The aero, flush glazing and flat under-floor all help enhance the EX60’s amazing sense of calm, and the cell-to-body structure imparts a sense of strength. Very Volvo, and you can feel the benefits of all that on the move. There’s also acoustic foam in the body cavities, and active noise cancelling tech. It’s very quiet indeed.
The tech story deepens, not least because Volvo is a strong believer in autonomous driving. Regardless of how you feel about that, few car companies are better prepared. The EX60 calls upon five cameras, five radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors to deliver a real-time 360 degree view of what’s going on outside. This is all backed up with Volvo’s Driver Understanding system, which uses two interior camera and IR sensors and capacitive sensors on the wheel to detect if the driver is drowsy, distracted or impaired. The collision avoidance systems can be adapted for earlier intervention if things are going seriously awry. And the car can stop itself in an emergency.
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Inside, the EX60 aims for a restfulness that its rivals seem less bothered about. It’s easier on the eye than the excellent new BMW iX3 or Mercedes GLC. The materials are tactile, with recycled polyester across the top of the dashboard and a bio-attributed Nordico on the seats, door panels, and centre armrest. You can upgrade from there to a perforated Nordico, a wool blend, or ethically sourced Nappa leather.
Volvo is also big on ambient lighting, and there are six ‘themes’ to choose from. The LED tech minimises the blue to keep the colour as close to natural sunlight as possible. A new feature also throws dappled light across the interior. An electrochromic panoramic roof is standard on the Ultra.
Infotainment is via a central 15.04in landscape touchscreen, although the driver gets a smaller 11.4in display for all the key read-outs directly in their line of sight. It’s customisable to the point where you can minimise everything for zero distraction. A context bar on the driver’s side of the screen displays relevant functions – hazard warning, one-pedal drive and door mirror adjust among them. A little Volvo graphic on the lower icons display is the gateway to further screens. There’s zero lag on any of this stuff, as you’d expect from that all-powerful HuginCore system.
The EX60 comes with built-in Google services, including Google Assistant, Maps and Waze, the Google Play store, although Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard. It also has 5G built in. And then there’s Google Gemini, an AI assistant of such incredible speed and accuracy that resistance truly is futile. We debated the morality of AI with an AI system while driving into Barcelona city centre. One day, all cars will be like this, although less existential conversations are also available.
