Volvo V60 review

It would be all too easy to come up with some whimsical, antiques dealer-based introduction to the Volvo V60 estate, based loosely around, let’s say, that fella whose name begins with ‘L’ and ends in ‘ovejoy’.

Yet that would be an awfully hackneyed way to introduce a car as sharp and shapely as the V60 and it would be wholly out of date: Volvo shed its fuddy-duddy, safety-first image a long time ago. 

Volvo currently ploughs a furrow of contemporary chic, don’t you know, but that doesn’t mean it’s rinsed safety from its DNA entirely. This V60 keeps you swaddled securely in a ball of high-tech cotton wool, equipped as it is with many of the bang-up-to-date anti-crash devices that we’ve seen in the larger Volvos.

One of those is its bigger brother, the Volvo V90, but the smaller V60 still offers you generous interior space and a big boot. There’s no shortage of options because it comes with a range of petrol variants, a diesel and a choice of two plug-in hybrids. Some versions have four-wheel drive as standard, including the off-road-inspired Volvo V60 Cross Country, while every V60 comes with an automatic gearbox.

Inside it’s as classy as any premium rival you care to mention, which includes of course the Audi A4 Avant, the BMW 3 Series Touring and the Mercedes C-Class Estate. It’s inarguably a Scandi-chic interior, though, so it offers something quite different to the German trio, which is good news.

But is the Volvo V60 as good as the German trio? Is it as good to drive, as comfortable and can you fit your two kids, the dog and a boot full of baggage on board?

Read on to find out. But whichever estate car you decide on, don’t forget to check out our New Car Buying service for the very best, hassle-free deals around.