Volvo has achieved a prize-winning double with the V60 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T6 named overall winner in the 2023 Tow Car Awards and the V90 Cross Country being voted the Best Car for Towing in the Auto Trader New Car Awards 2023. The honours, both announced yesterday, show the brand maintaining its fine tradition of delivering cars with excellent towing capabilities, including within its new generation of electrified models.
The Volvo V60 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T6 has the distinction of being the first plug-in hybrid model to be crowned overall winner in the Tow Car Awards, while also winning the category for cars in the ‘1900kg+: Up to £60,000’ class.
The judging panel comprised experts from What Car?, Practical Caravan and the Camping and Caravanning Club, whose assessment of the contenders included rigorous track testing. Steve Huntingford, What Car? Editor, remarked: “With more power and a bigger battery than before, the Volvo V60 Recharge offers an excellent all-electric range, and tremendous performance while towing.” He also praised the car’s stability, roominess and ease of towing, concluding that “it’s hard to find fault with the Volvo as a tow car”.
The mid-size Volvo estate has a braked towing capacity of 2,000kg. The power and torque of its petrol-electric all-wheel-drive powertrain is key to its strong and responsive towing performance: the 253hp 2.0-litre engine produces a maximum of 350Nm of torque, working with a 145hp electric motor with 309Nm. Performance is supported by an 18.8kWh lithium-ion battery, which allows for an electric-only range of up to 55 miles when not towing.
As for the V90 Cross Country, its success emulates the achievement of the Volvo XC40 compact SUV in the same Auto Trader awards category last year. This year, the V90 emerged the winner from survey responses from more than 220,000 UK car owners who rated their vehicles against a series of consumer-focused lifestyle categories. The Cross Country version of the elegant estate car is tailored for exploring the great outdoors, with all-wheel drive, a raised ride height and the ability to tow braked trailers up to 2,400kg. And if owners need more space, there’s up to 1,517 litres available inside.
Erin Baker, Auto Trader’s Editorial Director, said: “The gorgeous Volvo V90 Cross Country is a tempting package, offering a premium, spacious interior, great tech, sublime drive and that all-important towing capability. Owners commented in particular on its Swedish styling, which sets it apart from other mainstream manufacturers.”
Kristian Elvefors, Volvo Car UK Managing Director, said: “Building cars that are perfectly suited to towing is part of our heritage and one that we are proud to be carrying forward into the new era of electrified mobility. As these awards demonstrate, success is not just about raw strength, but making this part of a complete package that includes our hallmark qualities of stylish design, exceptional safety, practicality and comprehensive connectivity and convenience features.”
