Volvo XC 60 Prototype winter Testing

These are the latest spy shots of Volvo's XC 60, winter testing. Although the test vehicle is quite heavily disguised, we can still pick out some of the details that will be making it onto the actual model.

The profile of the car shows that the XC 60 will follow the same cab-forward design theme of it's bigger brother, the XC 90. The lower slung bonnet is indicative of the measures taken by manufacturers of SUVs to meet EU crash standards because a tall bonnet does more damage to pedestrians. A good example would be the new X5 compared to the previous generation.

The shape of the bonnet is also inline with showing less superior shape overall, so as to distinguish the smaller models from the larger ones, in the same way the BMW X3 looks lower in the front than the X5 or even when comparing the new GLK and the ML class from Mercedes. Hopefully all of this does not ruin the overall look of the car, taking into account how good the concept looked!

From the rear we can also see that the light clusters from Vovo's recent concept, which points at what the XC 60 will look like, are very similar on the test vehicle. Many feel that this could be a very important model for Volvo and there is no doubt that safety conscious buyers and Volvo fans in the medium sized SUV market are waiting in anticipation for when it launches in 2009.