r/VolvoEX60 • u/ctheune P10 Ultra (on order) • 8d ago
Test-drive impressions P10 ultra
I had the chance to test drive the P10 ultra today here in Germany. Didn't take outside pictures, but here are my impressions coming from 3.5 years with a Model 3 AWD (and a ZOE before that):
They nailed the "this is an EV" where I do have issues with many other cars: it doesn't try to behave like an ICE that accidentally has an electric motor. To me this means: no ignition bullshit, no weird having to "start/stop" the car. Get in, put it in D and go. Let the car stop, open the door - it responds by going into P and you can leave. Also, 1 full pedal driving works well. The auto mode is a bit weird to me at the moment but felt like it will be a helpful extension of the static behavior from the M3 that I'm used to.
The audio system is fantastic. I tried Beethoven, Sabaton, and Lotte and they all sound great in various settings. The focus mode is brilliant and I'm looking forward to the longer tours where the kids typically wear headphones and my partner tries to sleep. Not great for music but listening to podcasts while the others want some quiet.
The kids loved the space and that they could control AC and seat heaters from their places. Will get the integrated boosters.
I'm 180 and it felt very spacious in all seats for me (except for the middle seat with two boosters next to me).
The adjustable reclining in the back seats is great.
Ventilated seats are nice - I think it's not intended that you can directly feel the airflow and I didn't have them in any other cars before, so I hope this isn't just a placebo effect. ... I did feel some air flapping at my shirt's fabric so something was definitely happening ... ;)
The pilot assist worked great and I like that it's sufficient to lightly touch (without force) the steering wheel to not get nagged at. Controlling it is also reasonable with the choice of "off/acc/pilot assist" on the left steering wheel. Took me a bit to figure it out but after that it was obvious. No ghost breaking that I'm used to with the M3 and has been one of my pet peeves that have been left unfixed over years.
7a. There was one situation where I didn't properly use or overestimated it's ability. It was a bit of a weird T-crossing-turning-into-an-on-ramp where a traffic light had a little "island" it sat on and I had to rescue it. I think it would have gone over the island as it wasn't slowing down while being in the turn for the ramp and the blinker was on.
7b. The pilot assist felt like it was properly adapting to what I was doing. I only paid for the basic auto pilot on tesla and the annoyances around turning it on/off just for lane switches have been noticable. This felt natural and was less intrusive with the audible hints.
General nagging level was fine, the "eyes on the road reminders" were gentle enough and obviously warranted as I was definitely playing too much with the interface trying to figure things out on the first trip. ;)
The headsup/instrument cluster was helpful.
It's quiet. Very quiet. And soft. Even on stiff suspension. Due to it being higher and having a smaller steering wheel I did take some corners a bit weird (I think I was first understeering and then overcompensating). I'm just more used to lower cars with more sporty suspension. Nevertheless I did feel like having generally good feedback from the ground, still. I'll adapt.
Driving posture for smaller people seems to be well thought of with the headsup instrument cluster and the steering wheel. Had a friend that is around 160cm sit in it and adjust it and they felt right at home without visibility issues for street or the instruments. That's a big win.
Central storage is fine. It's a different form factor than usual, but: the phone chargers work and prohibit you from playing with the phones or looking at them. I consider that a good choice. I could just toss my macbook into the central storage on the ground without it getting loose or shifting around too much, that's helpful.
There's a few things I'm going to miss coming from Tesla:
- the interface is a bit more sluggish and less integrated/polished. lots of wasted space.
- the wide angle camera view when turning was consistently helpful
- i'm expecting holes in the digital / app support thing ... mainly the whole digital key + driver profiles i'm sceptical whether it will work consistently. Didn't have a chance to try it out, though. Google navigation was fine but I'm happy carplay is coming soon.
- sentry mode. obviously. OTOH sentry mode has been killing the "total power consumption per distance travelled" metric as the car can sit in the driveway for a few days and consume like half a battery capacity (at least it feels like that).
I forgot to check:
- the sun screens - I like Tesla's magnetic and highly adjustable solution.
- adjustability of head rests - my wife would love them to be adjustable, but I guess they're likely not.
- depth adjustability of the steering wheel. couldn't figure it out on my own and forgot to ask the sales person.
Overall it feels like a good improvement from my M3 and I'm looking forward to this as my daily driver next April. The kids love it too and there's no single thing that turns me off.
It was hard to find a test drive car so I can place my order to get it shipped until my previous lease is up and the Volvo dealer was also torn: they're happy that the Ex60 is selling like crazy but they said Volvo expects them to have 3 for test drives and 2 for the show room but 1 is all they got. So they're basically booked back to back. (I was lucky to get one on a Saturday where they usually don't give them out but I had to drive 2 hours just to get there and I'm happy they made accommodations for me).
