Volvo V60 review

The V60 cements Volvo’s place among premium car makers – it’s a high quality, tech-packed, spacious and stylish estate that offers a different take on established rivals from Germany.

Where the others focus on driver appeal, the V60 offers a more comfort-orientated approach. It rides well, even on larger 19-inch wheels, and the laminated side glass found on top-spec Inscription models boosts refinement no end.

• New Volvo V60 D4 Inscription review

Inside, there’s the typical Swedish laid-back approach with comfortable seats, lots of space in the rear seats and boot, and an easy-to-use 9-inch touchscreen that dominates the dash. The cabin design is brighter than in German rivals, and although quality is impressive, it’s not quite up to the latest Audi standards.

Volvo is famous for its estate cars, and the new V60 is aiming to uphold a tradition established by cars like the 240 and 850 by being one of the most practical and family cars on sale. And to prove that Volvo is serious about its commitment to the estate concept, it launched the V60 in 2018 well ahead of its S60 saloon counterpart which arrived in 2019.

This is the second generation V60, and it's a rival to the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3 Series Touring and Mercedes C-Class Estate. That's all of the rivals the V60 has, because there aren't estate variants of other compact executive saloons such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Jaguar XE and Lexus IS. Although obviously there's nothing stopping you choosing a V60 over any of these, unless you really hate estates. An S60 saloon is set to arrive in due course.

The Volvo V60 makes a strong case for itself in two ways - it uses the same running gear as other Volvos such as the XC90, XC60 and V90 estate, plus it has the biggest boot of any model in the compact executive estate class, at 529 litres. Add in a stylish interior packed with tech, and it's clear why we awarded it commendations in our 2018 and 2019 New Car Awards.

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Prices for the V60 start from around £34,000 and rise to just over £57,000, which is more or less on a par with rivals. The line-up comprises Plus versions of the Momentum, R-Design, Inscription, Polestar and Cross Country trims. Entry-level Momentum Plus cars are very well equipped, R-Design adds a sporty edge to the car's looks, while Inscription is the plush, luxury model. The Polestar Engineered petrol plug-in hybrid versions offer a blend of performance and efficiency, with the Cross-Country AWD models providing 60mm of extra ground clearance and some limited off-road ability.

The engine line-up is made up exclusively of 2.0-litre units. Two petrol engines feature, badged T4 and T5 – these have 187 and 247bhp respectively.

Diesel power comes from the D3 with 148bhp and D4 with 187bhp; both come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and offer an eight-speed Geartronic auto as an option. All except the four-wheel drive Cross Country and T8 badged R-Design Plus and Polestar Engineered versions are front-wheel drive.

For an alternative review of the latest Volvo V60 Estate visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk