2024 Volvo XC40 and XC60 SUVs Drop Front

The Swedish automaker also axes the sporty S60 Polestar Engineered for the new model year.

Volvo will make a couple of its SUVs all-wheel-drive only for 2024. The new model year also brings some notable updates to other nameplates, including the S60 sedan and the all-electric C40/XC40 Recharge.

The gas-fed XC40 and the XC60 will no longer be offered with front-wheel drive. The former says goodbye to the standard B4 powertrain, which exclusively fed the front axle through a 194-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. That leaves the all-wheel-drive B5, which has a 247-hp turbo four. Meanwhile, the XC60 lineup loses the front-drive version of the B5 powertrain. That leaves the all-wheel-drive B5 and the plug-in-hybrid T8 as the only two XC60 configurations, since the 295-hp all-wheel-drive B6 is also discontinued.

Fans of the Volvo S60 Recharge Polestar Engineered will be sad to hear the high-performance variant is dead for 2024. The sedan featured the 455-hp T8 plug-in-hybrid powertrain, it also included adjustable Öhlins dampers, gold-painted six-piston Brembo front brake calipers, and forged 19-inch wheels. At least Volvo will still offer Polestar editions of the V60 wagon and the XC60.

Last month, Volvo also announced updates to the fully electric XC40 Recharge and its coupe-like counterpart, the C40 Recharge. Each adds an available rear-drive configuration, which features a newly developed 248-hp electric motor and a 79.0-kWh battery pack that provides a claimed range of 297 miles for the C40 and 293 miles for the XC40.

The all-wheel-drive versions of the Recharge siblings also adopt the new rear electric motor along with an asynchronous front-mounted motor that together still make 402 horses. However, their claimed range rises by 31 miles, and they can charge quicker thanks to a higher peak charging rate of 200 kilowatts.

Pricing for the 2024 Volvo models is expected to be released in the coming months, so stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, the Swedish automaker has just revealed the small 2025 EX30 EV SUV, which starts at a low $36,145.

Eric Stafford's automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual '97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a '90 Honda CRX Si.

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