2022 BMW X3 vs 2022 Volvo XC60

The 2022 Volvo XC60 brings the Swedish automaker’s signature style and solid engineering to one of the most popular luxury SUV segments. Slotting between the XC40 and XC90 in size, the XC60 competes against compact SUVs like the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Infiniti QX50, Lexus NX, and Mercedes-Benz GLC. With so many choices, Volvo needed to keep the XC60 fresh. So, the automaker gave it some notable updates for the 2022 model year.

The current version of the XC60, representing the model’s second generation, has been around since the 2018 model year. For 2022, it gets new mild-hybrid powertrains, mildly updated exterior styling, and the Android-based infotainment system previously seen in the electric Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2.

The reshuffled 2022 XC60 lineup for Canada includes the B5 mild hybrid with the base Momentum, and the B6 mild hybrid in Momentum, R-Design, and Inscription trim levels. The carryover Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge plug-in hybrid is also offered in Inscription, R-Design, and sporty Polestar Engineered guises. We spent a day driving the B6 R-Design model.

Since its inception in 2003, the BMW X3 has grown to become one of the brand’s top sellers. And starting with its second generation (circa 2010), the luxury compact crossover has been built at BMW Spartanburg—the automaker’s only manufacturing facility north of the Mexican border. Incidentally, because Spartanburg is the global producer of every gas-powered BMW crossover besides the X1 and X2, the plant also boasts the highest production numbers of any BMW plant worldwide. One can speculate that the popular X3 has a lot to do with that.

Last redesigned for 2018, the X3 receives a rather hefty mid-cycle refresh for 2022. Updates include design tweaks, new engines, more technology, and an expanded suite of safety features. (Interestingly, while the BMW X3 xDrive30e plug-in hybrid has been dropped from the lineup in the United States, it continues in 2022 in Canada. This model is not covered in this review.)