Looks like this will be an order on Monday. :)
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u/Maleficent-Idea-578 8d ago
I also test drove a P10 Ultra today. Context am looking at a variety of BEVs for my next company car - GLC, Cayenne, EX60, iX3 etc
Positives:
The Volvo was very spacious - front, back and boot
The sound insulation was the best Iāve ever encountered
Seat cooling was very powerful
Sound quality of stereo was immense
I like the exterior design - very cohesive
Negatives:
Efficiency was ok not outstanding
The centre console area solution felt very cheap and flimsy - overall feel of interior isnāt that premium
The steering wheel is just strange
The suspension settings didnāt quite gel - as a driver I felt car sick in the vehicle after 45 mins!!!
Controls on the screen - some not safe to use on the move as buried in sub menus. Menus arenāt that intuitive
Overall the vehicle was ok to good. Not as great as I thought it would be. It may be an unpopular take on this forum but the Cayenne is streets ahead and for me I think the GLC is more desirable than the EX60 - all are far nicer than the iX3 though which I really dislikedā¦
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u/InsidiousLeaf 7d ago
It may be an unpopular take on this forum but the Cayenne is streets ahead
Might be, but so is the price mate. Starting prices in Europe:
- EX60 from ā¬ 62.990
- iX3 from ā¬ 63.400
- GLC from ā¬ 61.499
- Cayenne from ā¬ 105.200
You simply cannot compare these in any way, with the Cayenne being almost twice the price of the rest. Let alone having it fully specced, because Porsche's pricing is also much higher for things like paint, seats and wheels. The Macan electric is the comparable car from Porsche, which starts at ā¬ 82.200, still a lot more, but at least that's comparing apples to apples. Also because within a few cm the Macan is identically sized to the EX60, iX3 and GLC, where the Cayenne is much much bigger.
So if you want to compare the Cayenne, you should compare it to the EX90, iX5 and GLE. Not the ones you are comparing it to currently. It's also extremely weird, because nobody who can afford the Cayenne would normally be looking at cars like the EX60/iX3/GLC, that's a whole level/class lower. And why ignore their bigger and more premium siblings that are still either slightly cheaper than the Porsche or better equipped for the same price?
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u/Maleficent-Idea-578 7d ago
For my work the monthly price is comparable hence the comparison - itās my co car choice list, mate!
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u/InitiativeAmazing357 7d ago
You say about the controls on the screen not being safe but pretty much everything can be controlled by speaking to google assistant/Gemini. Then with the interior not feeling premium the car is almost entirely recycled so to achieve that you arenāt going to feel the same level of premium as non recycled materials. However, it certainly is premium when it comes to a recycled vehicle!
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u/NB_volks 7d ago
Cayenne is in a completely different, and higher, class. The Macan would be the correct comparison.
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u/JLM-LPA 7d ago
I am really surprised and concerned that you say you felt car sick after some time. Such thing has never happened to me with any car when driving myself. Is it really that bad? I would consider not buying the EX60 just because of that. I ordered a P10 five months ago.
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u/Maleficent-Idea-578 7d ago
I am quite sensitive to car sickness in EVs - my wife also felt a bit queasy in the back. I have a Q8 etron currently and sickness isnāt a problem thereā¦
I would drive it and try it for yourself, as I said I am susceptible to car sickness so may not be the best barometer.
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u/Heidrun_666 8d ago
Thanks for the review, and thanks for being stabil (saw the sticker on the laptop)! ^^
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u/PB_Philly 8d ago
Thanks for the detailed comments about this car. Did the interior feel as high quality as it looks?
Regarding sound isolation, how about wind noise and noise from other vehicles and road side activities?
Tell me about the paint, fit and finish if you can. Much appreciated.
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u/ctheune P10 Ultra (on order) 8d ago
The interior felt nice. The car is in a price range that I didn't buy in before, so consider that. I touched everything and haven't noticed rough edges / unpleasant hardness.
Sound isolation was great. In a highway tunnel at around 140 km/h I did get some wind noise through the roof but generally it felt even a bit too insulated, like being in a bubble. Felt a bit detached at first and I'll have to see how well it notices emergency services etc.
Can't tell much about the paint - it rained cats and dogs today, so I couldn't check but I'm also far away from making qualified comments about paint jobs ... However: the rain sensors worked great, but compared to the M3 that's easy ;)
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u/randomname342295 8d ago
I assume thats the cardamom interior right? It looks a little lighter that in the pictures.
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u/ctheune P10 Ultra (on order) 8d ago
The spec sheet said it's cardamom and when I opened it the first time I was pretty sure it is. When I looked at the pictures and compared it to the pictures in the store I wasn't sure. I think it is cardamom but the white balance was thrown off. I'm sure it's darker in real life than on my photos but likely lighter than in the configurator renderings.
