Volvo V70 Bi-Fuel

Distracted by the new baby causing chaos in the Yarrow household, I turned my back for five minutes. And look what happened - now I'm running around in a Volvo estate! OK, I've got a wife and child, but I've just turned 32. I'm still young at heart, honest. Surely I don't need a V70 yet?

To be fair to Auto Express's road test editor Oliver Marriage, I was the obvious choice to take responsibility for the latest member of our long- term fleet. My wife Emma and I are new to this baby business, so we transport everything we think we might need - even for a day trip to visit cooing grandparents. And what could be better for load-lugging than a V70, the daddy of all estate cars?

Another reason why it makes sense for me to run the Volvo is that it's a Bi-Fuel model with two tanks - one for petrol and the other for liquid petroleum gas (LPG). As well as being better for the environment, the V70's biggest advantage for anyone who drives into central London regularly is that the car is exempt from the city's congestion charge. As I travel to the office more days than not, using the Volvo saves the company ΂£5 a day - and that makes Oliver a very happy man.

So what's it like to live with an LPG vehicle? In day-to-day use, it's no different to running a petrol-powered model, except that when you go to the filling station you top up two tanks rather than one. Not every forecourt has LPG pumps, but nearly 1,300 do and it makes sense to find one that's conveniently close to your home (visit www.powershift.org.uk for a map). Lift the filler flap on the V70's offside flank and you'll see two openings, one for each fuel - it's as simple as that. On the dashboard, a traditional fuel gauge indicates the LPG level, while an electronic readout shows how much petrol is left in the tank.

If you want to alternate between the two fuels to power the car, simply push a button. There are downsides to the Volvo, though, and the main one is the loss of the spare wheel, which has made way for the LPG tank under the boot floor. But if the V70 does have a puncture, using an aerosol tyre sealant will help to get it home.

Considering that many manufacturers - BMW included - are now ditching spare wheels and making do with puncture repair mousse or run-flat tyres, perhaps I shouldn't be overly concerned. Fortunately, the LPG installation makes no difference to the load capacity, and the Volvo has a massive boot. In addition, it boasts more than three metres of load-through space when you fold down the rear seats and the passenger chair.

Something we have noticed already is that the back seat isn't as roomy as you might expect in a car that's 4.70 metres long. Performance from the 2.4-litre engine isn't sparkling, either. Mated to an automatic gearbox, it's quite sluggish, although as the newcomer is still being run in, we'll wait a while before delivering our verdict. We also suspect that the alarm might need attention, because when a colleague parked his Nissan X-Trail close to the car, it triggered the device.

The V70 Bi-Fuel comes in two specs, S and SE. Priced at ΂£23,381, the S gets 16-inch alloys, cloth trim and a CD player, while the ΂£25,256 SE has 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-trimmed interior and an upgraded audio system with a four-CD changer in the dashboard. Our car is the SE version, and the stereo has already come in handy for playing soothing music to send young Connor to sleep. He likes Classic FM. So do I, actually. Perhaps I'm older than I think...