Much of the engineering and tuning of the crossover was done by Volvo in Sweden, although offroad capabilities were developed at Land Rover in England.

In April 2010, an R-Design variant of the XC60 became available, featuring a colour-matching body kit, stiffer chassis and damping, and other unique exterior/interior trim.

Exterior updates are primarily cosmetic, with changes to the grille and front driving lights, loss of black cladding along the lower doorsills, and minor changes to the exhaust tips and taillights.

Interior updates include new materials and dashboard trims, available paddle shifter on the T6 model, and introduction of a 7" display.

[14] The Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid concept was unveiled at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

The XC60 had fewer insurance claims compared to other Volvo models lacking the City Safety feature.

The XC60 was granted the IIHS's highest rating of "good" in front, side, rear and roof strength tests and has Electronic Stability Control as standard equipment to receive the award.

[53] Volvo used the 2009 film The Twilight Saga: New Moon to promote the XC60, including an online contest to give away models identical to the one driven by lead character Edward Cullen.

The first −60 series model in its generation and the first since Volvo's purchase by Geely, it is based on the same Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform as the S90, V90, and XC90.

Like the XC40 Recharge Electric and the C40, the XC60 facelift also gains a new Android-powered infotainment system that's been developed in collaboration with Google.

[citation needed] The 2024 Volvo XC60, which fell short of the Top Safety Pick+ award, received an “acceptable” rating in the updated side-impact test.

The possible injuries recorded on the dummies that simulated the vehicle's occupants, especially the driver and rear passenger, were the determining factor in this rating.