Volvo XC40 wins carsales Car of the Year among more SUV awards
Volvo Cars’ luxury SUVs have added further awards to their extensive collection after XC40 and XC60 continue to impress motoring experts.
Volvo Cars’ portfolio of luxury SUVs has continued its unprecedented run of critical success with two further major awards.
The Volvo XC40 T4 Momentum compact luxury SUV was voted carsales’ 2018 Car of the Year, and the highly acclaimed XC60 D5 R-Design SUV has been crowned ‘Best Luxury SUV under $80,000’ for the second consecutive year by Drive.
The awards extend a local and global trend. The XC60 was named 2018 Wheels Car of the Year by Australia’s highly renowned car magazine, as well as 2018 World Car of the Year.
Volvo’s XC40 was voted 2018 European Car of the Year before claiming its latest prestigious trophy.
“This is the first automotive award for our XC40 in Australia, so it is a very special moment for Volvo Cars,”
The Volvo XC40 emerged from an intense week of testing – and scrutiny by eight highly experienced motoring experts – to beat 23 other strong contenders to be voted Car of the Year by Australia’s leading automotive site carsales.
Carsales’ judges evaluated every vehicle against five key criteria: powertrain; chassis; comfort and refinement; packaging; and safety, infotainment and connectivity.
The judges appreciated the compact luxury SUV’s blend of “packaging appeal, high-tech innovation and Volvo’s acknowledged expertise in both active and passive safety”.
The XC40’s styling, both inside and out, was also praised, with carsales saying the Volvo “is a vehicle that looks more expensive than it actually is”.
“The Volvo XC40 is the Swedish brand’s first compact SUV and was described by our expert judges as sophisticated, high-tech, refined, dynamic, safe and ergonomically innovative, making it comfortable and easy to drive,” said carsales editor in chief Mike Sinclair. “It also scored very well on key cost to own and run data.”
XC40 T4 Momentum: 2018 carsales Car of the Year
Drive’s annual awards are equally well known for their exhaustive testing process to uncover the best vehicles every year, and this is the Volvo XC60’s second successive win in the ‘Best Luxury SUV under $80,000’ category.
“Style, sophistication and safety” were again key to the XC60 D5 R-Design’s win, achieved against competitor luxury SUVs from Alfa Romeo and BMW. Its nearest challenge was another Volvo, the XC40.
“As they did last year, the judges praised the Volvo’s engine for offering so much performance and refinement, with a subtle soundtrack that only hints it’s an oil-burner, wrote Drive. “The XC60 [again] impressed with a comfortable ride on its optional air suspension but is also surprisingly dynamic when pushed to its dynamic limits.”
“Volvo takes safety a step further with the XC60 offering the head-on mitigation system that can detect oncoming traffic and steer the vehicle back into its lane. That was a world-first and won Volvo the safety innovation prize in 2017. It’s part of the XC60’s Pilot Assist system that makes this the safest choice.”
AWARDS RECAP
Volvo XC40
2018 carsales COTY (T4 Momentum)
2018 European Car of the Year
Volvo XC60
2018 World Car of the Year
2018 Wheels Car of the Year
2018 Best Luxury SUV Under $80,000 (XC60 D5 R-Design)
2018 Best Cars Best AWD SUV $65,000-$125,000 (XC60 D4 Inscription)
2018 Good Design Award Gold Winner
