Compare the2023 Volvo XC60VS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

The XC60’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Discovery doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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. Land Rover doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Discovery. 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.

The Volvo XC60 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Discovery’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Discovery doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC60 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Discovery doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC60 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the XC60 and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Discovery has not been tested, yet.

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the Discovery’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Land Rover doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Discovery.

There are over 41 percent more Volvo dealers than there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the XC60’s warranty.

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 Discovery’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volvo higher than Land Rover.

The XC60 has more powerful engines than the Discovery:

As tested in Motor Trend the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

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

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

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

Regenerative brakes improve the XC60’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Discovery doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Discovery:

The XC60 stops shorter than the Discovery:

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 Discovery’s optional 40 series tires.

The XC60 AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 Core AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Discovery R-Dynamic S (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (37.4 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Volvo XC60 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 850 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery.

The XC60 is 9.7 inches shorter than the Discovery, making the XC60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XC60 is 6.7 inches narrower than the Discovery, making the XC60 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The XC60 is 9 inches shorter in height than the Discovery, making the XC60 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The design of the Volvo XC60 amounts to more than styling. The XC60 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .32 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Discovery (.36) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the XC60 get better fuel mileage.

The XC60 has 2.4 inches more front legroom and .6 inches more rear legroom than the Discovery.

The XC60 has a much larger cargo volume than the Discovery with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 9.1 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC60. The Discovery doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

If the windows are left open on the XC60 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Discovery can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Discovery doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC60 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC60 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

The Volvo XC60 outsold the Land Rover Discovery by almost 27 to one during 2022.