A Volvo designer once told me that “Volvo don’t do pig lipstick”. This, in case you didn’t realise, isn’t a reference to some obscure component deep in the lubrication system, but to the American phrase: “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” famously used by Barack Obama about his 2008 presidential opponent John McCain.
Perhaps, though I’ve seen a few, how can one put it, challenging Volvo designs in my time. They do, however, do what the industry used to call “facelifts” and now term “a refresh”. Which brings us to the Volvo XC60, now in its eighth year and on its second “refresh”. So, to retain some showroom appeal in the face of more up to date rivals, we have a bigger, 11.2-inch screen, an improved “UX” interface with Google software, crisper graphics, more luxurious materials, an excellent induction phone charger (which also boosts older smartphones) and an air purification system.
