Volvo V60 D3 Momentum Plus

multimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 14:08, 04 December 2019 | Updated: 11:10, 07 December 2019

If you can remember the Volvo 940 then you can also remember that the estate version was not dissimilar to a wardrobe on wheels.

Eventually the Swedish firm realised that just because it was built like a brick outhouse, it didn’t have to look like one and so it was that the S40 and S80 that followed demonstrated a greater focus on style to accompany the style.

The 60 series reviewed here arrived in 2010 with swooping lines, short overhangs and tapered window line.

It’s a good-looking car by any measure, not just in practical vehicle world where estates reside alongside MPVs, vans and mobility scooters.

Despite the added creativity, perhaps Volvo’s boldest decision is to only offer four-cylinder engines in their cars. There’s a power output for every occasion and performance from the 2.0-litre D3 diesel under the bonnet of my test car, which produces 150hp, is brisk enough to provide a not insignificant shove in the back when you put your foot down.

The slick six-speed manual gearbox is delightfully smooth and complements the character of the car perfectly. The clutch has a nice weight to it, too.

The steering, though a little vague, is precise but the lack of a connection between you and the road beneath your wheels does slow progress.

What you give up in dynamism is more than compensated for in ride quality. There’s a tangible difference between trundling around town, where it can occasionally be found wanting, to travelling at speed on a motorway, where it’s simply sublime, but overall it achieves genuine and impressive comfort that leaves many of its rivals in the shade.

The centre console is dominated by the large, vertically-orientated, Sensus touchscreen display. It’s a system that has allowed Volvo to rid the dashboard of the majority of all those unsightly physical controls and integrate them into the touchscreen interface.

It’s very much like interacting with a phone or, in this case, a tablet, with pinching, prodding and swiping gestures all present and correct.

While the system works flawlessly, responding to touch without being overly-sensitive, but I do question the wisdom of putting all your eggs in one touchscreen basket when the retention of at least some physical controls means that you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to ensure that you’re actually adjusting the watchyamathingy, like you’d intended, and not turning off the oojamaflip.

Volvo’s “adaptive display” combines the flexibility of digital with the clarity of analogue and includes three themes – Eco, Elegance and Performance – that alter the colours, layout and information displayed. It’s one of the most attractive dashboards I’ve seen.

It’s a pity that simplicity hasn’t been carried over to the centre console, where a cluster of buttons – some of which are made slightly awkward to access by the gear lever – spoil the effect.

I couldn’t fault the driving position and the electrically adjustable – and heated – leather seats were very supportive.

There’s ample headroom throughout the car while legroom in the rear is adequate even with the front seats in their rear-most position but if you’re over six feet I wouldn’t be looking forward to spending extended periods in the back.

That added style does come at a cost, however, and if you imagined squeezing the old three-piece suite in the back to haul down to the dump well, I’m afraid those days are gone.

If you’re after a genuine honest-to-goodness load-lugger then you might have to consider other options, all the V60’s German rivals can carry more, but none of them can match the Volvo’s good looks.

The V60 is quiet and composed on the motorway and pretty competent on single-track rural lanes too.

The engine is efficient, powerful and refined and it’s all beautifully wrapped in a sumptuous - for an estate - silhouette.

Unless your head is ruled by your heart, and you're already dreaming of a three-pointed star or four interlocked rings, the V60 should at least make it onto your 'one to look at' list.