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First drive: Chilling with the new Volvo V60
publication date: Nov 13, 2010
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author/source: David Miles
A Volvo estate that starts with
the driver rather than the loading capacity is clearly a departure from the
norm.
"Volvo estates used to be
designed to carry fridges," says Design Director Peter Horbury. "But
modern lifestyles make that unnecessary. Retailers nowadays normally deliver
fridges! We clearly see the need to continue to offer vehicles that can carry
big loads, but that is not the role of the V60." | 
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With its overall length of
4,628mm and seating space for four adults, perhaps five at a pinch, there is
just 430-litres of load space with the 40/20/40 rear seats in place. Fold these
fully down and the load area increases to 1,241-litres, not big in this class
by any means so some people will see it as a case of style over function.
But the extra load area is a neat
addition and continues the overall sporting stance of the S60 into the V60 so
visually it is very smart.
It is smart and also safe; the
safest Volvo Estate yet claims the manufacturer with some substance to back
that up. A Volvo estate whose design starts with the driver may be a departure
for the Swedish company.
A major safety advance will come
as less of a surprise. The all-new V60 is the world's first estate to offer
Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake, the innovative technology introduced
on the S60. A digital camera and radar are used to scan the road ahead. If they
detect a pedestrian, and the driver fails to respond to warnings, the car will
self-brake. I've never seen this system
fail during demonstrations or in my use during controlled tests but I
understand there have been hiccups which have been
shown on the web but which are now fully ironed out say Volvo.
Other safety technologies
include City Safety which avoids low speed impacts up to 19mph, Driver Alert
Control to alert drivers who are tired or distracted and Blind Spot Information
System which helps detects vehicles in the rear blind spots on both sides of
the car.
In addition Lane Departure Warning which
alerts drivers if the vehicle runs across the lane markers without the
indicator being used, Active Bi-Xenon lights that follow the bends in the road
and numerous secondary safety features including seat-mounted side airbags,
improved inflatable curtains and Volvo's patented whiplash protection system
are all available. I would expect
nothing else from Volvo.
In addition to all the safety
features, all the specification such as air conditioning, electrically operated
windows and mirrors are all standard fit items.
The driver's area has a cockpit style instrument and control layout with
the centre console canted towards the driver for ease of use. The V60 is just like the S60, beautifully put
together, solid, high quality and with excellent attention to detail. There is some annoying wind noise from the
front A-pillars or door mounted mirrors but generally the interior is a nice
place to be but cosy at times if fully loaded.
Handling is sharp, precise and
well controlled. Ride comfort is generally good with only the worst of our road
surfaces causing the ride to become ruffled with some road noise intrusion but
it is better than most of its competitors for ride quality if not estate car
load space.
The five cylinder, common-rail
direct injection turbodiesel engine will be the most popular unit and it
offers
163bhp and 294lb ft of torque from just 1,400rpm. Unusually this torque
didn't
give my D3 test car enough flexibility at low speeds, the grunt to pull
away
from a rolling speed out of road junctions
or enough instant response during acceleration from low speeds. Once
the turbo got going it was fine. I assume it is because the
transmission
gearing is so high for lower emissions. Underway the engine was
responsive and
in ‘the cruise' it was quiet and relaxed. | | ©David
Miles | MILESTONES
| | Volvo V60 D3 SE Lux Premium £32,520
(£26,960 for D3 SE likely long-term best seller). Engine/transmission: 2.0-litre, five-cylinder, common-rail, direct
injection, turbodiesel, 163bhp, 294lb ft of torque from 1,400rpm, 6-speed
manual.
Performance: 137mph, 0-60mph 8.9
seconds, 51.4mpg Combined Cycle (40.8mpg on test), CO2 144g/km, VED road tax £125,
BIK company car tax 21%.
| Insurance group: 30-31tbc.
Dimensions: L 4,628mm, W
1,866mm, H 1,458mm, load capacity 430-1,241-litres., maximum braked towing
weight 1,600kg.
For:
Style,
quality, high safety specification, comfortable, feels solid, well planted
handling.
Against: Some models are
very pricey, load space not nearly the largest in this sector, sluggish
pull-away from low speed under some traffic conditions, wind noise intrusion. |  |
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