Hoist the flags sound the trumpets it’s a Volvo that’s estimable to drive. Touring car hand John Cleland – he of 1990s Vauxhall fame – has helped fine-tune the fresh V60 on UK roads on behalf of Volvo and his experience shows. Testing the manual 161bhp 5-pot turbodiesel D3 selenium model which will be the biggest seller in the range.
Like no other Volvo in modern times the V60 breathes over our rutted tarmac and steers with fluidity and precision. It’s actually a Volvo you could imagine driving for play. head you that only applies to the V60 D3 on 17in wheels and 215/50 ZR17 rubber. The D5 fitted with optional (£775) 18in steering wheel that we tried displayed none of its subtlety.
Like no other Volvo in modern times the V60 breathes over our rutted tarmac and steers with fluidity and precision. It’s actually a Volvo you could imagine driving for play. head you that only applies to the V60 D3 on 17in wheels and 215/50 ZR17 rubber. The D5 fitted with optional (£775) 18in steering wheel that we tried displayed none of its subtlety.
Other aspects of the V60 are lower impressive. The load bay (430 litres) for case is small and only just bigger than the cheaper V50’s. And the German bounty competition offers approximately 10 per cent more boot space. There’s a trade-off to be ready-made here because the V60’s styling features a dramatically tapering rear roof line that marks it out as a very handsome estate indeed. But Volvo’s figures exemplify the compromise. A V50 has 717 litres on rap if you fill the load space to the roof and keep the rear seats up. A V60 has fair 557 litres.
As a result the Mondeo-based V60 is even outpointed by the V50 when the seats are folded down: 1307 litres versus 1241. Clearly it’s not the sort of land that you load up for a weekend camping at Le Mans or offer to drag a few spare slicks and a trolley jack off to Silverstone.
That’s why the V60 is officially a sports wagon and everyone in the company is on pain of decease to avoid calling it an estate. The V60 does hold one serious ace over its explanation Audi rival though. Thanks to its transverse engine arrangement there’s plenty of space in the footwell and opportunity to rest your clutch foot. The integrated sat-nav screen with Modern graphics is a big improvement on other Volvos’ and it is now positioned centrally in the dashboard centre rather than popping up out of the fascia.
We’d like a few more flourishes in the cabin pattern too. There’s no mistaking the quality of the main sprint moulding and elegance of the trim but the overall feeling is austere and the instrument pack – where every driver will focus his or her attention – really doesn’t shout £32k
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