Millwater Motors

millwatermotors

The opportunity to get up close and personal with the 2018 World Car of the Year was one we couldn’t miss and local Millwaterian Clinten Rance brought the eXCiting, top of the range Volvo XC60 T8 Hybrid R-Design right to our door. Clinten comes from a family that has been in the motor business for a long time, so it is no surprise that his experienced personal touch has already built a strong customer following right here in Millwater.

Immediate impressions gained from just sitting in the car reinforce the knowledge that Volvo nowadays is a company focussed on modern, high-quality innovative design, comfort and safety. From the handmade Orrefors crystal gear control, through the intuitive and multi-layered iPad-like human interface that allows the driver to configure every aspect of the car’s immense range of capabilities, to the leading-edge design and materials of the interior, this is a car that delights and inspires. But just sitting still is not what this high-performance luxury car is about, so we headed out on the open road.

Autonomous driving comes as standard, with the car having real-time ‘eyes and ears’ to maintain optimum safe speed and road position as well as driver and passenger safety. The

experience is confidence-inspiring and makes for a very relaxing drive. But, underneath that beautiful Bursting Blue exterior lurks potency that could embarrass many a sports car. In Sport mode, 0-100kph comes in a blisteringly quick 5.2 seconds; very reassuring if you need to overtake quickly and safely. The supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine is paired with an electric motor and delivers 311kW/680Nm via a silky-smooth 8-speed auto, which accounts for the pace – good job the head-up display shows your speed and you remain within the legal limits!

However, most owners of this magnificent AWD motorcar will probably spend more time enjoying the near-silence of luxury in pure electric drive on local commutes, secure in the knowledge that there is a superb Swedish-built petrol engine to take care of the open road – you can forget ‘rangeanxiety’. Regenerative braking, similar to that used in today’s F1 race cars, helps top up the battery on the move, with plug-in hybrid mode doing the rest.

It was a real pleasure to meet Clinten and have the sheer enjoyment of driving a brand-new version of the 2018 World Car of the Year, courtesy of Volvo North Shore.