Compare the2023 Volvo XC60VS 2023 Toyota Rav4 Prime

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC60 and Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime’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. Toyota doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Rav4 Prime. 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 Rav4 Prime’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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the XC60’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The XC60’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the XC60 and the Rav4 Prime have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The XC60 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Rav4 Prime’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Rav4 Prime’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Rav4 Prime (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

The XC60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 153 more horsepower (455 vs. 302) than the Rav4 Prime’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the XC60 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Toyota Rav4 Prime:

The XC60 has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rav4 Prime (18.8 vs. 14.5 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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the XC60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4 Prime:

The XC60 stops much shorter than the Rav4 Prime:

For better traction, the XC60 has larger standard tires than the Rav4 Prime (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R18). The XC60’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rav4 Prime (265/35R22 vs. 235/55R19).

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 Rav4 Prime XSE’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC60 offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Rav4 Prime’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The XC60’s has front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Rav4 Prime’s suspension doesn’t offer front gas-charged shocks.

The XC60 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Rav4 Prime’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The XC60 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC60’s wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the Rav4 Prime (112.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC60 is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Rav4 Prime.

The XC60 AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Rav4 Prime XSE pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 Core AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Rav4 Prime XSE (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Rav4 Prime SE (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 .3 inch higher than on the Rav4 Prime XSE (8.5 vs. 8.2 inches).

The Volvo XC60 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Toyota Rav4 Prime.

The XC60 has 4.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 Prime (103 vs. 98.9).

The XC60 has .3 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear legroom and 7.7 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4 Prime.

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 Rav4 Prime’s liftover is 27.8 inches.

The XC60’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Rav4 Prime’s (3500 vs. 2500 pounds).

The XC60 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 Prime uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat optional at extra cost in the Rav4 Prime XSE, 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.

The XC60’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4 Prime’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The XC60’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Rav4 Prime’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the XC60’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Rav4 Prime’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the XC60 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Rav4 Prime’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC60’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Rav4 Prime offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The XC60 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime has never been chosen.