Comfort and style in a great estate

IF you get the answer to this one right I will be extremely impressed. What do the new Volvo V60 and the iconic Chevrolet Corvette sports car have in common?

Answer: they both use a transverse leaf spring in their rear suspensions. You got it right? Congratulations, you are a super nerd. But with that little bit of nonsense out of the way, here’s the new V60 estate from the Chineseowned Swedish car company which is on a roll at the moment.

Its XC40 SUV won the European Car of the Year award for 2018 and is seriously good. Whereas once Volvo estates used to be boxy machines with all the design flair of a milk crate, things were transformed by the V90 with its stunningly svelte lines, gently sloping back and classy grille.

The V60 isn’t just a smaller version of its big brother but their relationship is obvious, especially inside.

We’re testing the V60 D4 Inscription Pro that sits right at the top of the range and has a price to reflect that. The range This is the sister car of today’s road test subject. It’s the Cross Country version of Volvo’s new V60 estate car.

Cross Country in Volvo speak is the faux off-road version of its estates which have a slightly raised ride height and protective cladding. And that’s exactly what we have – an Volvo V60 D4 Inscription Pro five-door estate

2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel, 190bhp 7.6sec 60.1mpg

actually starts with the Momentum trim that has the least powerful diesel engine.

All V60s are powered by fourcylinder engines – either 150bhp or 190bhp diesels and a single extra 60mm of ground clearance, wheel arch extensions, sill mouldings and the Cross

Country name embossed on to the rear bumper.

There’s only one engine choice so far and that’s a 190bhp diesel. You can order one now for delivery in the first quarter of next year. 250bhp petrol. Sometime probably next year, Volvo will add a couple of mild hybrid powertrains and a plug-in hybrid too.

The V60 is a relatively long car at 4,761m – it’s longer than the