2 Reasons To Wait For Volvo's New EX60 (And 2 To Be Wary)

The midsize Volvo EX60 EV is coming for the 2027 model year in two different flavors: the standard EX60, and the EX60 Cross Country with a little more off-road flair. Both will be built on a new EV architecture at Volvo's factory in Sweden. Practically, it's a five-seater crossover SUV from a brand that's famous for making stylish (and very safe and very Swedish) cars. 

One big factor that may determine the EX60's success hasn't been announced as of yet, and that's price. The ballpark of $60,000 seems realistic (the current XC60 Plug-in Hybrid starts at $62,545), but Volvo is keeping that information to itself until closer to the U.S. launch this spring. The EX60 Cross Country is coming out at a later, as yet unspecified window.

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As with any entirely new model of car, especially one built on a new platform, there's a lot to get excited about and an equal amount to be wary about until teething issues are sorted out. That's not a shot across the bow of Volvo. It's just the name of the electrified game.

As for what's exciting, the range is excellent. Volvo notes in its press release that the EX60 should have a range of up to 400 miles, depending on the trim level, and that's even with all-wheel drive. That range is attained via a 117 kilowatt-hour battery for the 670 horsepower P12 variant. 

The mid-range P10 gets a 95 kilowatt-hour battery for a maximum of 320 miles of range, and the base model, rear-wheel-drive only P6 gets an 83 kilowatt-hour battery for a still pretty competitive 310 miles. The EX60 Cross Country's complete range numbers haven't been unveiled as of yet, but the battery sizes are the same, with the P10 getting 300 miles of range.

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Additionally, the charging speeds are reportedly very fast, up to 400 kilowatts. That, according to Volvo, means up to 173 miles of range added in just 10 minutes on the P12 model, or 10% to 80% of battery in 19 minutes. It charges through a NACS port, meaning that it can charge at Tesla Supercharger stations if you so desire, and an adapter will add V2L AC output support.

With those two exciting bits of information, the range and charging speed, comes what might cause you to wait until 2027 for a Volvo EX60. First, it has Google's Gemini built in, which is a whole can of worms in itself. At its absolute best, AI companions are mildly helpful for figuring out what restaurants to go to or helping with hands-free calling or messaging. However, we've all heard horror stories of what AI can hallucinate. Although if it helps keep the driver's eyes on the road, then it's arguably not the worst use of the technology. 

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Secondly, Volvo has an "interesting" track record with launching electric vehicles. The EX30 looked great on paper (and great in person), but the launch version that appeared in the United States was much more expensive than originally bargained for, and the all-screen approach to interior ergonomics left a little to be desired. 

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More seriously, the EX90 was plagued by software issues even after a delayed launch; Volvo opted to upgrade the compute hardware altogether, not just for MY26 examples, but retroactively for existing MY25 owners. Waiting a year or two helps iron out any wrinkles in software that are unfortunately nearly always present in new electric cars, but which have impacted Volvo's latest EV more than most. 

Is the Volvo EX60 worth getting excited about? Yes, and the EX60 Cross Country adds a little bit of fun to the mix. The range and charging speeds look excellent across the lineup and (hopefully) it will arrive at a price tag that people agree with. The EX60 joins a heated market with competition from not only traditional luxury brands like Cadillac, Mercedes, and BMW with models like the Lyriq, EQE, and iX respectively, but also models from brands that are moving up-market like Hyundai and Kia. 

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Time will tell what sort of splash the EX60 makes, then. The numbers are certainly in its favor and it looks great to boot, but it will take more than some spreadsheets and fancy sheet metal to break further into the fiercely competitive midsize crossover EV segment. Nobody wants to see Volvo fall flat on its face with the EX60, but we don't want to excuse a lackluster car either, especially when the first reveal is so optimistic. Worth the excitement, then, but you couldn't be blamed for not wanting to be very first in line when the order books actually open.