Volvo XC60

Just round the bend there was a car sitting in the centre lane waiting to turn right. The Volvo’s radar cruise control detected it and slammed the brakes on, taking both me and the Astra driver by surprise. I looked in the mirror and could see the panic on the other driver’s face. I can’t say I was too happy about it either because it’s always best to be in control for yourself. After that, I was a bit more circumspect about the Volvo and its electronics and the sort of trouble they might get me into.

Volvo bills the XC60 as the safest car it has ever made thanks to all the electronic wizardry. But that depends on your point of view. Definitely if it’s from behind I almost became acquainted with a Vauxhall Astra driver who disagrees!

Volvo was very late to the party with its real 4x4 models and, as you will know if you have ever been late for a party, you either have to slip in discreetly and unnoticed or arrive with real panache and style so that everyone will make a fuss of you.

Volvo managed this with the XC90, its large SUV, and now it has made even more of an impression with the XC60, its smaller offering. Forget the XC70 that sits between them as it’s merely an ordinary Volvo estate that has hit the illegal body building substances a bit hard.

The XC60 has to be the best looking car of its type but then looks aren’t everything. It is not a true SUV, which probably explains why it does everything very well apart from go off road.

To be honest I didn’t even try any mild green lane driving, mindful of how I had once done such a stunt in a more muscular looking BMW X3 and then had to wait for a breakdown truck. These SUVs may be born to have 4x4 transmissions but they are not born to use them in the wild.

The closest living relatives of the XC60 are the Ford Kuga and the Land Rover Freelander. The Land Rover, now made by Indian company Tata, is a true off roader and will take you many places sensible people would never dream of going. The Ford is also capable, although not to the same degree, and is far cheaper to buy than the Volvo so some buyers may view it as more expendable.

When I first saw pictures of the XC60 I thought it very similar in appearance to the BMW X6. But while the BMW is all about excess in a stupid shape, the XC60 looks stylish through clever use of shapes and lines and is, in fact, as sensible as many obviously more practical cars. As a result, it has a boot capacity of 1,455 litres, about the same as the BMW, but in a much more compact body.

Drive the Volvo and you will realise you are behind the wheel of the best handling car of its type. Nothing comes close for sheer driving pleasure but then, of course, everything else is more capable off road. But that may be losing the point of the Volvo because no-one ever goes off road in cars like this. So it has all the visual appeal buyers demand while also offering a great experience where it’s most likely to be put to use.

The test car, a £26,750 SE with the optional £1,400 auto box, was finished in a very bright shade of yellow – green with two tone hide seats that matched and were either hideous or delightful. There could be no in-between opinion. But everyone agreed it was striking, so it truly has arrived late in its best party gear.

Just like the XC90, it will be a must-have driving accessory. And every 18 years, when the snow comes, you will be able to justify owning it because you will need its 4x4 capabilities if not its unacceptable 31 mpg thirst for diesel. In snow it excels, on tarmac it’s superb, but taking it off road would muddy the issue.

Maurice Hardy

It won’t be long before all the Volvo XC90s currently doing the school run in country (and urban) areas are replaced by the Volvo XC60 by mums who don’t need the XC90’s seven seats.

The XC60 is more fun, looks less slabby, and will still cut it on slippery country roads as lost time is made up between the breakfast table and the school gate. Volvo’s only problem may be that the new Audi Q5 has a classier badge and in these quarters that counts for a lot.

Even so, the Volvo makes a convincing argument for itself in a market that has a pretty unconvincing need. Our new Focus estate car has more load space, is less overbearing on the road, and offers the possibility of going twice as far on a gallon of diesel. The big drawback to most people is the Ford badge but having driven behind most badges I can tell you that the name on the front counts for little. In fact, some of the more expensive stuff is so fragile you would be frightened to actually rely on it.

But the Volvo is not one of the fragile ones. It felt tough, durable – and desirable. I can quite see why people will want to buy it and, as we have owned bigger 4x4s ourselves in the past, I am not in a position to criticise the choice.

If you truly need some 4x4 capability in your motoring life then the Volvo is a good way to acquire it. Its likely popularity also means the value should hold up better than that of many rivals. Time will tell.

Annette Hardy

Car: Volvo XC60 D5 SE automatic

Does it fit your ego?...
0-62 mph: 9.9 secs
Top speed: 124 mph
Bhp: 185 @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 295 lb ft @ 2000 - 2750 rpm

...and your wallet?...

Price: £28,150
Urban: 25.9 mpg
Extra urban: 41.5 mpg
Combined: 34.0 mpg
CO2 emissions: 219 g/km
Insurance Group: 14