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A lot is changing at Volvo: New owners (the Chinese) in the recent past, new vehicles in the not-too-distant future, and today, a new line of four-cylinder engines called Drive-E that Volvo says will produce the same acceleration as their five- and six-cylinder engines with significantly increased fuel economy. How does Drive-E work with the Volvo XC60? Let's drive it and find out. The 2015 Volvo XC60 starts at $36,675 (a price that includes free maintenance for 3 years or 36,000 miles), and is covered by a 4-year/50,000-mile warranty.

First Glance

Looking at the Volvo XC60, it's hard to believe the design is half a decade old. Volvo first introduced the XC60 in 2010, and it still looks up-to-date and modern -- not that we should be surprised, as even the bigger XC90, introduced way back in 2003, looks better than some recently-penned SUVs. The XC60 received some minor styling changes for the (abbreviated) 2014 model year, including new bumpers, fog lights and hood, which has little visual impact on the overall design. That's a good thing, if you ask me; ten years down the road, the XC60 will still look fresh.

The bigger changes are under that new hood: The new Drive-E four-cylinder engines. Until now, XC60 buyers could choose between five- and six-cylinder engines, former developing 250 hp and the latter 300 hp. For the 2015 model year, those engines will continue in all-wheel-drive XC60s, while the front-drivers get the new Drive-E engines.

For starters, the XC60 will be offered with two Drive-E engines, called T5 and T6 (the same labels given to the five- and six-cylinder engines, respectively, which is bound to cause some confusion).

Both displace two liters; the T5 version has a turbocharger and puts out 240 horsepower, while the T6 has both a turbo and a supercharger (more about which a little farther down the page) and develops 325 hp.

In the Driver's Seat

2014 also saw a few updates to the XC60's interior, with the biggest change being the new gauge cluster. It's now a video screen, with a choice of three display modes: "Eco" (featuring a fuel economy gauge), "Elegance" (a traditional speedometer-tachometer-temperature layout), and "Performance", which turns the main gauge into a tachometer with a digital speed readout in the center. Info for the active cruise control and navigation are displayed in the center on XC60s equipped with these features. It's a nice looking layout, but the abbreviated speedo dial can be hard to read; it'd be nice if all three modes had a digital speed readout.

The rest of the interior displays the elegant simplicity for which the Swedes are known, including a flat-panel center stack with a storage area just behind it. Volvo's sensible climate controls feature a stylized diagram of a person; if you want air directed at your legs, you press the little Volvo-person's legs. Too bad about the plethora of look-alike buttons that surround it, although the phone-dial keypad is a handy touch, allowing the driver to dial a phone number as easily as he or she would do at home.

Volvos are known for their comfortable front seats; the XC60 is no exception, but the cramped back seat stands in sharp contrast. It's fine for small children -- especially when equipped with Volvo's nifty built-in booster seats -- but a squeeze for growing teens or adults. The cargo bay stands in sharp contrast: It's long and generous at 30.8 cubic feet. If the XC60 could give up some of that cargo space for a bit more back seat room, it would be a much more useful SUV. Of course, not everyone uses their SUV to haul kids: If you're looking primarily for cargo room, the XC60 is a champ.

On the Road

I've always liked the way the XC60 drives, particularly in six-cylinder form with all-wheel-drive, so I was eager to try the new 325 hp Drive-E engine. The technology is very cool: While some engines use superchargers and others use turbochargers, the Drive-E T6 uses both.

Superchargers and turbochargers serve the same purpose: they pump additional air into the engine, which can then be mixed with more fuel to create more power. Superchargers are driven directly by the engine, while turbochargers use a turbine (a fancy fan) driven by the exhaust. The Drive-E T6 uses a supercharger at lower engine speeds, bypassing the turbo. At mid-RPMs, it briefly uses both, then switches over to the turbocharger, bypassing and disconnecting the supercharger. This overcomes the disadvantages of both: Using a supercharger at low RPMs gives better off-the-line acceleration, eliminating the "turbo lag" that afflicts turbocharged engines. Switching to the turbo eliminates the power-sapping drag that comes from driving the supercharger.

The result of Volvo's machinations is a smooth, even flow of power, just like a big engine (along with a cool whining, whistling soundtrack). More important is the significant increase in fuel economy: 22 MPG city/30 MPG highway, versus 18/26 for last year's front-drive six-cylinder model.

Unfortunately, the Drive-E T6 engine isn't at its best in the XC60; the one I tested suffered from an annoying case of torque steer (the tenancy of a powerful front-drive car to pull to one side under acceleration), a problem that a Volvo engineer told me might have been exacerbated by our test car's 20" wheels. The front-drive XC60 is also offered with the 240 hp Drive-E T5 engine, which uses only a turbocharger. I sampled this engine in the similarly sized V60 wagon and quite enjoyed it, though I don't know if it would be the best choice for the XC60, which outweighs the V60 by a quarter of a ton.

Journey's End

How could I have gotten so far into this review and not mentioned safety? That is, after all, one of the best reasons to buy a Volvo. The Volvo safety story goes beyond the XC60's outstanding marks in both government and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests. Consider that the XC60's big sister, the XC90, recently passed the IIHS's tough new small-overlap crash test, the one that has been giving automakers fits -- and the XC90 was designed over ten years ago! And along with protecting its occupants, the XC60 protects the people around it, with active safety technology that detects objects in front of the car (pedestrians, bicycles, other vehicles) and applies the brakes to avoid or reduce the severity of a collision.

Pricing for the 2015 XC60 T5 starts at $36,675; Volvo hasn't released a full price list, but a top-of-the-line 2014 model -- the X60 T6 R-Design Platinum AWD -- lists for $59,754 with all the options. That puts the XC60 somewhere between the BMW X1, which is more affordable and sportier to drive but has even less back seat and cargo space, and the Audi Q5, which is roomier and more functional but somewhat more expensive. The Mercedes-Benz GLK is in a slightly higher price bracket; it offers a more posh interior and a super-frugal diesel version, but like the BMW X1 it falls down on space.

I'd like to say the XC60 strikes a nice compromise, but the cramped back seat compromises its utility, especially if you have a family -- your kids will grow, but the Volvo XC60 won't. With a little more back seat space, this might be the ultimate family SUV. As it stands, it comes pretty close. -- Aaron Gold

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.