I never imagined that I would ever consider Volvos desirable.

Remember the 740? It was a huge box of a car. Immensely practical and packed with safety features it was a fairly common sight on Britain’s roads, favoured as it was by the country’s well-heeled.

Then there was the 940. I remember being rather envious of one of my fellow sixth-former whose family was – at least to a teenager brought up on a council estate by a single parent – rich and allowed him to use their 940 saloon to drive to school.

I was envious that he had a car – and a new one at that – but not of the car itself.

It was, perhaps, the S60 that really started me down a path I never thought I'd travel. In either estate or saloon form, it is a good-looking car. It’s also not so expensive as to be completely out of reach for a poorly-paid journalist and, if that’s not enough to provide temptation, it’s also well built, efficient and comfortable.

That was it, I thought, if I’m ever going to invest in a Volvo, the S60 is the car for me.

Well, I still haven’t invested in one but, it turns out, that’s just as well because the S60 has been usurped in my affections by its little brother, the V40.

Not just any V40 though. No, I’ve just spent a week in the V40 Cross Country and, despite the fact that the rugged looks are all show and no go –a 40mm increase in ride height is the only mechanical change over the standard model – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time behind the wheel.

Visually the Cross Country is differentiated from its other family members by silver roof rails, a chunky front bumper with integrated LED lights, metal side sills and a new rear bumper with the Cross Country badge above the skid plate to create a more rugged image.

The only version of the V40 range with four-wheel-drive is the 250bhp 2.5-litre petrol-engined T5 but, with so few people inclined to take their small crossovers off-road it’s easy why Volvo took the decision not to go endow the Cross Country with genuine off-road credentials.

It is very well bolted together, as you’d rightly expect, and there’s a list of safety features as long as your arm. As with the exterior, the cabin is standard Volvo fare, with the central floating console with its tasteful brushed metal look present and correct.

The Lux model comes with an impressive list of equipment which includes heated front seats, 17in alloy wheels, active xenon headlights, automatic wipers and cruise control.

Room in the rear is a little restricted and taller passengers could find longer stays in the back a tad uncomfortable. I think it would be fair to say that trying to squeeze three across the rear bench would almost certainly be classified as 'mean' but that’s also the case with many of the V40’s rivals in this class.

While the Cross Country might not possess the off-road prowess that its looks suggest, the changes to the suspension do improve the V40’s ride. At low speeds the ride is particularly forgiving although there is the occasional thump as the pace picks up.

Impressively there’s little trade-off dynamically with only the slightest hint of body roll in corners as the accurate and nicely-weighted steering feeds useful information back to your fingertips. The chassis is nicely balanced and there’s a confidence-inspiring unity about the way the front and rear axles work together to combat understeer.

The engine, which produces 148bhp and 236lbft of torque, is punchy and responsive and well suited to the Cross Country’s personality. Refinement is decent and, even under hard acceleration, the diesel unit remains largely unobtrusive while at cruising speeds it becomes barely audible.

What it all boils down to is a comfortable, capable and accommodating drive. The beefed-up look costs about £1,000 over the standard model and, if you bear in mind those modifications are largely cosmetic it might make that additional outlay appear unreasonable but when you factor in the improved ride and handling that premium suddenly makes a lot more sense.

Volvo V40 Cross Country D3

Price from: £26,355

Engine: 4-cyclinder turbo diesel

Transmission: 6-speed Geartronic automatic

Power: 150hp

Torque: 236lbft

Maximum speed: 127mph

Acceleration (0-62mph): 8.4sec

Combined: 70.6mpg

Emissions (CO2): 104g/km

For more information visit www.volvocars.com/uk