D5 SE Lux 215 Geartronic Auto 5dr

I like it, but I can't love it.

So, this beastie is the newest Volvo I've ever owned. I'm a real Volvo fan - mud, Hunter wellies, fishing gear, dog, rural Yorkshire, you get the picture. I so badly wanted to love this car, having previously owned all sorts of Volvos, from a 1972 1800ES, right through to the "last of the proper Volvo estates", even an old 3litre S90. I really thought that a (relatively) modern Volvo would be a dream to own and drive. Sadly, I was wrong.

No, this D5 V70 isn't a bad car, but it just isn't as good as Volvos of old. True it's impressively quick, and surprising economical, returning 46mpg. But although it's chunky, the materials and engineering aren't up to the standard of the 1998 S70 we also own. And it's noisy - the diesel engine is mighty vocal, and intrusive, even, or should I say especially at idle. The steering, never a particularly strong suit on the RWD Volvos of old, is vague in a straight line. And yet oddly, the car does actually corner rather well, given its bulk.

On a good straight A-road I'll admit the car shines, but around town it's bordering on hideous. For my sins I've previously driven around in a Fairway taxi cab - and in urban areas this Volvo has all the vices of those old buses - with the significant disappointment of a turning circle you'd measure in miles, not metres.

The ride has a tendency to harshness, and is varyingly susceptible to different road surfaces. Certain stretches of motorway create a very slight but wearisome "buzz" through the steering - and yes, I've had the wheels balanced and suspension checked over. I've come to the conclusion that a heavy diesel 5-cylinder engine driving the 17" front wheels is never going to be as silky smooth as the straight six 3 litre petrol jobbie in my old RWD 1997 S90. Which to be fair returned around 22mpg on a good day!

Inside, the passenger accommodation is very generous, and the seats very comfortable. But the load area is surprisingly diminutive for such a big car, nowhere near as capacious as the 240/740/940 cars beloved of antique dealers. And let's face it, you generally get a Volvo estate because you want a car that will do duty as a van.

There's far more technology than I'll ever find useful. I genuinely do not know what a lot of the many centre console buttons actually do, and I've switched off that annoying bendy headlight function. I really don't see how it improves road safety one iota.

Perhaps the subtle clues are there in the fact that some of the grubby stuff bears the legend FoMoCo. Certainly the plastics are disappointingly fragile - the battery cover for example, and some of the interior trim look to be leftovers from a Mk 1 Ford Escort clear-out sale. Indicator and wiper switch stalks feel flimsy and cheap, the switchgear similarly underwhelming.

Previous Volvos I've owned have soldiered on past 25 years and up to 300,000 miles. I just can't see this one following in the tyre tracks of those illustrious Gothenburg ancestors.

Overall I'd score it a 3 out of 5 - it's a nice colour and the seats are comfy. But given half a chance, I'd go back to a mid-nineties 940 2.3 redblock in a heartbeat. Big, square, comfortable, simple, practical - and able to turn on a sixpence.

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