Volvo XC60 gets refreshed look and upgraded interior for £49,240

The updated Volvo XC60 has gone on sale, priced from £49,240, as the Swedish brand bids to maintain the appeal of its best-selling model.

The range tops out at £69,860 in T8 Plug-in Hybrid Ultra Black Edition. Deliveries will begin in the third quarter of this year.

The big changes come visually, with the SUV sporting a new grille similar to that fitted to the latest XC90, as well as darker rear lights. There will also be new wheel designs, although UK specifications have yet to be confirmed.

Inside, the XC60 gets a larger, 11.2in infotainment touchscreen that's now elevated above the surface of the dashboard.

It runs on a more powerful chip from American firm Qualcomm, which is said to make the system twice as quick to respond to inputs as before and brings crisper graphics.

The revised XC60 is said to have more luxurious materials inside, with upholstery options including a combination of Nordico synthetic leather and herringbone-pattern fabric.

Cabin refinement is said to be improved too.

Powertrains are unchanged, meaning there's a choice of a 248bhp mild-hybrid petrol or two plug-in hybrids with outputs of 345bhp and 449bhp.

Cars with coil-sprung suspension will receive new dampers intended to soften their ride, but the air suspension set-up remains unchanged.

That the XC60 has received an update so close to the release of its electric counterpart, the EX60 (due next year) suggests that it will remain on sale for the foreseeable future.

Volvo aims its reinvigorated crosshairs at the medium-sized SUV ranks with a premium offering

Indeed, former Volvo CEO Jim Rowan previously suggested that the larger XC90 could remain on sale into the next decade, depending on demand relative to its EX90 electric sibling.

“We will be ready to go fully electric this decade, but if the market infrastructure and customer acceptance is not quite there, we can allow that to take a few more years,” he said.

“The transition to electrification will not be linear. Customers and markets are moving at different speeds, and therefore we will continue to invest in our hybrids so that wherever you are in your journey to electric driving, you can have a Volvo to suit your needs and your situations.”

"Synthetic leather"? That would be vinyl then. All that money and you get plastic seats? Plus, they still haven't addressed the major usability issues with the lack of physical controls for primary functions. So much for safety.

Volvo's website says starting price £55300. That's a £20k price increase since they first went on sale. Ridiculous.