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By Jonathan Crouch

Volvo estates aren't what they used to be. Jonathan Crouch checks out the second generation version of the brand's V60 mid-sized estate.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 61

The second generation version of Volvo's V60 mid-sized estate model continues to find customers. It gets the company's sophisticated SPA chassis, class-leading safety tech and two choices for Plug-in hybrid power. If you're looking at German rivals like the Audi A5 Avant, the BMW 3 Series Touring or the Mercedes C-Class Estate, this Swedish alternative might be a refreshingly different option.

Backgroundword count: 190

Estate cars. They used to be things you bought to carry around loads of kit. Not any more. These days, most people wanting to do that will buy an MPV or an SUV. Leaving estates to focus almost completely on style and driving dynamics. Which is why compact mid-sized premium-branded wagons like Audi's A4 Avant and BMW's 3 Series Touring can't actually carry much more than the saloons upon which they're based. Now you wouldn't expect Volvo, a solid, traditional brand that pioneered the kind of boxy estate car into which you could fit a fridge (or several), to want much to do with this kind of trendy form over function approach. But you'd be wrong. The Swedish brand actually invented this style-conscious market niche long before the German brands turned up, bringing us the classic P1800E model that Roger Moore drove as 'The Saint' way back in the Sixties. But it took them until 2010 to return to it with the first generation version of their V60 model. That car wasn't quite good enough to significantly trouble its dominant German-branded rivals. But this design, its successor, might well be.

Driving Experienceword count: 195

As usual with Volvo, all the engines on offer are 2.0-litre four cylinder turbocharged units bolted to the brand's sophisticated 'SPA' 'Scalable Product Architecture' platform we've already seen used in the company's XC60, XC90 and V90 models. There's no longer a diesel option, but to compensate, Volvo now provides this car with a B4 197hp mild hybrid petrol unit. There's also a PHEV AWD T6 powertrain option that offers AWD and mates a 253hp 2.0-litre petrol turbocharged/supercharged engine to a 145hp electric motor, the two sources combined offering a total 350hp output. Should you want your PHEV V60 with more power, there's a T8 version with a combined 455hp output. These PHEVs can offer up to 56.5 miles of EAER-rated EV mileage. Whichever V60 variant you choose, as usual with Volvo models, there's a standard 'Drive Mode Settings' system, one of those set-ups now familiar in this segment that can tailor throttle response, steering feel and auto gearshift timings to suit the way you want to drive. Plus there's the option of adding in Volvo's 'Pilot Assist' system. This is a set-up that at cruising speeds of up to 80mph can effectively drive for you.

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