Volvos are . . . safe. Check. Elegant. Check. Comfortable, smooth, quiet, Swedish and green. Check, check, check, check. Green? Yes, for a car, anyway, especially this one. We’ve averaged 42 miles per gallon over about 300 miles, and with a fair portion of those miles on the highway. In town, the computer reported as much as 80 MPG, or the equivalent thereof, when the battery is topped up; this is a plug-in hybrid capable of almost 35 miles of local errand-running before the petrol engine cuts in (ever so quietly).

Even more astonishing is that this not-so-demure two-row, midsize SUV packs 455 horsepower, 143 of which come from a pair of electric motors at the rear axle and the rest from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder gas engine that is both turbocharged and supercharged. Together, the system also outputs 523 pound-feet of torque—most of which seems to be available in the top half-inch of gas-pedal travel. I love electrification, and this is one of the reasons why.

The 8-speed automatic transmission makes the most of all this power, and with no need for manual paddle shifters. Except for certain downshifts, everything is seamless and hushed. I cannot tell when the gas engine starts or stops, or is running. The sole uncouth noise that emanates from this car is the gentle creaking of the available air suspension settling itself when the car is parked.

To make the best use of the hybrid drive, plug the vehicle in at home; otherwise, the gas engine has to recharge the 18.8 kWh battery while underway. Optional drive modes include automatic hybrid, electric-only, pure power and (with the air suspension) off-road with constant all-wheel-drive and extra ride height. This XC60 is rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds.

As we’ve often said, Volvos can be driven fast but not hard—that is, they are semi-GT cars that can Hoover up miles in comfort, not high-g sports cars that can induce motion sickness. Bentley Continental drivers may scoff at the notion of a Volvo SUV as a GT car, but the Black XC60 Recharge comes close; even approaching its factory-set 112mph limit, it is composed and confidence-inspiring, and capable of crossing Nebraska on a single tank of gas.

(A classical European GT is of course capable of much more than 112, but even on the German autobahnen, congestion is a problem; and in a land where radar guns rule, 112 is more than enough. By the way, the difference between a sports car and a grand touring car: In one, 60 MPH feels like 100; in the other, 100 MPH feels like 60. Now you know.)

Since modern Homo vehiculum spends a great deal of time tied up in traffic, Volvo says it has outfitted the XC60 “like your smartphone, but bigger.” Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play are built into the infotainment package, along with many other digital features. The other day, the Blind Lady asked her iPhone for the nearest coffee shop; evidently Helga heard her, too; ever since, the car’s been flashing coffee-shop locations up on the touchscreen.

Volvo takes Scandinavian Minimalism to the extreme—tasteful elegance, certainly, but also darn few switches and inscrutable computer menus. Over time, to an owner, all this surely becomes clear; me, I’m simply grateful that features such as lane-following can be switched off—once I find them, that is.

Naturally, the XC60 is bristling with safety features. Backing out of our narrow driveway, it sensed the overgrown dahlia alongside the mailbox and threw out the anchors for a full-on panic stop. I got the blame for that until I explained that Helga had freaked out, and that if one of our grandkids had darted across the driveway just then, we’d have been grateful for her intervention.

For a “green” vehicle, this one is black on black on black. The deluxe Orrefors crystal gear-selector knob is not black, but very shiny. The Black Edition is a Volvo styling package that fetches a hefty price. Fully loaded, this example approaches $80,000. A less blinged-out XC60 with the same impressive T8 hybrid powertrain and most of the options can be had for nearly $20,000 less and, with the much less powerful (247 horsepower) non-hybrid B5 engine, an entry-level XC60 starts about 10 grand below that. This is a 2024 model; Volvo says the ‘25s are virtually unchanged save for some minor re-jiggering of the trim levels.

Next week: Genesis G70 3.3T