Road Test - Volvo V60 R-Design
Author: Ian Strachan
The estate car always used to be the safe, conservative choice – a staid, solid and practical car for staid, solid and practical people.
Not any more. The age of the sports tourer is upon us, and some
estates look sleeker and sportier than their saloon and hatchback
cousins. The Volvo V60 is a case in point.
Volvo has come a long way since its "box on wheels" image of the
past. The new generation of Volvos have much softer, more
sculptured lines than their bulky predecessors, and are all the
better for it. The V60 follows this trend, with smooth and sleek
lines And the V60 R-Design is a very nice looking car indeed.
The R-Design's features give you sporty good looks, a
re-designed front end, and very supportive leather sports seats,
along with a suspension set-up that gives you firmer steering and
more "feel" for the road.
The V60 offers an attractive premium alternative to its
mainstream rivals. While unmistakably a Volvo, the V60 has a
purposeful, refined, and up-to-date look. The interior moves Volvo
design on even more, with some interesting and attractive
features.
Simple Scandinavian design keeps the interior smart, stylish and
practical, with everything where you expect it to be and easy to
reach. The instrument panel is slightly angled towards the driver,
giving it a cockpit feel. Seating - in a unique R Design trim - is
comfortable for up to five adults, and load carrying capacity of
340 litres is excellent.
Handling is predictable and solid, giving the driver a good feel
of the road. Steering is responsive, with just the amount of power
assistance you need.
A feature of the V60 is a great range of gutsy, lightweight
aluminium engines. They range from a 2.4 litre diesel to the very
quick 304 bhp unit in the V60 T6 Premium. I drove the 1.6 litre 150
horsepower petrol version which pulls well exceptionally well
throughout the range and is very smooth and quiet. It was married
to a slick six-speed manual gearbox which was pleasant and
responsive. Fuel economy is excellent returning 42.8 mpg in mixed
driving.
Equipment levels are good, with keyless entry, alloy wheels,
climate control, cruise control, a good stereo and CD and electric
windows coming as standard. This is a Volvo so you don't have to
worry about safety. Every safety feature that can reasonably be put
on this car is there, including an audible and visible warning if
you get too close to the car in front, and another audible warning
if you cross lanes. Both of these can be switched off. Not
surprising that this car has a five-star Euro NCAP safety
rating.
An active carbon filter air quality system also cleans dust,
pollen and exhaust particles from the interior, ensuring that the
air is cleaner inside the car than out, and also helps drivers and
passengers with hay fever or other allergies.
The 1.6 T3 version of the Volvo V60 R-Design costs £26,275
on the road.
Road test by Ian Strachan Communications
Ltd
Ian Strachan is a motoring and business writer and PR
consultant. He can be contacted on 01543 490932 or 07949
202596 or via email: ian@strachan13.freeserv