Safe doesn’t have

Volvos have always been safe, but can they be exciting too? finds out

If you can remember the Volvo 940 then you can also remember that the estate version was not dissimilar to a wardrobe on wheels. Eventually the Swedish firm realised that just because it was built like a brick outhouse, it didn’t have to look like one.

The S40 and S80 that followed demonstrated a greater focus on style to accompany the safety.

The 60 series, drive here in R-design spec, arrived in 2010 with swooping lines, short overhangs and tapered window line.

It’s a good-looking car by any measure, not just in a practical car world where estates reside.

Despite the added creativity, perhaps Volvo’s boldest decision is to only offer four-cylinder engines in their cars. There’s a power output for every occasion and performance from the 2.0-litre D4 diesel under the bonnet of my test car, which produced a respectable 190hp, was brisk enough to provide a not insignificant shove in the back when you put your foot down.

The eight-speed automatic changes gear with little fuss when you’re just pottering around and doesn’t waste any time hunting down ratios on kickdown.

There is also the option to change gear with the steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The steering, though a little vague, is precise, but the lack of a connection between you and the road beneath your wheels does slow progress.

What you give up in dynamism is more than compensated for in ride quality.

There’s a tangible difference between trundling around

town, where it can occasionally be found wanting, to travelling at speed on a motorway, where it’s sublime, but overall it achieves genuine and impressive comfort.

Volvo’s “adaptive display” combines the flexibility of digital with the clarity of analogue.

It’s a pity that simplicity hasn’t been carried over to the centre console, where a cluster of buttons spoil the effect.

I couldn’t fault the driving position and the electrically adjustable leather seats were very supportive.

There’s ample headroom throughout the car while legroom in the rear is adequate even with the front seats in their rear-most position.

That added style does come at a cost, however, and if you imagined squeezing the old three-piece suite in the back to haul down to the tip, well, I’m afraid those days are gone.

If you’re after a genuine honest-to-goodness loadlugger then you might have to consider other options. All the V60’s German rivals can carry more, but none of them can match the Volvo’s good looks.

The engine is efficient, powerful and refined and it’s all beautifully wrapped in a sumptuous silhouette.

In fact, I’d say the Germans have got some serious competition.