2027 Volvo EX60 Driven: Luxury EV Data Center

The 2027 Volvo EX60 arrives at a curious inflection point because automakers stuff vehicles with silicon at a feverish pace, promising greater convenience and safety, but it's an open question whether consumers actually want more screens. So Volvo's charging ahead. After driving the Swedish-built SUV through the Spanish countryside near Barcelona, the strategy starts making sense.

A Megabrain on Wheels

The new two-row 2027 Volvo EX60 functions as a showcase for Volvo's new digital ecosystem, going beyond being an electric alternative to the brand's gas-burning XC60. It's HuginCore, the centerpiece. But this central nervous system combines hardware and software developed in-house and with Google, Nvidia, and Qualcomm, enabling over-the-air updates across the vehicle's lifecycle, granting active-safety systems improved awareness and tailored responses to front-seat occupants.

Framing this digital network is Volvo's new SPA3 platform. It uses an 800-volt electrical architecture. The system works with the EX60's many subsystems to enhance energy efficiency and quicken charging times. Packaging and mass reduction benefit too. Battery cells sit in the floor as partial structural elements rather than living inside a fully separate pack. An aluminum megacasting of the rear subframe replaces what would otherwise be more than 100 individual structural components. Clever engineering, that.

While the EX60 may be software-defined, its core trait is refined isolation.

For Sale Near You

When it launches in the U.S. this summer, the 2027 Volvo EX60 enters an increasingly crowded segment of electric compact luxury SUVs. The Audi Q6 e-tron, BMW iX3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric all circle the same territory. The starter model is the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive P6. It makes 369 horsepower and carries an 80-kWh battery capable of fast-charging at up to 320 kilowatts. The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive P10 produces a stout 503 horses. Its 91-kWh pack charges at a maximum of 370 kilowatts, provided you can find a sufficiently powerful charging station.

Wait longer and a 670-hp P12 model with a 112-kWh battery arrives this year, and a rugged Cross Country variant in both P10 and P12 tunes fills out the lineup as a 2028 model. Both the P6 and P10 recoup about 160 miles in as little as 10 minutes, and the standard NACS port should make Tesla Supercharger hookups straightforward. It's an 18-minute 10-80% charge.

Range and Rolling Stock

Depending on wheel size,buyers choose among 20-, 21-, or 22-inch options,EPA range estimates for the P6 land at either 295 or 307 miles. The P10 is rated at 312 or 322 miles. Those numbers position the 2027 Volvo EX60 competitively without rewriting any record books.

A Tony Tech Lounge

Compared with the XC60, the 2027 Volvo EX60 stretches 3.7 inches longer and rides on a 4.1-inch larger wheelbase. Legroom up front stays roughly the same. The gas car offers a smidge more space in back, though the EX60's second row remains generous and its low floor earns more headroom throughout. Cargo volume behind the rear seats measures 20 cubic feet, not counting a large underfloor storage bin. There is a small frunk too. Fold the rear seats down and the space expands to 58 cubes.

It's Scandinavian chic. With excellent fit and finish of the many visually and tactilely pleasing materials, the fabric-covered dashboard brings texture and warmth to an already inviting atmosphere and balances some of the more industrial forms. A standard glass roof with optional electrochromic dimming lets in plenty of natural light.

Unsurprisingly, the processing power is integral to the new Android-based infotainment system running on a central 15.0-inch OLED touchscreen. Vibrant, sensibly structured, and quick to respond, it represents a massive improvement over the painfully unintuitive interface in other new Volvos. But that framing misses something. The integration of Google's Gemini AI chatbot feels like a gimmicky sidekick with the potential to greatly expand the car's user-data funnel.

Physical Controls, Or the Lack Thereof

A more practical knock is the scarcity of physical secondary controls. The cabin is not bare-bones spartan. Useful buttons and toggles grace the new steering wheel design, and a glitzy volume scrolling wheel decorates the center stack. Yet climate controls are only accessible via the touchscreen. Adjustments for the HVAC vents land there too. Frustrating.

A Posh Mileage Accumulator

On the pristine pavement of the Spanish drive route, the 2027 Volvo EX60 proved impressively quiet inside at speed. The same locale-based caveat applies to its commendable ride comfort. Final judgment waits until one encounters familiarly cratered American thoroughfares. The main mechanical distinction between P6 and P10 models lives in the suspension. The P6 gets passive dampers. The P10 uses adaptive units. Both covered ground with similarly taut compliance. The difference between the P10's three firmness settings is negligible.

Put to moderately spirited use down a good road, the EX60 feels generally unbothered. Its hefty, low-slung mass anchors it to the ground like a stubborn weed. Body and wheel motions are well disciplined. The unusually small and almost ovoid-shaped steering wheel twirls with a quick but remote action. Selecting one of the helm's higher-effort settings does little to improve its feel. Volvo puts the 60-mph time for the base car at a likely conservative 5.7 seconds. The P10's estimate is 4.4 seconds.

• P6: 369 hp, RWD, 80-kWh battery, 5.7 seconds to 60 mph
• P10: 503 hp, AWD, 91-kWh battery, 4.4 seconds to 60 mph
• P12: 670 hp, 112-kWh battery, arriving later this year
• Cross Country: P10 and P12 tunes, 2028 model year

With multiple levels of brake regen available, including a one-pedal setting and a variable automatic mode, the left pedal felt reasonably firm and didn't stutter when friction braking engaged. The stoppers rarely needed use.

The Price of Progress

It's impressive that the sophistication of the 2027 Volvo EX60 unlocks at the P6's base price of $59,795, which slightly undercuts Volvo's own plug-in hybrid XC60 T8 and likely undercuts the German EV competition. The P10 upgrade costs $2,350.

• P6 RWD Plus: $59,795
• P10 AWD Plus: $62,145
• P6 RWD Ultra: $66,395
• P10 AWD Ultra: $68,745

Both versions come similarly well equipped in standard Plus trim. Fancier Ultra models command several grand more. Some included upgrades, like ventilated front seats, can be optioned on the Plus. But nappa leather upholstery and a booming 28-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo with Dolby Atmos tuning are Ultra exclusives. The modernist design may polarize. The technology it incorporates might too. Still, the EX60 heralds a mostly compelling future for Volvo. The Swedish brand just bet its software-defined future on a luxury EV data center. It might actually work.