I've had my XC60 now for about 3 months. Lots to like about it but also a few short comings, especially when trying to maximize electric driving. 1. I was getting 15 to 17 miles electric range during the colder months with temps normally below freezing. With temps in the upper 40's to low 60's, I can get up to about 25 miles when being careful. I don't generally use the heat and try to remember to pre-condition when the weather is colder. 2. Still not sure what the difference in regen is between B mode and just being careful when using the brakes. 3. The electric motor power is quickly reduced if you are accelerating at the max for electric. There is a little needle on the gauge that shows when you are about to exceed the electric power and the gas engine will kick in. This needle moves downwards the longer you are accelerating close to max electric. Probably only have about 30 to 45 seconds of max electric power before it drops pretty quickly. Going up sustained climbs at even 40 mph will quickly kick over to gas. 4. If you leave the drive mode in hybrid (non changeable default), it doesn't take much to cause the gas engine to kick in. You really want to set it to "pure" before pulling out if you want to keep the gas engine from kicking in. I generally can avoid the gas engine, but it kicks on at least once pretty much every time my wife drives it. 5. Once the gas engine has kicked in, it will run for at least 2 minutes, even if you are coasting. Only way to get it stop in under 2 minutes is to stop the car and turn it off. 6. Around town, I can stay in electric 95% of the time. But once the gas engine kicks in, the torque is pretty amazing. Still, I hate when I do hear the gas engine start up. 7. The electronics/nav are crazy slow. If you have multiple drivers and each has his/her own profile, you can tie it to the key so whichever key is closest when the car is unlocked, it will have the profile (seat positions, mirrors, screen interface, temperature) pretty much set. But if you park in a garage where you don't lock the doors, it can take a couple minutes to load your profile, which for me means I'm at the end of the block. During this time, it'***** or miss if you can change the drive mode. Meaning, you often get the gas engine kicking in right off the bat. 8. Voice control, especially for navigation, is almost useless for me. I have yet to have it actually understand a full address. Compared to when I test drove a Model S which got it perfect every time. 9. The gas tank is crazy small for road trips. At 80 mph, we weren't getting 300 miles of range. You can tank up quick but there are some long stretches through Oregon, Nevada, Utah where there are pretty long distances between gas stations. 10. I do like the phone app for tracking all the trips but it seems to round down for gas and kwh used. Nice that it lets me download the data so I can keep a spreadsheet for stats. Definitely wetting my appetite for a full BEV but none make sense for me at this point. Almost got a 2018 Leaf but not at the prices the local dealer wanted and the current battery tech. Model 3 isn't really available yet plus the trunk vs hatch made it a non starter. The local Chevy dealer won't carry or service the Bolt, and don't want to have to drive 3 hours for a service. Not willing to pay for a Model S. I probably will try to be at the front of the line for the Model Y though. So for now I tank up once every couple months unless I'm headed out on a road trip.
Thanks for posting! I'm finding it hard to find this kind of info anywhere. One question: Do you know the the top speed on electric-only power? My wife has a short highway commute to work. If we could do that in an XC60 T8 on only electric power, that would be great. But with only 87hp available from the electric motor, I'm worried most or all of the commute would be with the gas engine running. TIA!
I don't know that I have ever had the gas engine kick in do to high speed. It has more to do with the acceleration. You can certainly get up to 65 in pure electric, it just might take a bit. She'd want to always switch to "pure" mode which give you a little extra room before the gas engine kicks in. Plus the gauge is really clear where it will click over. In fact, as the needle hits the max electric power marker, it makes an attempt to keep it in all electric. Long story short, I wouldn't expect any problems adding highway miles and still being 100% electric. Happy to answer any questions as I've now had the vehicle for 9 months. Yes, lots of details that don't get covered by the manuals and the dealers have no clue about these things.
