Volvo V60 2012 review

Just because I'm thinning of follicles and on the other side of 40, doesn't mean I have to start driving Volvos - but the new V60 is one you actually don't mind driving.

Having grown up driving the shovel-nosed Swedish Valiants (bless Dick Johnson and his mid-race Bathurst comments), I'm familiar with the boxy, safety conscious history of the brand.

Once it would have been almost obligatory to trade in something that drivers would enjoy steering for the safe, secure Swedish family transport, but this new-generation Volvo wagon bears little resemblance to its forebears, thankfully.

VALUE

The V60 model range kicks off in the car on test, the T5, which starts on the yard with a $54,950 pricetag. That gets a two-litre direct-injection turbo four that produces 177kW and 320Nm under the more sculpted snout - more than enough to see off its direct price competitors.

Features on offer in the entry-level V60 include a good-quality eight-speaker sound system with wheel-mounted controls and USB/MP3 connectivity, Bluetooth phone link, power-adjustable driver's seat, leather seat trim and gearshifter, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dipping centre rear vision mirror, rear parking sensors, trip computer and cruise control (also with wheel controls).

The absence of automatic headlights is odd (given the availability on lesser models) but the headlights have an auto-off function, allowing the lights to be left on - yet another safety tick that harks back to the old-style Volvo running lights.

TECHNOLOGY

The heart of the V60 is an all-alloy two-litre 16-variable-valve turbo engine with direct injection - not uncommon now - but the company is claiming a world-first turbocharger housing and manifold made of sheet steel (the material also used for the exhaust manifold) rather than cast iron. The powerplant is teamed with a double-clutch "Powershift" six-speed automatic that slips cleanly between cogs although sometimes it's not as quick as you'd expect from this type of transmission.

DESIGN

The new-look Volvos offer a striking exterior for the right reasons - a far cry from the flying bricks of the 1970s and 1980s, with stumpy overhangs, a strong shoulder line and a slightly aggressive road presence. The cabin is functional and flexible, with 430 litres of loadspace (to a maximum of 1241 litres when the 40/20/40 split-fold rear seat is folded flat) and clever features including one-touch child door and window locks and the in-built boosters for the outboard rear seats.

SAFETY

The Swedish brand (now Chinese-owned) has become synonymous with safety and it's no different with the V60. The company has put the active safety systems within the central infotainment screen, which makes switching off the stability control a more involved process and as a result you're less likely to do it - score one for safety there.

The V60 has City Safety (the low-speed accident avoidance system), as well as anti-lock brakes (with the emergency brake assistance and brakeforce distribution systems), stability control, dual front and front-side airbags, full-length curtain airbags among the safety features. There are also pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners front and rear and the driver is alerted to which seatblets are in use.

Optional safety features abound when skimming through the pricelist - adaptive cruise control and a collision warning system with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian sensing ability adds $4175. The lane departure alert pushes the pricetag up to $2075 and the blind spot warning system - fitted to the test car - adds a further $1275.

DRIVING

The switch from S60 to V60 was a pleasant change - in many ways the wagon is preferable to the sedan and some of the more expensive V60 variants. The new turbo powerplant is almost spirited - revving freely and showing a willingness to work with the six-speed auto to good effect.

Lined up against similarly priced rivals, the fuel use is a little higher but the performance in areas like open-road overtaking is better. Press-ahead driving is not beyond the T5 (the T6 is quicker in a straight-line) and its suprisingly capable of punching out of corners without masses of squirming torque-steer coming through the steering.

It's not going to poach people from the T6 R-Design sport wagon but swifter progress is achievable. There is a manual shift option on offer to the driver but given it's able to be over-ridden by the car you're better off in D. Completing general duties, the V60 T5 doesn't lay claim to acres of space but parents and a couple of offpsring are comfortably encased within the Volvo, although the ride is on the firm side and not quite what you'd call supple. 

It is well-set-up for children in the back seat with built-in boosters and one-touch window and door locks. The climate control system is clever - the test car had the optional "Clean Zone" air quality system that vents the stale cabin air on unlock. The rain-sensing wipers (on this and other Volvos recently driven) were prone to false-wipes of a dry windscreen; something it seems was due to sunlight at odd angles tripping the sensors.

VERDICT

The Swedish brand has well and truly put itself back in the hunt for more sales volume in this prestige wagon segment. The V60 T5 wagon has the looks, safety gear and cabin flexibility to give its (predominantly more-expensive German) rivals a hard time, as well as some heartburn in the performance stakes. The staid and stodgy image of its forebears is fading and this newest addition to the Volvo line-up will only accelerate that "hat-wearing Volvo driver" concept's passage into automotive history.

VOLVO V60 T5 

Price: from $54,950 (as tested $60,295)
Warranty: 3 years, unlimited km
Resale: 68%
Service Interval: 15,000km or 12-months
Economy: 8.7l/100km, on test 12.3l/100km, tank 68 l; 205g/km CO2
Safety: six airbags, ABS, stability control.
Crash rating: 5 star Euro NCAP
Engine: 177kW/320Nm 2-litre 16-valve DOHC direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Body: 5-door, 5 seats 
Dimensions: 4628mm (L); 1865mm (W); 1484mm (H); 2776mm (WB)
Weight: 1568kg
Tyre size: 215/50 R17
Spare tyre: mobility kit