Compare the2023 Audi e-tron SportbackVS 2023 Volvo XC60

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Audi e-tron Sportback has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The XC60 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the e-tron Sportback. But it costs extra on the XC60.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the e-tron Sportback helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The XC60 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the e-tron Sportback and the XC60 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 and available around view monitors.

The Audi e-tron Sportback weighs 1023 to 1746 pounds more than the Volvo XC60. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Audi e-tron Sportback is safer than the Volvo XC60:

	e-tron Sportback	XC60
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	44	73
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	117 lbs.	126 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	123	185
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	579 lbs.	906 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	8 inches	12 inches

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 e-tron Sportback, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 5.5% to 6.3% less likely to roll over than the XC60, which received a four-star rating.

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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the e-tron Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 135 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XC60 is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. With 17 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Volvo.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 24 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Volvo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 8 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

Engine

The e-tron Sportback has more powerful engines than the XC60:

	Horsepower	Torque
e-tron Sportback electric motors	402 HP	490 lbs.-ft.
e-tron Sportback S electric motors	496 HP	717 lbs.-ft.
XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	247 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
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.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the e-tron Sportback gets better mileage than the XC60 running on electricity:

			MPGe
e-tron Sportback
	AWD	Electric Motors	77 city/80 hwy
		S Electric Motors	73 city/77 hwy
		Black Optic Electric Motors	64 city/66 hwy
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	66 city/60 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	59 city/55 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the e-tron Sportback gets better mileage than the XC60 running its gasoline engine:

			MPGe
e-tron Sportback
	AWD	Electric Motors	77 city/80 hwy
		S Electric Motors	73 city/77 hwy
		Black Optic Electric Motors	64 city/66 hwy
XC60
			MPG
	AWD	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

The e-tron Sportback can travel longer on a full charge than the XC60 on electricity, only, on a full charge:

			Miles
e-tron Sportback
	AWD	Electric Motors	225 miles
		S Electric Motors	212 miles
		Black Optic Electric Motors	185 miles
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	36 miles
		T8 Electric Motor	19 miles

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi e-tron Sportback higher (10 out of 10) than the Volvo XC60 (5 to 7). This means the e-tron Sportback produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the XC60 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The e-tron Sportback’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The XC60 doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the e-tron Sportback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the XC60:

	e-tron Sportback	XC60
Front Rotors	15.7 inches	13.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the e-tron Sportback has larger standard tires than the XC60 (255/50R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The e-tron Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the XC60’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the e-tron Sportback has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the XC60. The e-tron Sportback’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the XC60.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the e-tron Sportback uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the XC60, which uses coil springs in front and transverse leafs springs in the rear. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the e-tron Sportback’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the XC60 (115 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the e-tron Sportback uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The XC60 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The e-tron Sportback has .1 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear legroom and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the XC60.

Cargo Capacity

The e-tron Sportback has a much larger cargo volume than the XC60 with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 24.4 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the e-tron Sportback’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The XC60 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Volvo XC60 is limited to 3500 pounds. The e-tron Sportback offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Volvo. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 11% lower rating, Volvo is ranked 12th.

Ergonomics

The e-tron Sportback’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The XC60 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The e-tron Sportback’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the XC60’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the e-tron Sportback has standard extendable sun visors. The XC60 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the e-tron Sportback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XC60 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the e-tron Sportback’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The XC60 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The e-tron Sportback has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the XC60.

The e-tron Sportback offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the XC60.