D2 SE 115 5dr Hatchback

A year in - best car secret around

You see so few of them I remember thinking when I bought it. And that's part of the appeal. Everybody else tears around in Audi/BMW/VW Golf-sized hatchbacks that are much of a muchness all trying to out-do each other on the same field - the Volvo doesn't even play their game.

The engine is better than the VAG 1.6 TDI which is a right old sticky chugger. The V40 is smooth, relatively quiet and stop-start is fairly seamless. The figures say 0-60 is 12 seconds. The reality is most of that delay is in the initial take-off - getting a 1.5ton car off the starting block is an issue with only 115 bhp, but once she's at 15mph, you'd never know its so underpowered as in-gear performance is a lot stronger. I get 60mpg from it on my commute down the motorway and around town I get around 40mpg.

The interior is better than the BMW or Golf in my opinion. Quality of build and plastics are Audi-level. The design is distinctive and nice little features like the illuminated gearstick and frameless rear mirror really stand out. I have a Nav spec SE, with the Winter illumination Pack, Sport Pack, Park Assist and uprated audio system and its phenomenal with more equipment than you'll find in most German cars of similar money. Everyone comments on how comfortable the seats are and I go up and down from the North to London twice a week without any issues. The technology works so well, once you're used to it.

The styling beats all of them. Sleek, unusual and most people don't realise it's as a Volvo. I'm under 30 by the way, just in case you wondered...

The drive takes a different path to the rest. It handles well enough, but it's not a sports car. Why would you want it to be? Instead its supremely comfortable, and on the right surfaces obscenely refined. The M6, for some reason, upsets the tyres and so it is noisy, but wind and engine noise are a distant memory. This isn't a MINI - it doesn't beg you to drive for the sake of it, instead it tries to make your life better whilst you're driving along.

I love it. If it was on my company car scheme I'd have it again as dull as that sounds. Instead I now have a company car and still kept this one - and use this one - because its actually a better car than the Audi A3 TDI Sport which my partner has been forced to have instead because it's not a patch on this little Volvo.

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