Compare the2023 Volvo XC60VS 2023 BMW X3

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC60 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X3 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC60 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the XC60 and X3 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X3’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. BMW doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the X3. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The X3’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the XC60 and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the BMW X3:

	XC60	X3
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	202 lbs.
Neck Compression	15 lbs.	64 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28%	38%
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	72 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the BMW X3:

	XC60	X3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	126 lbs.	153 lbs.
Hip Force	190 lbs.	275 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
	Spine Acceleration	29 G’s
43 G’s	Hip Force	410 lbs.
624 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the XC60 is 1.6% to 2.5% less likely to roll over than the X3.

Reliability

The X3’s redline is at 7000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The XC60 has a 6000 RPM redline.

The battery on the XC60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the XC60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The X3’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The XC60 has more powerful engines than the X3:

	Horsepower	Torque
XC60 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	295 HP	310 lbs.-ft.
XC60 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	455 HP	523 lbs.-ft.
X3 s/xDrive30i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	248 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
X3 M40i 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	382 HP	369 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the X3 s/xDrive30i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	XC60	X3
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.1 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the X3:

			MPGe
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	66 city/60 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	59 city/55 hwy
X3
			MPG
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the X3:

			MPG
XC60
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
	AWD	Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/27 hwy
X3
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 hwy

The XC60 can travel with zero emissions for 19 to 36 miles (dependent on model). The X3 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The XC60 has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the X3 (18.8 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The XC60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The X3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the X3:

	XC60	XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered	X3	X3 M40i
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	15.7 inches	13 inches	13.7 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC60’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X3 (265/35R22 vs. 245/45R20).

The XC60’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the X3’s optional 40 series front tires.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC60’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The X3 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC60 is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the X3.

The XC60 B5 Core AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the X3 xDrive30i pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 Core AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the X3 xDrive30i (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the X3’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X3 (8.3 vs. 8 inches), allowing the XC60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC60’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the X3 (8.5 vs. 8 inches).

Chassis

The design of the Volvo XC60 amounts to more than styling. The XC60 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .32 Cd. That is lower than the X3 (.32 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the XC60 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The XC60 has 1.2 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the X3.

Cargo Capacity

The XC60 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X3 with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 62.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC60 easier. The XC60’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the X3’s liftover is 28.5 inches.

Towing

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC60 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The X3 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the X3, the XC60 Ultimate/Polestar has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The X3 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC60 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X3 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the XC60’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the X3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X3 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XC60 is less expensive to operate than the X3 because it costs $336 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the XC60 than the X3, including $386 less for a water pump, $704 less for a muffler, $132 less for a starter, $87 less for fuel injection, $243 less for front struts, $740 less for a timing belt/chain and $1071 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The X3 has never been chosen.

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