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The Volvo XC60 bears a striking resemblance to its elder and slightly larger stablemates, the XC70 and the XC90. The XC60 continues the Volvo design trend away from sharp angles and square corners and toward softer and more rounded lines. Nothing sporty, of course, but less severe, more relaxed. The front end wears a softened version of the trademark trapezoidal grille, with egg crate mesh behind an angular slash emblazoned with the Volvo logo and braced by swoopy headlight housings embedded in swept-back fenders. A secondary air intake fills the lower center portion of the bumper, with fog lights tucked into the corners. The outlines of the openings, all V-like in overall shape, flow into each other, giving the fascia an of-a-piece look. The resulting head-on view is pleasing, while substantial and a little tall. Side perspective offers a low-grade confusion between a sportier, almost coupe-like hood slope and roofline and a wedgy beltline that rises in a straight line from just aft of the front wheel well to where it ends above the rear door handle, leaving a bulbous mass of a rear quarter panel. This unbalanced look leaves a relatively hunkered down front end attached to a high, bustle-like rear end. Granted, this makes for a relatively expansive cargo capacity of almost 70 cubic feet, roomier than all of the competition save the BMW X3, but it leaves the XC60 with a stubby, chopped-off posterior. Tires and wheels nicely fill the wheelwells. Door handles bridge oval recesses, promising sure grip even with gloved hands. The rocker panels, which, with their metal cap, remind of a running board, split a matte-black panel that also encircles the car, downplaying the gap between car and road. The rear view shows broad shoulders capped by a tapered glasshouse with LED taillights climbing up the sides of the glass portion of the one-piece liftgate. The rear bumper cups the bottom edge of the liftgate, with widely spaced chrome exhaust tips peeking out below just inboard of each rear tire. The body mass also minimizes the visual effect of the XC60's height, giving the rear perspective a more planted presence than the front.
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