Handsome new Swede
Volvo station wagon. Are there three less exciting words in the English language? Or the Swedish language, for that matter?
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Three words that conjure up images of boxes, on top of other boxes. With performance and handling to match.
Okay, so Volvo has moved on a bit since the days of those squared-off load-luggers of the seventies and eighties. But Volvo wagons have never exactly set the pulse racing.
Now, though, just as Volvo is casting off its staid, boring image, European wagons are doing the same. The result is a wagon that is very un-Volvo indeed.
The Swedish marque's new V60 wagon is a genuine head-turner - every bit as pretty as its sibling S60 sedan that most agree is the best-looking car Volvo's ever built.
And its beauty isn't skin deep, either. The V60 is a treat to drive - thanks partly to its well-resolved ride and handling and partly due to a series of snappy new engines which have found their way into Volvo's mid-sized models.
A new diesel engine, a new turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine and a healthy dose of extra standard equipment have pushed the S60 and V60 models towards the top of the European value-for-money stakes.
The S60 now starts at a tick under 50 grand for the entry-level T4 model - the V60 at a tick over that mark - with both now offering standard fare such as Volvo's City Safety system (which actually brakes the car if you're in danger of having a low-speed collision).
There's also a powered driver's seat, rain-sensing wipers, a seven-inch colour display screen as part of a high-end multimedia package, plus all the safety goodies you'd expect in a Volvo - including an armada of airbags and electronic stability aids. All with a respected European badge, and all for about $50K. Volvo is even offering drive-away pricing with five years' free servicing.
We drove both the V60 and upgraded S60 on a back-to-back test - sampling each of Volvo's two new engines.
We tested the S60 in entry-level T4 petrol spec ($48,990) - fitted with an engine that's destined to create quite a stir in the Australian car market. Not just because it's a cracking powerplant, but because it's the same four-cylinder turbo that, before too long, will be found beneath the bonnet of the Aussie Ford Falcon (a corporate cousin of Volvo).
We've also tested the same engine in Ford's Mondeo EcoBoost (which shares some of its underpinnings with the Volvo) where it also impressed.
From just 1.6 litres of capacity, the T4 delivers 132 kilowatts - more than enough to get the mid-sized Volvo (and the slightly larger Mondeo, for that matter) moving smartly. Coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, it feels far beefier than its tiny size would suggest - and gutsier, too, than its 240Nm of torque might indicate.
The benefit of the 1.6-litre engine comes at the petrol pump, where the Volvo guzzles just 7.4L/100km - economy figures we're used to seeing from a small car, rather than a roomy mid-sizer like the S60.
Even more frugal is Volvo's newest diesel engine - called the D3 (even though it's a five-cylinder, 2-litres in capacity) fitted to our V60 wagon test machine.
We found it even more impressive than the T4 petrol - its 400 Newton metres of torque give a hefty shove to the slinky-looking wagon while sipping just 6L/100km (or 5.9L/100km in the slightly lighter sedan). The only issue was a slight lag in engine response - although that's not a game-breaker.
This smaller diesel replaces a 2.4-litre, five-cylinder oil-burner in the Volvo range - and its lighter weight but comparable power output brings with it improved overall driveability.
The S60 has previously impressed us with its ride and handling - and the wagon variant is equally well-mannered on the road. Leather trim, an eight-speaker audio with iPod and Bluetooth streaming, cruise control, dual climate control and 17-inch alloys are part of the standard V60 fare - along with the now familiar "floating" centre console arrangement and Volvo's always well thought-out, beautifully presented cabin ambience.
You can add a "Teknik" pack (sounds like Ikea) - which brings goodies like bi-xenon headlights, sat-nav and blind-spot warning system - but that also adds about $5,000 to the D3's $57,990 asking price.
The two new engines complement two existing powerplant options in the V60 and S60 - a 177kW, 2-litre petrol T5 and the flagship 224kW, 3-litre turbo T6. That's enough to give this handsome new Swede some real performance cred. A sexy Volvo indeed.
Volvo V60. Supplied picture
VOLVO V60 D3 and S60 T4
DETAILS: Mid-sized, five-seat wagon (or sedan) with choice of four-cylinder petrol turbo or five-cylinder turbodiesel engines; six-speed automatic or dual-clutch auto transmission.
TECH STUFF: D3 - five-cylinder, 2-litre turbodiesel produces 120kW, 400Nm torque; T4 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol produces 132kW, 240Nm torque. Six-speed auto standard on diesel; six-speed dual-clutch PowerShift transmission standard on T4.
FEATURES: City Safety radar-guided collision avoidance system; front and side airbags, full-length curtain airbags; whiplash protection system, side-impact protection system; stability control, leather trim, powered driver's seat; rain-sensing wipers, rear parking sensors, 7-inch colour screen with multimedia and Bluetooth audio streaming.
THIRST: D3 6L/100km (5.9L/100km on S60 model); T4 7,4L/100km.
BOTTOM LINE: T4 sedan from $48,990, wagon from $51,990; D3 sedan from $54,990, wagon from $57,990.
VERDICT: Volvo continues to shed its staid image with a handsome and fun-to-drive wagon.