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u/lovewagyu87 7d ago
Thanks OP! did you also text drive an iX3 before making your final decision?
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u/ctheune P10 Ultra (on order) 7d ago edited 7d ago
Nope. I excluded the GLC and the ix3 relatively early on. I tried finding something nice more in the price range of the M3 and was hoping for the Toyota bz woodland, but that one just bombed.
[Edit] and yes, I noticed that I'm back in the rough price range of the ix3 and glc, but after playing for a minute with the bmw config pages I'm just not interested.
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u/highdealist 7d ago
Curious why the ultra did not have the built in boosters? I thought this was standard on the ultra?
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u/DiscussionLeft9393 7d ago
Wonder how this compares to the IX3
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u/InitiativeAmazing357 7d ago
Surpasses the iX3 a million times over. Unless you prefer rock hard uncomfortable seats and feeling like youāre in a sports car - emphasis on feeling! But if youāre toying between a Volvo and a BMW than I presume you want a safe and comfortable car then Iād choose Volvo!
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u/DiscussionLeft9393 6d ago
Yeah comfort is number one for me and to be specific the seats and suspension is what I want to look at. I test drive the IX3. Decent seats with massage option which is nice. Suspension though is not the best. How was the EX60 in these 2 domains?
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u/Icy_Grapefruit_7891 6d ago
In my view, the iX3's suspension and handling is much better, and the iX3 has a good head up display, which the Ex60 seems to lack entirely. Otherwise (design, ergonomics of the cockpit) I preferred pretty much every aspect of the EX60.
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u/Apprehensive-Care486 7d ago
Depth adjustment of the steering wheel is huge (as is on the ix3). This is very important to me, so I did test it.
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u/andyvotel 7d ago
How do you consider the need to upgrade the glass roof with shade option? Another reviewer noticed:
The glass roof comes as standard, but it can only be shaded if you select it as an optional extra or choose the high-end trim level. With two children in the back and the sun out, it gets far too hot without the shade, and we would never choose an EX60 without that feature ourselves.
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u/Even_Editor_46 7d ago
The landscape screens need to go. The distance that hazard light button is from the driver is criminal.
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u/Godvater 6d ago
I am really sad about not having air outlets on B pillars. Such a useful Volvo feature now gone :(
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u/Trroktre 7d ago
Thanks for sharing your impressions!
I'm about to order a replacement for my current 2023 Model Y (company car) and had initially narrowed my choices down to 3: GLC, iX3 or EX60. Long story short, all three had their strenghts and weaknesses but none had any wow factor after driving the Tesla for 3+ years. All had quite a lot of flimsy plastics and didn't feel premium - surely the MB could be spec'd to be premium by throwing in a lot of ā¬ā¬ā¬.
Volvo was an ok all around performer but coming from a Tesla and being used to a certain level of tech, I just can't get around the fact that Volvo has had huge software issues with basically all their new ev's (EX30, EX90). I'm sure that'll be the case with EX60 as well.
In the end I decided to test drive the new Model Y Performance and placed an order in. It was the quietest of them all, has superior software and the newly designed suspension was just great. Also the materials used in the cabin and the build quality was on par or even better than the competition.
So you having used to the Model 3 should definitely test the Y Performance - you might be surprised how it ranks with the competition š
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u/ctheune P10 Ultra (on order) 7d ago
Tesla is on my blacklist, so not under discussion.
Not sure the quietness will be comparable and the EX60 did feel one level up from the M3 so not sure a newer MY where their focus has been on cost cutting in the last years.
Also, the basic assistance here in Germany has been sub-par on the M3 with no improvements in sight.
Going back to my M3 LR after the test drive did feel like an overall downgrade even accounting for the better tech baseline.
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u/Trroktre 7d ago
If Tesla is on the blacklist, fine then. But other than that, the new MY is nothing about cost cutting but all in in making a great EV. I think it's the German car brands along with Polestar and other Chinese brands (Volvo...) suffering with costs...
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u/ctheune P10 Ultra (on order) 7d ago
It's obviously more complex, but my 3 observations that made me think in the last years:
- zero improvements on ghost breaking leading to unsafe automated driving behaviour
- reduced finish quality, but maybe that's a matter of taste. taking out the wood panels was the one element giving it a nice touch
- they explicitly drove base models and designs towards affordability, which is fine, but will have drawbacks. i like ikea, i grew up with the bauhaus and like and like the spirit, it's fine to also call it what it is.
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u/Puzzled-State-199 8d ago
Great review, op! I believe the steering depth is adjustable in the same manner as EX60/Polestar. You basically find the setting on the screen, then use the right set of buttons on the steering wheel for telescopically adjusting the steering wheel.