy and entirely too slow. Some may say the graphics are too 'basic' for an upmarket car, and then there was the Apple issue; it didn't exist at first, then became wired only – and is currently the same.

Over-the-air updates and some time have fixed it for the most part. At any rate, we had no issues with the system on test, though it isn't the slickest around. The entire Android experience is done natively without needing to project from a phone at all; Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Play Store are all a touch away.

You can toggle the native map or Apple Maps on the digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, and download your preferred streaming services and podcast players directly to the hard drive (though this wasn't tested; I don't need my colleagues knowing about my current down-the-rabbit-hole obsession with K-Pop).

Speaking of which, one of my colleagues did jump in the car, and as an Apple user, he had to BYO cable. It would seem Apple-philes aren't really grumpy about the OS, more the fact that they have to physically plug the phone in if they want to screen mirror, as there is no wireless CarPlay. Even on my Android hill, I can absolutely sympathise.

The already excellent Harman Kardon Premium sound system in our Ultra was kicked out in favour of an even more premium $3500 Bowers and Wilkins stereo as part of an audio-visual option package, and it is typically tremendous. Even better, it can be controlled by physical steering wheel dials, as it should be.

The room for improvement is in the screen itself. These days, size matters, and while last year's refresh upped the portrait-oriented screen to 11.2 inches, it still seems small in this age of hyperscreens. The screen looks a little tacked-on, and there is clear room for expansion if Volvo chooses to do another nip-and-tuck and up the screen size. It would also be nice if Volvo/Google offered a few different visual themes, and more widget customisation, as the real estate is worth all the more on said smaller screen.

Volvo also includes Google built-in access, over-the-air updates and unlimited data for the first five years of new car ownership, and Volvo’s connected smartphone app remains one of the more user-friendly platforms on the market.

Heading down to the Southern Highlands for the weekend gives you a good mix of everything: long climbing highway stretches, cruddy back roads and winding, twisting stuff. Here's where that air suspension comes to the fore, particularly given this car's general demographic.

Volvo’s air suspension setup is absorbent almost at all times, even on the large 20-inch rims. The frequent little hits and holes on your average suburban street are skirted over and almost ignored. It can take a moment to settle when recovering from larger undulations, as is the flipside of a soft ride and heavier car to control, but the overall feeling is rather plush.

Factor in the almost eerie silence of the cabin, which is wonderfully refined in its noise suppression, and combine it with those excellent massaging seats, and the highway miles just disappear. Speaking of which, the car has a propensity to get a bit close and late on the brakes with its adaptive cruise on the highway, so setting it a car-length further back on distance is advisable.

The little turbo does well to haul its 1800kg-plus heft, ladling out the boost with a cultured hand: like a butler flourishing the Devonshire Tea. Or fika, as the Swedes would have it. If you really press it, the engine offers a nice grumbling burble from behind that deadened firewall, but again it makes itself known with a quiet and calm efficiency.

The trade-off for the dead-quiet cabin and supple ride is a rather lethargic feel to the steering, which can be sharpened and weighted with a button but is still a little remote on and off centre. Line up a set of switchbacks, and the Volvo will make no secret of its size with its legs stretching out and its body rolling a bit. Push it further, and the front end will find where physics takes over grip, and the stability systems will say stäp.

Ultimately, it would be a rare day when a XC60 hunts down apexes. This is a lush, plush cruiser, and in that it acquits itself very well*.

*With the air suspension...

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Assuming you make the very wise decision to add the Lifestyle pack for the air suspension, massaging front pews, and that booming Bowers & Wilkins stereo, the B5 Ultra Dark delivers a thoroughly quiet, fuss-free experience. It might be getting on in years, and it's not cheap particularly with the pack added, but there is a lot to be said for a vehicle that is genuinely tried and true, and is still proving to possess a rather ageless design.

Instead of chasing fleeting design trends or overcomplicating and electrifying things for the sake of it, you are getting a highly capable, mature package (and use the word mature as you see fit).

The interior remains an exceptionally lovely place to sit, draped in wood and stitched leather and subtlety rather than acres of smudge-prone piano black and rigid surfaces. Pair that tactile quality with some of the best seats around, the improved Google ecosystem and a plush, serene ride, and you have one of the more honest, pragmatic, and comfortable premium SUVs (still) around.