The V60 proved its worth on the family holiday

t says something about the reliability of modern cars that the only time I opened the bonnet of the Volvo was just a week before its time on the Fleet World fleet was up. Even then, all it needed was a screen wash top-up!

It has been almost a month since it was collected by Volvo, and despite the arrival of my colleague Julian’s ex-A6 Avant, I must admit there’s a V60-shaped hole in my car life. Why? Well, it was just so easy to live with; one day mastering a mile-munching road trip to see a client or attending a product launch, the next filled with family for an outing or holiday. The V60 did both brilliantly, in fact the front sports seats were so comfortable, I found myself picking this car over other, some- times more expensive test cars for longer trips.

It wasn’t just the comfort that appealed; in R-Design spec, this V60 had all the kit I needed too. Welcome options through the colder months included the £525 Winter Pack that included heated seats, windscreen, wipers and headlight cleaners. The Intellisafe Pro Pack was costly at £1,625, but came in useful, as did the adaptive cruise control and the semi-automomous Pilot Assist as well. Finally, I now miss estate cars that don’t have a 360° around view parking camera, that was included in the £1,800 Xenium Pack.

Demerits were few, with what must be one of the best- looking and well-made estates on the market. However, if I was ordering again, I‘d choose the D4 version of the 2.0-litre, as the extra 40hp is noticeable and doesn’t affect the running costs enough to make a good enough case for choosing the D3. On my evidence, it’s not difficult to see why Volvos are becoming the first choice in the company car park.