The Volvo replaced my previous company car, a 2008 Mondeo IV 2.0 TDCI Zetec estate that I was very happy with. In fact, I had ordered a facelift Mondeo but was let down by the dealer, at which point the V60 was available in the UK.

Cabin is very restful and well designed, with superb multi-adjustable seats. Not as cavernous in the back as the Mondeo (few cars are), but still plenty of room -- for example, as a six-footer I can sit perfectly comfortably 'behind myself', with the driver's seat set up for me.

The ride / handling / NVH suppression is impressive (on standard suspension and 205/55 16" wheels with Michelin Premacy tyres). It rides at least as well as the Mondeo IV, corners with very little roll, albeit with a hint more understeer and a little less steering feedback, but MUCH less road and engine noise intrusion.

This makes the car very comfortable on longer trips with calm cruising -- even my wife has commented how much quieter it is compared with my previous company cars.

What makes the car is the D3 engine. Having test driven the latest Ford, VW and Audi (not BMW) 4-cylinder diesel competition, the 5-pot Volvo motor is bewitching and so effortless. It responds immediately to the pedal in any gear, with a torrent or torque available at the merest twitch of your foot. You never get the feeling you have to work the engine hard: there always seems to be more in reserve. This makes for stress-free, brisk progress. When pushing on the motor gives a characterful warble, yet is near-silent at a steady 80+ cruise.

Gearbox and gear selection is slick, although the engine is so flexible that you hardly need to change out of 4th gear when outside of urban stop-start traffic.

In 4000 miles from new I've averaged a genuine 46mpg, measured brim-to-brim (about 60% urban work, 40% motorway and open road). BIK tax is lower than the Mondeo, which is good for me, and contract hire through Volvo Finance is the same per month, so it's good for the company.

Some road tests I seen have commented on the boot size. Yes, it does look smaller than the Mondeo IV's. However, having just done a family holiday in it, it swallowed all the gear that used to fill the Mondeo's boot without problems or having to leave any bags behind.

Niggles: there's no clutch footrest and insufficient room to place left foot alongside the clutch pedal; also turning on the radio means having to press AND hold the 'on' button for 3 seconds. Same with turning it off. Plain silly.

To sum up, I really like this car. The 5-cylinder engine makes it so different in character and driving experience to the usual Ford / Audi / BMW / Vaux etc 4-cylinder diesels, while the low BIK and running costs put it squarely in competition with them.

In my opinion, the base ES spec is version hits a real 'sweet spot' of low operating costs, performance and practicality, which is very persuasive at the price. Higher-spec versions do start to look expensive, especially as they approach 6-cylinder A4 and BMW 3-series money.