Another Volvo, another debilitating electronic hiccup
2025 Volvo V60 review by The Road Beat
Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman
I used to love Volvos. What, with their stylishly discreet Scandinavian exteriors and luxurious interiors that punched above their weight (price tag), they were the understated choice for the thinking person. Then, a few years ago, I noticed a trend where nearly every single Volvo I tested would exhibit technical and electronic glitches at some point during my weeklong test. This consistency of failure now has me disregarding the brand entirely because of how embarrassing these continued hiccups are, and this latest attempt proves my point.
So where did it all go wrong with this particular 2025 model year Volvo V60? I received a notification for an over-the-air software update a day into my test, which is all fine, but then the car's center display unit estimated it would take a whopping 90 minutes and be inaccessible during that time. No bother, I was in no rush, instead spending several hours of the gym during the install, seemingly having gone smoothly.
The next day, after zero signs of fault, that's where the Volvo curse struck again: just after and upon entering the freeway in the afternoon for my commute home, the center display completely froze. Don't believe me? Here's a video below:
As you can see, not a single button or digital item responded - not even the dang physical volume knob! At least I had turned the air conditioning already on prior to this suspended animation (it was 100 degrees out), because I had another exact instance of this issue in a prior Volvo where it froze before I could activate the climate control. Now, I was already on the freeway, and eventually turning the car off and on did fix the problem (though it took nearly a minute for the screen to reboot, and yes, that's way longer than normal), but I wasn't going to pull over on the freeway and stop and wait for the car to grow a conscience and attempt and figure itself out- I wanted to get home.
You might think that this isn't a big deal, but it is and let me tell you why: I've tested cars each week for the past four years now. That's roughly over 200 new cars. Eight of those have suffered frozen and inoperable screens at some point in my test, and of those eight, six of them have been Volvos. That's why it's a problem, and I simply cannot trust any new Volvo to reliably operate anymore and therefore cannot recommend a new Volvo to anyone unless you enjoy subjecting yourself to such inconvenience. When your phone starts freezing, what do you do? Usually it means it's time for a new one.
What else don't I like about about the Volvo V60? The backup camera at night is too dark (another common Volvo trait - you have to apply the brakes to prompt the brake lights for additional illumination), the huge center display screen will not allow you to view the rear-view and top-view cameras at the same time (A freaking Toyota RAV4 can do this these days even lol), even though there is acreage of screen real estate to do so, and the volume knob clicks too loudly, where you can hear each click even at speed (this is also common of all Volvos and they do have the worst volume knobs of any new vehicles). And for some reason, the speed at which the windows roll down is oddly glacial. Mentioning the climate again, there are five fan speeds to choose from, and levels three through five are identical with no discernable difference felt nor heard. So basically you get 1 - barely on, 2 - slightly on, or 3 - full blast tornado mode.
As for the positive characteristics that carry over from the Volvo range are a stylish exterior with Nordic minimalism that is as handsome as ever, and a beautiful looking and feeling interior (apart from the volume knob) with lush leather and lots of metal detailing. Seats are wonderfully supporting and comforting, too, and Volvo does have the best headlights and seat/steering wheel warmers in the business. With a cabin so well executed in terms of luxury, it's a real shame that Volvo continues to let down in other areas.
Important figures include an average 23 MPG during my week of daily commuting, unimpressive for a little turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing such modest power (I just tested the large Mazda CX-70 SUV with it's big turbocharged six-cylinder engine that returned the exact same mileage doing the exact same commuting). While not slow, the 247-horsepower V60 is also neither quick, but the engine is at least smooth when given some throttle and the eight-speed automatic transmission shifts cleanly. Yet, I did notice some hiccups when either stopped or at low speed, where it can be difficult to modulate the throttle to prevent sudden jolts, with the alternative being a very slow getaway. The prior V60 was significantly worse in this regard, so something has been improved maybe with the 48V mild hybrid system's interaction, but it's still not as user-friendly with its throttle response as alternatives.
Ride quality and comfort impress, which comes at no surprise for a luxury-oriented vehicle, and the Cross Country here should have contributed to that further with its raised and softer suspension setup. If you're interested in canyon carving, this V60 shows zero aptitude for such a task, which is disappointing, but also isn't what it was designed for. As for my own preferences, I do wish the steering were more talkative and with increased weight, as I didn't like the muted and wayward nature of it, even with the 'firm' setting activated. Being the Cross Country version with an extra two inches of clearance, there is an off-road mode for venturing off pavement, but with ground clearance still below eight inches (less than a Toyota Highlander), don't expect any kind of rock crawling; Think more gravel and pebble crawling.
Despite an attractive price for this V60 with all bells and whistles configured, I still am unable to move past the continued teething electronic issues that Volvos consistently showcase during testing. For a brand new luxury car, and in 2024, behavior as such is completely unacceptable. And I cannot stress enough how far from a one-time-thing this was, as frozen screens and other electronic gremlins have plagued Volvos the past few years, across multiple models no less. For that reason, I wouldn't just skip the V60, but any and every new Volvo until I experience consistently improved conduct.
2025 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD Ultra
As-tested price: $64,135
Pros: Typical Volvo exterior and interior style
Cons: Can't trust the electronics
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