True GT car that ticks all the right boxes . . .

The 2017 Megane Sport Tourer looks and goes well COMING soon to a Volvo showroom near you will be the second generation of their best-selling XC 60.

Your Motors man got a preview of what we can expect last week when those awfully nice people at Volvo came to the north west to launch their latest mid-sized SUV in the UK.

So there was a row of shiny new XC60s parked outside Cheadle’s Oddfellows hotel for me to try - apart from the T8 Twin Engine hybrid which is promised later this year.

That meant there were D4 and D5 versions in various trim levels from Momentum spec up to Inscription Pro.

An extended two hour test drive (including a section on the Snake Pass, see above) in the base level, lowerpowered D4 (still 190bhp with a 0 to 62 time of 8.4 seconds) showed why Volvo are still at the front of the pack when it comes to SUVs and estate cars.

With a promised 55mpg plus from its two-litre diesel engine, AWD, ample performance and priced from £37,205, the new XC60 ticks all right the boxes.

The range goes up to £45,600 for the Inscription Pro T5 with the, to come, T8 hybrid (with over 400bhp!) expected to be a shade under£58,000.

So what’s it like? Well let me tell you what Volvo say of their latest offering: “The new XC60 brings new levels of sophistication, connectivity, efficiency and safety to the class.” And they also tell us that the XC60 ‘combines elegant Scandinavian design, premium natural materials, skilled craftsmanship and innovative entertainment and control systems to create a modern, luxurious place in which to travel’.

Well I found the two versions I tried out to be pretty much as described - but then I would expect nothing less from a company with Volvo’s reputation.

And speaking of reputation, add to all the above Volvo’s legendary approach to safety, with the car stuffed with safety features including another first for Volvo, Steer Assist, which can automatically detect and help you to steer you around a potential collision! ● See Motors later this year for a full road test on the XC 60, which goes on sale in the UK in September.