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Issue 3: May 2019
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First Drive
VOLVO V60
New R-Design and Cross-Country models expand the Swedes’ mid-size estate range in very different directions THE NEW VOLVO V60 was unveiled last year, with the entry-level Momentum and luxurious Inscription versions available from launch. But two other variants have recently joined the ranks, in the shape of the sporty R-Design and dare-to-take-it-off-road Cross Country models. These represent two ends of the V60 spectrum. At one extreme, the R-Design is a lower, stiffer model with a more performance-orientated approach, while at the other the Cross
Country possesses off-road capabilities and places an emphasis on comfort over speed. Like the existing V60 models, the newcomers both offer a boot measuring 529 litres with the back seats up. This is accessed through a tailgate that’s powered as standard, and the boot is flat and easy to slide items into. There’s various storage and securing options to work with, too. Further common ground between these two can be found in the cabin,
where the rather large V60 puts its frame to good use and provides loads of legroom, both in the front and back. All V60 models are given a 12.3” active driver’s display, rear parking sensors and 9” touch-screen with sat-nav as standard. It’s a good system, with cool graphics and colourways to match the calming ambience of the V60’s interior. The only problem is that some settings require a few too many prods to find and adjust. Safety, of course, has always been a Volvo forte and it doesn’t come as a surprise to find the V60 has a five-star Euro NCAP rating. There’s a raft of technologies on board as standard to protect occupants, including front collision warning and autonomous braking with steering assistance, lane keeping assist and Run Off Road Protection, which tightens seatbelts and collapses a section in the front seats moments before an accident.
The cabin, then, is safe, generously equipped and generally brilliant. It’s very well put together, with premium materials that feel sumptuous to the touch, buttons and toggles that are a pleasure to operate and seats that provide support and relaxation for mile after mile. But it’s in the seat where you can start to differentiate between these two versions.
Best-seller
We’ll start with the R-Design model, which Volvo predicts will be the best-selling V60, making up some 40% of sales. Its seat bolsters are more pronounced and the leather trim has its own embossment in typical go-faster fashion. R-Design models also gain front parking sensors, gearshift paddles on auto models, 18” diamond-cut alloys and gloss black detailing. In addition, the R-Design sits 12mm lower than the regular car, with stiffer
suspension and thicker anti-roll bars, resulting in a tauter driving experience. Don’t think this is a track weapon, though – whatever guise it’s in, the V60 is still a large, practical estate car. Given its size and load-lugging attributes, even in R-Design form the V60 is much more of a cruiser than a B-road hero. And that’s okay, because to cover miles in this thing is nothing but satisfying. We tested the D4 engine with the sixspeed manual gearbox. That means a 2.0-litre, 187bhp diesel and a maximum 295lbf.ft of torque, dished out from as low as 1750rpm. It’s a hushed motor that is only really heard under hard acceleration from low speeds, but it does enough to suggest that the 148bhp D3 option would make more of a meal of it. We haven’t driven the 247bhp T5 petrol but, on paper at least, the D4 makes sense in terms of blending real-world performance with economy.