The Volvo S60 is one of our favourite cars - mainly for its safety innovations - but how good is the V60 estate version?
Any petrolhead will tell you that the very definition of an estate car is the Volvo V70, so can the smaller V60 improve on a winning formula? It's a given that Volvo deserves huge credit for its crash preventing systems like the standard fit 'City Safe', which prevents slow speed impacts with vehicles in front, and the optional Pedestrian Detection system with full auto brake that we first saw in the S60 ('S' is Volvo code for 'saloon'). Pedestrian Safe is simply fantastic, as it literally keeps an eye on the road ahead for you and will stop the car before a collision at slower city speeds without your intervention, should you be distracted.
Outside the slab-sided look of a classic Volvo estate is softened, making the V60 look quite compact and sleek. Volvo says the V60 is more coupé-like and while this may be a bit of a stretch for the imagination, the good-looking V60 can now be genuinely called a lifestyle estate, or as Volvo calls it a 'Sports Wagon'.
On closer inspection it is not that big a car. The V60 is wider than the smaller V50 (based on the S40) but about the same length. Inside the interior is simple and minimalist. There is classic Swedish design going on around the dashboard area. Function and form marry to give an uncluttered, almost sparse look to the dash.
The V60 has seating for five. The boot is a good size, but antique dealers will need to stick to their V70s or specify roof bars as the capacity of 430 litres is small. As an estate the cargo area can be made vast by dropping the seats to reveal a flat load floor. The tailgate is wide, too (1095mm),and the rear seats fold in a split of 40/20/40. There is a shallow boot underfloor that can only be accessed with the tailgate open for extra security.
My test car features the excellent D3 2-litre diesel. It has plenty of power (163bhp/400nm) for the way the car will be driven and is economical too, delivering over 50mpg! When you need to press on, the V60 can shift and there are plenty of driving aids as standard, eg ASC (Active Stability Control). If you want more power the D5 has 205bhp and 420nm of torque. Generally, the ride quality is comfortable and a touch soft for enthusiastic driving. The suspension has been deliberately retuned and softened compared to the S60. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard. If it all seems a little tame for you there is a sportier version with firmer suspension called the R-Design. R Design adds chunkier alloys and a styling kit.
It's also a given that V60 is a very safe car in crash tests, so it ticks all the boxes. It isn't as good a load-lugger as the larger V70, but as a general all-round car it is very impressive. The Swedish-built (Torslanda plant) V60 is a competent, stylish estate that does the job very well.
Michael Sheridan
