Estate 2.0 D4 190hp Inscription Auto Start+Stop 5dr

Best all round car I have driven

I’ve been renting cars on a frequent basis for over 10 years and therefore I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted: comfortable seats; a high level of refinement; space; a high fidelity audio system for listening to podcasts and music on long journeys without listening fatigue; good design, both in terms of aesthetics and practicality; and something that wasn’t an SUV but didn’t compromise on the practicality side. The V60 ticks all these boxes and then a shed load more.

I have driven all the other cars in this class including the latest A4 Avant and 3 Series Touring; I honestly think this beats them both. It’s as refined and well built as the Audi and, while it doesn’t offer the driving experience of the 3 Series, it beats it hands down for comfort and practicality. It’s also IMO the best looking car in this class and actually one of the best looking cars in any class for that matter.

The interior is an absolute pleasure to sit in. I have a really sensitive lower back and the seats allow me to drive very long distances in comfort. I have the Harmon Kardon sound system which is good (I wish I has the Bowers and Wilkins but maybe next time). Everything about this car just feels right. Little things like the weighting of the indicator and wiper sticks, the driving position, the driver aids which manage just the right level of assistance without being annoying. It’s just a really well thought-out and brilliantly executed package.

Even the automatic gearbox and the D4 engine, which were supposedly the achilles heel of this car, are, for me, perfectly competitive with the Germans. I always get 50+mpg on any journey out of town, so a full tank does me for 600 miles. The boot has a ton of practicality features. You fold the rear seats down and it all just feels so well made and of high quality.

If I had to find something to criticise then it would have to be the infotainment: Apple Car Play doesn’t seem as well integrated as in some other cars and I would prefer physical climate control as opposed to touch screen. Audi’s and BMW’s systems are better but it’s still perfectly fine and livable. It’s certainly not a deal breaker and there are hopefully updates coming from Volvo which will fix the apple car play integration and make it full screen.

Volvo have clearly undergone a revolution, particularly in the design department; they are taking the fight to BMW, Audi and Mercedes in a big way. And if the Polestar 2 is anything to go by, the next gen of Volvos are going to push them even harder. Fair play to Volvo.

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