The Essentials

• Price from £24,195
• What Car? says:
• Fuel economy: up to 62.8mpg
• What is it? Sleek, sporty looking estate is a far cry from the boxy Volvos of old, but safety and comfort are still a priority

• Drive

  Enjoyable to drive thanks to agile handling and a well controlled ride, if not as exciting as some rivals

• Inside

  Driver gets an in-car cuddle with a comfy seat, great view out and all the dash controls in the right places

• Safety

  Designed to keep you out of trouble, with warning systems galore

• Reliability

  The V60 feels well put together; Volvo has a decent, if not dazzling reliability track record

• Space

  Not as big as some rival 'lifestyle estates' but plenty of space for adults to get comfy and a versatile boot

• Standard and extras

  All get alloy wheels, climate and cruise control; top trim cars get leather and electric seats, plus lots of optional goodies

• What's it like to drive?

  Volvo's V60 may not be the most exciting car on the road, but it's decent to drive. Yes, the ride is firm, but only really bad road surfaces unsettle the car. You don't feel much body lean in bends and there's always plenty of grip, but the remote and twitchy-feeling steering robs you of some fun. The V60 isn't as refined as the best compact executive estates, either, with too much wind noise, a notchy manual gearshift and some slightly gruff engines. We like the 1.6-litre DRIVe diesel the most, which is brisk enough for most and promises the best fuel economy.

• What's it like inside?

  Volvo's seats are legendarily comfortable, and the V60 is no exception. Visibility is great, too, but the dashboard is a little overladen with buttons and the on-screen menus that control some functions are quite confusing. There's not quite as much boot space as you'd find in key rivals such as the BMW 3 Series Touring or Audi A4 Avant  that's why Volvo calls the V60 a Sports Tourer and not an estate. However, the rear seats fold completely flat without needing the bases flipped, so it converts very easily into a cargo transporter. There's enough head and legroom for four adults to sit comfortably inside, too.

• How reliable is it?

  The V60 doesn't feature in the latest JD Power ownership satisfaction survey, but Volvo scraped into the top 10 manufacturers - one place above BMW. Safety should be Volvo's middle name, and the V60 doesn't disappoint. As well as six airbags and stability control, all V60s are fitted with Volvo's City Safety System. This detects obstacles in the car's path and can stop it to prevent low-speed prangs. Advanced safety systems such as a pedestrian detector are optional extras. The car scored an impressive 94% for adult protection in Euro NCAP crash tests, and a respectable 82% for child protection. A Hyundai i40 or Toyota Avensis offers slightly better child protection features.

• Should I buy one?

  The good news is that the Volvo V60 is cheaper than rivals, but the bad news is that resale values are also significantly weaker. Fuel economy and CO2 emissions are respectable if not top of the class.