Can Gold Mine Hill Stop the Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription? [Video]

Just how quick is the Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription? And can it conquer Gold Mine Hill?

Back in June, Nathan and Andre took a Volvo V90 Cross Country up Gold Mine Hill to see if it could be the first car (by which I mean regular car, rather than SUV or crossover) to make it up all stages of Gold Mine Hill. Ultimately, the wagon proved too long to crest the third stage. That being said, it performed well up the rest of the trail. So we know Volvo’s wagon offering fares surprisingly well in light to moderate off-roading. At least if you don’t encounter any breakover issues. But what about one of its crossover cousins? Roman and Tommy take the $63,290 Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription up each stage of Gold Mine Hill to find out.

2018 Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription
[Photo: Volvo]

But first…

While the Volvo XC60 has air suspension with an off-road mode to raise the car 1.5 inches farther off the ground, that’s not all it has going for it. Under the hood, there’s a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. It’s good for 316 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Not only could the Volvo XC60 cope well off-road, but could it be a bit of a speed demon as well? Clearly, even with 158 horsepower per liter (mightily impressive for a 2.0-liter engine), you’re not going to set any speed records in a bulky crossover.

Nevertheless, it sprints from 0-60 at a mile above sea level in 6.24 seconds. That’s half a second faster than the Audi A4 and over a second faster than the Acura TLX A-Spec. Certainly not a bad showing, and if you’re still wanting for power, there’s always the T8 Inscription model. Not only does that have supercharging and turbocharging, but it adds electrification into the mix.

Not only is the Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription quick, but it has luxury and tech on its side as well. On the highway, the Volvo sports a Pilot Assist function. It’s a semi-autonomous feature suite that helps drivers in highway driving. Not only does its cruise control keep you at a set distance from the car in front, but the car also reads the road markings. Provided it can see the lines, it will steer the car to keep it pointed in the right direction. It’s not a fully autonomous system, as it warns the driver if they take their hands off the wheel for too long. If the driver refuses to place their hands back on the wheel, it will disengage the Pilot Assist system altogether.

How does the Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription perform off-road?

With that extra 1.5 inches in off road mode, the 2018 Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription goes from an already decent 8.3 inches to nearly 10 inches of ground clearance. Surely, that’s enough to tackle most obstacles on Gold Mine Hill. And indeed it is – the XC60 did make it up all three stages. Now, it’s worth mentioning that the XC60 does not have a low range function when traversing off-road challenges. However, its engine puts out a pretty decent amount of torque, and first gear is geared enough to make the most of it. As a result, a whole lot of throttle was enough to see the XC60 over the top.

What do you think of the new Volvo XC60? Let us know in the comments below? Also, if you’re looking for Christmas gifts for the enthusiast in your life, why not head over to TFL’s store on Teespring to pick up some new TFL gear. Check it out now! Visit TFLcar.com for more news, views and off-road Volvo reviews, and subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow on YouTube for the latest videos on your favorite new models!