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@borderbilly - I've owned a 2014 [P3/Mk1 facelift] XC60 D4 AWD Auto for 8 years, and towed with it since day one. It's a great tow car, but if not the best on luggage space compared to an estate. Here is more info:
Bought the P3 mk1 XC60 after the SPA mk2 XC60 had been released, so could see the full lifecycle. Overwhelming majority of cars available in the UK were diesel autos, badged either 2.4D/D4 or D5. Not sure if I've seen a UK car on a D3 tune, but have in Europe. T6 petrol's are out there, but are thirsty. I test drove a manual D4 2wd and hated the gearshift. It was a huge throw and the standard gear-knob was massive.
When I was looking to buy, D4 engine of my car's generation could either be 4cyl on 2wd or 5cyl on AWD, with about 181bhp (tuneable to the D5's standard 215BHP with Polestar tuning.) 5cyl autos were mated to a 6 speed Torque Converter based boxes. I think 4cyl got the Ford Powershift. Horsepower varied but was about the figures quoted here. [D4 has a different turbo set up to D5, otherwise the same 5cyl engine.]
Towing capacity for my car is 2000kg with a 90kg towball limit. I had the Volvo detachable towbar fitted when I bought the car from the dealer. It's a Volvo branded Brink towbar I believe. I tow a 7.5m 1500kg Sprite, which does dull the acceleration, but the D4 will pull all day, and will do 70+ uphill with a caravan on. Only ever had the box kick-down once when faced with a hill, which was towing from Inverness to Grant town on Spey.
18k service intervals, usually pay my indie around £2-300, but he is very particular with parts and consumables and I trust him, unlike my old Volvo dealer [now closed]. Their service became rather poor after the good manager we had dealt with for years had left; we were treated rather shabbily so did not go out of our way any more to frequent them.
Just had to have a new alternator fitted at 99k miles, and an idler pully which was shot. Total came to just shy of £1500 for parts, servicing, MOT & Labour. Parts were expensive, £580 for just the alternator & belt, but a non-Volvo sourced alternator from EuroCarParts was only £90 cheaper. Buy cheap/Fit twice?
Wheels: I've got the povvo-spec 17s, but I only buy premium tyres - currently Michelin Cross Climates - so tyres are about £100-150 per corner.
It's quite a wide car, so can be difficult to park in narrow spaces and I struggle to judge the nose, so make sure you get one with parking sensor all round.
Tax is creeping up ever year. Now about £300 I think.
I've had a few niggles with the car, had to have a new rear door lock as it stopped remote locking, the radiator is leaking, but has been for a few years, and will eventually need to be replaced. Just keep checking the coolant every now and then. AWD Haldex threw a code and was serviced with new filters and oil. Gearbox has also been serviced with new fluid, but only once, despite Volvo's sealed for life claim. Headlight lenses are starting to go cloudy, may need to take a brave pill and get the sandpaper/clearcoat on them.
Big one: Fuel economy.
I have recorded every litre of fuel that has gone into my car, so have a true lifetime average MPG figure: 33.03mpg - Not great. Not terrible.
This is from every mile I've ever driven in the car, either solo, towing, hypermiling or firewalling the throttle. My latest figures show an average of about 36mpg for town and motorway driving, and I would say 30mpg is about average for when I was touring and towing.
In conclusion, It's a great car and I can see why it was Volvo's most popular model. Its practical, capable and comfortable. I've now done over 56000 miles in it, and had I not gone 100% WFH, it would have been way more. I've now owned this car the longest of any car I've ever owned and would buy it again if I needed to.
Hope this helps.
Edit:
Just checked How Many Left, and it looks like D3s were sold here, but were confined to the first year or two of sale.
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