Season Recap: The Best SUVs

We’ve already recapped our favorite efficient cars and hybrids, but what about the SUVs? Even with sky-high gas prices, new SUVs of all sizes are coming to market. This year brought some of the best interiors and fuel efficiency yet in this segment, but what glorified station wagon took our staff’s hearts?

Joe Wiesenfelder: 2009 Volvo XC60
Put simply, there were some impressive redesigns this year, but I have to go with an all-new entry — especially when it's a smaller alternative to an existing SUV: The XC60 is a handsome vehicle with a high-quality interior and all the safety features you could possibly want. It isn't too small in practical terms compared to the XC90, but it is smaller. These days, smaller is better.

Video: 2009 Volvo XC60

Cars.com's resident Suburban Dad, Patrick Olsen, takes a look at Volvo's new SUV, the XC60. It competes with the BMW X3 and Land Rover LR2 but is remarkably large for what's considered a compact segment. Patrick shows off the cargo area and rear seat room, as well as the fancy interior duds.

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More on the 2009 Volvo XC60

Up Close: 2009 Volvo XC60

The XC60 could easily be mistaken for an XC90, as the two have similar front-end and profile styling, though the XC60 does have a sleeker appearance overall. The XC60's rear also features Volvo's characteristic tall-and-thin taillights.

While the aging XC90's cabin is starting to look a little drab, the XC60's interior can be outfitted in a variety of color combinations; leather seats are available in two-tone combinations like tan and brown or black and yellow. Yes, black and yellow. The dash also incorporates a new version of Volvo's slim center control panel.

The XC60 comes at the right time for Volvo and should appeal to shoppers looking for a small luxury crossover — especially if gas prices continue to rise. A fresh photo gallery is below.

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2008 Geneva Motor Show: 2009 Volvo XC60

2008 Geneva Motor Show: 2009 Volvo XC60

• Competes with: BMW X3, Land Rover LR2, Acura RDX
• Looks like: Safe comes to the compact luxury SUV market
• Drivetrain: 281-hp, turbocharged six-cylinder
• Hits dealerships: Early 2009

Volvo is jumping into the small luxury SUV game with the XC60. It joins an ever-growing group of very good vehicles, like the BMW X3, Acura RDX, Land Rover LR2, Infiniti EX35 and Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming GLK. Can Volvo play the safe card and win buyers?

That’s what the company says it isn’t doing, at least with the design. While it certainly isn’t boxy, we’re not sure if the lines are as universally appealing as the Infiniti EX35 or as true to their brand as the Land Rover LR2. At first glance the interior looks similar to other Volvos, but the floating center stack is actually off-center, skewing toward the driver. It’s an odd effect, but it might turn out to be quite practical.

Under the hood is the energetic turbocharged T6 six-cylinder pumping out 281 hp — more than any other SUV in this group — we recently tested in the Volvo S80 sedan. It will be the only available engine in the U.S. when it goes on sale in early 2009. All-wheel drive will be standard, which makes us worry that the entry price might be high. But considering that parts of Volvo’s lineup — like the S80 and XC70 — are priced well below the competition, we’ll have to wait and see.

As for safety, the XC60 comes with a crash-avoidance feature that can tell if you’re about to run into the car in front of you, and it then applies the brakes to avoid the accident. Volvo is calling it “City Safety” in the XC60, but it sounds much like the collision warning system in other vehicles in Volvo’s lineup, sometimes as part of a $1,700 option package. City Safety is standard in the XC60.

Check out more photos below and let us know if the looks work or not.

Volvo XC60 Concept Gets Early Reveal

We’re not sure if leaks on the web yesterday led to an early official release of the Volvo XC60 by the Swedish automaker, but we can tell you this is the big concept Volvo will show in the flesh at the Detroit auto show next month. This luxury compact SUV is based on the new Land Rover LR2 and would slate below the XC90 in the brand’s lineup.

It’s pretty wild, but expect the production model to look a lot like it when it hits the streets in early 2009. The only part we don’t quite “get” is the sit-up-straight grille treatment stuck in the middle of a slightly sloping front end. See how the headlights and grill don’t feature the same slant? That’s a pretty jarring look.

Volvo has been trying to break out of its boring design language for years, and by borrowing from the Ford Iosis X concept that debuted in Paris earlier this year, the company could finally be getting out of its rut. More pictures below.