Volvo XC60

Although the link to the XC90 is obvious, it’s a lot smaller than that bruiser and is aimed squarely at Land Rover’s Freelander.

The arresting bodywork is a new departure for Volvo and marks the beginning of a new ‘pumped up’ look for the Swedish firm’s vehicles.

New design boss Steve Mattin has gone for a bolder grille, with the Volvo badge sitting across the diagonal band, plus a distinctive rear with unusual kinked lights and a split-level tailgate arrangement.

In the metal the XC60 looks like a big car, sleek and muscular with broad shoulders and real road presence, even though it’s a visual trick. The 60 is a full eight inches shorter than the supertankerlike XC70.

I have to say, the design works very well indeed. The XC60 attracted admiring looks wherever it went. On this evidence, Mattin is well on the way to achieving his stated aim of building cars that can be recognised from 200 metres (which is double the Volvo recognition distance today, apparently).

Inside, Volvo has opted to play it safe. The company has been lauded for its nicely put together interiors recently.

The XC60 will feel instantly familiar if you have any recent experience of a Volvo, There is the by-now characteristic ‘floating’ centre console with its hidden cubby hole behind, and the usual Volvo instrument pack sits next to a small black-andwhite LCD monitor.

I’m not sure I felt like “a pilot at the controls of a business jet”(Volvo’s words, not mine), but everything is laid out in a logical manner and I had no problems finding any of the major controls.

The test car also had a featurepacked satellite navigation system, capable of searching on full six digit post-codes (hurrah!).

Volvo recently signed a deal with sat-nav firm Navteq to provide annual map updates. The first two downloads are free – so XC60 drivers have no excuses for getting lost until 2011 at the earliest!

The rear seat is elevated to give back-seat passengers a better view and the two outer seats can be had with Volvo’s twin-stage child-booster seats introduced on the XC70 two years ago.

A massive sunroof helps lighten the interior still further and has an electrically-operated blind for those (all too rare) sunny days.

Full marks, too, for Volvo’s commitment to making life easier for hay-fever sufferers.

Its Air Quality System continuously monitors the levels of smog outside and can temporarily seal the car off if pollutants reach danger levels.

A Clean Zone Interior package swaps out dust-collecting textiles for super clean rubber ones and replaces the upholstery with material that conform to regulations laid down by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy association. Well worth the extra £125 plus VAT I’d say.

The XC60 may sport a newlook, but Volvo clearly hasn’t forgotten its traditional values.

As well as four-wheel drive you get roll stability control, hill descent control, trailer stability assist, which offers extra control when towing, and collision avoidance control, which is standard on every XC60 after Volvo engineers found that in half of all low-speed smashes a driver didn’t brake at all.

The City Safety system automatically scans the road ahead and determines how hard you’d need to brake to stop safely. In the event of an impending prang, it hits the brakes and reduces the throttle opening in milliseconds.

Volvo claims it mitigates or avoids an accident happening and my strictly unscientific test, involving a brick wall, a lot of nerve and the XC60, suggests that it works.

The five-cylinder turbodiesel gamely hauls the chunky XC and a full complement of passengers up hill and down dale.

It is no sports car and feels a bit ponderous at times, especially around town, when the large turning circle proves tiresome.

If you want a better drive I suggest you buy something with a lower centre of gravity.

The XC hits back with relaxed gait and a comfortable ride.

If Volvo achieves its sales projections, the UK will be the car’s third-largest market after America and Germany. I can see the XC’s distinct looks winning it plenty of friends.

Specification

Engine: 2,400cc/five cylinder diesel
Power: 175bhp @ 4,000rpm
Torque: 309lb/ft @ 1,500rpm
Top speed: 127mph
0-62mph: 9.8 seconds
Fuel consumption: 47.1mpg
CO2 (g/km): 159
Road tax: £150
Boot capacity: 495 litres
Equipment: Power steering, central locking, alarm, immobiliser, alloy wheels, cruise control, electric mirrors and windows, cruise control, radio, CD.