Tow car test: Volvo V60 D3
Model tested D3 Inscription Automatic Price £37,460 Kerbweight 1729kg
Volvo’s V60 D3 is a stable and reliable tow car, and a practical everyday drive
Towing ability Volvo quotes a kerbweight and MIRO for its cars. The latter includes fluids and 75kg for the driver, which many other firms use as their definition of kerbweight. So that’s the figure we’ve used for our calculations, and which we’ll give as the kerbweight in the data panel. Weighing 1729kg, the V60 D3 Automatic has an 85% match figure of 1470kg – healthy for an estate of this size, and well within the 1800kg legal towing limit. Manual cars are lighter (1690kg) and have a lower towing limit (1600kg). For our test, we matched the V60 to a Swift Challenger 635 with a MIRO of 1555kg and used our regular route. It includes a country road circuit, with potholed surfaces and steep climbs, and an extended drive on A-roads and motorways. The D3 is the least powerful version of the V60, and we did wonder how it would cope with such a large, heavy van. But the D3 engine felt stronger than its 148bhp and 236lb ft of torque would suggest. It wasn’t quick to accelerate, but it didn’t feel underpowered either, towing the Swift with dogged determination. Only on the hillier sections of the route did we miss the extra pull of the D4 (187bhp/295lb ft), as we found a heavy right foot was needed to maintain speed. The D3’s automatic gearbox changed gear smoothly, but was a little reluctant to grab a lower ratio when needed. Selecting ‘Dynamic’ from the Volvo’s Drive Mode settings helped make it more responsive. There’s a 1-in-10 climb on our route where we test each car’s hill starting. This didn’t really play to the Volvo’s strengths. Although the electronic parking brake held car and caravan secure and released smoothly when pulling away, the frontwheel-drive V60 struggled for grip on the damp surface. It was prone to wheelspin if the driver wasn’t gentle with the throttle, but avoiding any slipping made for a laboured get-away. On the dual carriageway and motorway, the V60 felt at home. With no really steep gradients to worry about, the engine and gearbox were up to the task, and happily cruised at 60mph. For the most part, the V60 was stable at the legal limit. However, there was a tendency to move from side to side a bit when caught by the bow wave of an HGV. In fairness, we usually aim to tow at an 85% match for our tests, and the Swift was closer to 90%. Given that, the Volvo’s stability was acceptable. We break from our motorway test route to stop at a campsite for low-speed manoeuvres. Despite its difficulty making a hill start, the V60 handled damp grass well. The automatic gearbox crept smoothly.
With the rear-view camera, the ’box made it easy to move slowly and precisely to align the towball, which drops at the push of a button, although it is locked into position by hand. The 13-pin electrics are on the side of the ball. Even with the entry-level engine, the V60 tows well. But a slightly more secure feel when being overtaken and improved traction on wet Tarmac would make it better still. Solo driving The V60 is easy to live with in everyday driving – a satisfying and comfortable drive. Drive Mode provides a choice of Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Individual settings. Individual lets the driver mix and match aspects of the other modes. In Dynamic, the gearbox is more responsive, the throttle response sharper, and there’s more heft to the steering. Most of the time we left the car in Comfort mode, which suits its calm character. There’s not much feedback through the steering wheel whichever mode the car is in, and the forgiving suspension suits a relaxed approach more than press-on driving. At speed, there’s some road noise if the surface is coarse, but otherwise the cabin is quiet and comfortable. The engine sounds subdued and smooth unless put to work hard, and there’s little wind noise.
Space and practicality
The old V60 was impressive, but very much a ‘lifestyle’ estate emphasising good looks, rather than load-carrying capacity. Today’s V60 does a better job of resting easy on the eye while also coping with a full load of touring holiday luggage. The boot capacity is 529 litres with the seats upright, giving the Volvo the edge over rivals such as the Audi A4 Avant and the BMW 3 Series Touring. However, if you can live with a less prestigious badge, the likes of the Škoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat estates offer much more room for bags. There’s no doubt that Volvo’s designers have worked hard to help owners make the most of the available space. There’s no load lip to lift items over, and the floor is quite low, making it easy to put heavy bags inside. There are four load-lashing points, and a fold-up divider in the centre of the floor to partition the boot if needed. Go for the Convenience Pack (£500) to add a 12V socket to the cargo area, and push-button folding of the back seats. With the seat backs lowered, luggage capacity increases to 1441 litres. Rear-seat passengers have more legroom than in most prestige-badged rivals, although the panoramic sunroof (part of the £1800 Xenium Pack) does eat into headroom slightly. In the front of the car, there’s enough legroom for drivers well over six feet tall. We found the seats very comfortable, and the standard of finish excellent. The Sensus touchscreen does take a precise finger to operate and could be more sensitive. Separating the air-con controls from the touchscreen would have made adjustments easier.
Buying and owning
The V60 range starts from £32,410. Choose the high-spec D3 Inscription Automatic and you’ll pay £37,460, although research by What Car? suggests healthy discounts are available. That money buys excellent safety standards, with a fivestar rating from Euro NCAP. The car’s safety credentials can be boosted further by the Intellisafe Pro Pack (£1800), which includes Volvo’s Blind Spot Information System, and Pilot Assist, which steers the car under the driver’s supervision. Inscription spec comes with a long list of standard kit, but there are some omissions – Apple Carplay and Android Auto cost £300, and a rear-view camera is priced at £375. The running costs should be affordable. On the new, tougher, WLTP combined cycle, the V60 D3 Automatic achieves 45.6-51.4mpg, depending on the specification. On our towing economy route, it returned an impressive 27.5mpg. Insurance premiums should be reasonable, too, thanks to a Group 24E rating. Our colleagues on What Car? predict that after three years and 36,000 miles, the V60 will be worth 42% of the original price – a better return than the equivalent 3 Series Touring. Aside from some missing items from the standard spec, the V60 D3 Inscription makes a sound buy.