So I am pretty positive that I will be purchasing a Volvo XC60 this weekend, and had planned on a 2015, but I am now torn as to whether I should go with a 2014 if I can get an excellent deal.

I am primarily looking into the base FWD in either year, with BLIS added. The main difference that I see between them is the gas mileage--which is a kind of big deal for me. Its a substantial difference, particularly with city driving, which I do a lot of. I think that the 2015 has the eco start/stop option, but its unclear to me if the 2014 does as well.

Are there any other substantial differences between the 2014 and 2015? How much extra do you think the 2015 is "worth"?

An added wrinkle is that many of the 2014s that I see left over are Premier, so that is a bit of an "upgrade" from the 2015 base T-5 FWD, but I can't really see anything that is substantially different to add much value from my perspective. Leather seats seem to be the biggest deal, but I am not that impressed by leather. If there is something that makes the 2014 Premier better than the 2015 FWD base, then I would love to know.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

Any insight by XC60 owners?

 

The major difference would be drive train options. I think the 2014 only comes with the 3.2 whereas the 2015 has the T5 option and the new Drive-E engine.

 

Thanks!

The engine (incl the improved gas mileage) is pretty much the only reason why I am going for the 2015. Is there anything else that would make it worth paying $2-4000 more for the 2015, in your opinion?

 

I really don't know all the differences in features. I'm a tech, not a salesperson.

 

The '15 will obviously always be worth more than the '14 so that is also in play.

I don't know many people who opt for FWD on an SUV since up here in NE the AWD is almost mandatory. I would not get the 3.2, and if you're insistent on a base model then I would do the T5 5 cylinder AWD or the T5 Drive-E 4 cylinder FWD (both with turbos). Turbos mean torque, which help move an SUV up to speed without having to wind up the engine. The Drive E engines will have the start/stop if that is important to you.

Frankly, you might want to try out a T6 or T6 AWD before you make your purchase. There is a substantial difference in both torque & HP, as well as more basic amenities.

 

I'd go with the 2015 T5 Drive E FWD whatever trim you want. It gets 6 mpg more than the AWD version. I drive a lot, so that 6mpg is a lot.
Not as big a difference between FWD and AWD on the 2014 3.2 engine (I think it is 1 mpg).
If AWD is important, then I'd go with finding a good deal on the 2014 since there won't be much difference on mileage between 2014 and 2015.

We are moving back to lake effect snow country from the coastal south - I'd still be looking at a FWD XC60 over the AWD. I've never had an issue with FWD and good tires. If necessary, I'd get a set of snow tires mounted and just swap out for the winter.



Above is highway miles - I drive highway, so don't pay as much attention to city mileage.

 

Wow, completely disagree. LOL An SUV without AWD doesn't sound like fun. Launches and handling will be worse on a FWD version. If you get more than a couple of inches of snow FWD only is bad, at least here in New England. I actually traded in my '11 Saab 9-5 Turbo for that very reason (it was FWD only). Also, on another *ahem* large Volvo message board the real world gas mileage improvements of the FWD version are barely coming in any different vs the AWD versions since the AWD versions are standard drive 90+% of the time, so therefore no additional driveline parasitic loss the vast majority of your average trip.

To each his own of course, just my 2 cents.