While the all-new 2018 Volvo XC60 will be arriving officially on Malaysian shores tomorrow, the mid-size SUV has just grabbed the 2018 North American Utility of the Year Awards. This is the second time Volvo Cars is winning the award following the XC90’s win in 2016.
Only last week, the new XC60 was crowned the 2017 Euro NCAP awards’ best overall safety performer of 2017, outscoring a comprehensive field of 70 cars representing 30 carmakers across all classes.
The SUV’s winning streak actually began last year itself when it was named Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) for its balance between comfort, functionality and driveability.
Sticking true to its Volvo heritage, the new XC60 boasts many ground-breaking features that make it one of the safest cars on the market – such as the City Safety system which now comes with Steer Assist.
How this system works is that the XC60 will attempt to autonomously steer itself around an obstacle if it is determined that the AEB system is unable to stop it on time to avert a collision.
Additionally, Steer Assist also ties in with the newly-developed Oncoming Lane Mitigation that pulls the vehicle back into its lane to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming car from the opposite lane. It is also connected with the Blind Spot Indication System (BLIS) to avert collisions with vehicles hiding in the driver’s blind spots.
Customers can also opt for Pilot Assist, Volvo Cars’ advanced driver assistance system which enables the vehicle to steer, accelerate, and brake autonomously on well-marked roads at speed of up to 130km/h.
Built on a shorter version of the brand’s SPA platform, the new XC60 offers the brand’s award-winning T8 Twin Engine petrol plug-in hybrid engine at the top of the powertrain range, delivering 407hp and acceleration from 0-100km in just 5.3 seconds.
Other powertrain options include the diesel D4 engine at 190hp and the D5 with PowerPulse technology delivering 235hp. The petrol-powered T5 delivers 254hp and the T6 – which has both turbo and superchargers – delivers 320hp and 400Nm of torque.
“We are proud to receive this prestigious award and we are committed to building on the success of our XC60 and XC90 in the US, as demonstrated by the billion-dollar investments in our new manufacturing plant in South Carolina,” said Hakan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars.
Keyword: All-New Volvo XC60 Adds North American Utility of the Year Award To Its Collection