Wagon, hö! It's nearly the last bastion of the compact wagon, but the European luxury manufacturers still provide offerings that appeal to those who don't want a crossover like everybody else.
Not that there are all that many to choose from. If you want a compact longroof, your only choice is BMW or Volkswagen, and neither company really offers a hot version. Want a six cylinder in your cargo hauler? Too bad - buy an X3 please.
But wait, what's this on the horizon? Is it that champion of lightspeed labradoodle transport? That Swedish seller of supersonic stow-and-go? That safetyconscious marque also obsessed with maximum bork? Yes it is. The Volvo station wagon is back, and it's back with a vengeance. This is the Volvo V60 RDesign, and with all due respect to high-priced rockets like the AMG Ewagons, it's here to blow all five doors off its compact wagon competitors.
Design
Buried deep under Volvo's sheet metal are the bones of a Ford Mondeo, relic of Volvo's past parent company, which paired Aston-Martin, Jaguar, and the Swedes under one company umbrella. Rumour has it that for every dollar Volvo made, Jaguar lost two.
These days, however, Volvo's got a bit more autonomy under the Chinese manufacturer Geely, or at least it appears to be making a few lessconservative decisions. One such decision is the new styling seen here.
If the corporate grille is a terrible idea for some companies, getting it right nets a recognizable style, and the new V60 has that in spades. It's just a new grille, fenders, and hood, but it's an improved look. Integrated LED lighting is part of the package too, as you'd expect.
Blessedly, it looks sporty without the imbecilic fury so many manufacturers seem to be building into their cars. "Let's go drive!" says the Volvo, as opposed to the, "Help me hide this body raaaarrrgh!" you find elsewhere.
In profile, well, one does wish a little for the simplistic boxiness of the V70R and the like. The pinched greenhouse looks good, but is not quite as timeless as the old boxwith-some-other-boxesstacked-on-top style. R-Design designation gets you some nice-looking fivespoke 18-inch alloys, and the silver side mirrors are reminiscent of an S-model Audi.
Environment
Inside, the R-Design continues the tradition of hot Volvos having among the best-looking seats on the planet. As a no-cost option, these nicely stitched and well-bolstered thrones come fitted with suede inserts, which help keep up-front passengers planted, and easily display all the detritus of little backseat riders. So, it looks good, but maybe not for long if you have grubby kids.
While the outside of the car has been updated, the interior of the V60 is not that much different than its sedan sibling, which has been on the road for a while. The many buttons work better the more familiar they become, but there's no touchscreen, and the navigation display is really quite small.
However, what worked in the past works here as well, and the metallic silhouette formed of buttons used for controlling the air-conditioning and heating vents is one Volvo quirk that's really quite handy. All Vehicles equipped with the larger T6 motor now have steering wheel mounted paddle-shifters, and there's that customary Volvo floating centre-stack.
Really, the only demerits come as a result of the back seats, which are quite tight. Fitting a rear-facing child seat behind the driver required scooting forward into a tight position, and there's not a lot of legroom for passengers.
The trunk, however, is pretty spacious, at 430 litres, although that's slightly less than the touring version of the BMW 3-Series. Volvo's pop-up cargo divider is certainly worth a mention, with an elastic tie down to help stop the groceries sliding around. Trust me - you're going to need this.
Performance
Volvo rates the 0-100 kilometres per hour time of their highest-trim T6 model at around six seconds.
Two things are different about my particular tester: first, it's equipped with the optional Polestar tuning software, which bumps power to 325 horsepower and 354 foot-pounds of torque. Secondly, I think Volvo was just making that number up to keep their safety-first image - this thing's a rocket.
The Polestar tuning does make the throttle response quite jumpy, even when the six-speed transmission isn't in sport mode. If you're looking for a more docile Volvo, perhaps look down-range. If you want a Swedish meatball with space for a bike in the back, you've found it.
Old front-driver hot Volvos always gave you a bit of a forearm workout, but this new car drives more like an Audi. There's plenty of all-wheel-drive grip, and the instantly available torque is plenty, more than enough shove for the public street. It's not the 0-100 km/h time that counts, it's the quick passing response that lets you get up and past pretty much anything, whether merging onto a highway in a short distance, or, oh I don't know, zipping past the Ikea parking lot before your spouse can ask you to go in and look at end tables.
The handling is really quite good, with the allwheel drive tuned to dispel some of the nose-heaviness imparted by the big 3.0-litre six-cylinder out front. Grip is plentiful.
Volvo claims better shifting for the six-speed automatic, and while the transmission is outclassed by the ZF eight-speeds found elsewhere, there's simply so much power that
it's easily up to the task. The paddle-shifters work quite well, but the surfeit of torque will probably just have you leaving it in normal mode. I know Volvo doesn't think so, but a special-order six-speed manual would probably find a home or two, at least here on the wagon-crazy North Shore. Sadly, no stick shift is on offer.
And then, on top of the speed, you get all the usual Volvo attributes. It's quiet and comfortable, and if you don't buy the bright red version you don't look like a sociopathic speeder. If you don't tell anyone just how quick this car is, then I won't.
Features
As you'd expect, Volvo's little wagon is filled with every safety feature imaginable, including a very sensitive cross-traffic assist, radar-guided blind spot monitoring with slightly longer range than other manufacturers, and even an automatic braking system to assist with the unexpected. Volvo now extends this system to recognize cyclists and pedestrians, which is handy in our lemming-like city, and official crash test ratings have resulted in the highest Top Safety pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
There's also a system called City Safety, which is just what it sounds like. Below 50 km/h, the V60 will automatically stop if it's about to hit a slowing or stopped car. I wouldn't want to test the technology out, but say you're shoulder checking for bikes when turning right and the car in front of you stops suddenly for no apparent reason - here, a co-pilot could avoid an annoying fenderbender.
Fuel economy for that supercharged straight six isn't great. Official ratings under the new 2015 fivecycle testing methods aren't out yet, but U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methods netted 13 litres/100 kilometres city and 9.4 l/100 km on the highway for the S60 sedan, which is very close to observed real-world mileage.
Green light
Extremely responsive engine; tight, predictable handling and grip; clever interior packaging.
Stop sign
A bit thirsty; not quite as spacious as Volvos of yore; interior controls getting a bit outdated.
The checkered flag
The hottest wagon you can buy aside from bigger V-8 lunacy. Goes like a goosed reindeer.
Competitor
BMW 328i Touring: Think "sport sedan" and BMW would very much like you to immediately think 3-Series. Truth be told, these days it's entirely possible to get the options wrong on a BMW and end up with a pillowy soft luxury car that doesn't feel like it deserves the roundel on the nose.
Happily, the 3-Series Touring is available with all the go-fast goodies you could want, and while it can't be optioned with Bimmer's lovely turbocharged straightsix, it does come with a fuelsaving diesel for those long distance drives. It's also a bit larger and more practical than the Volvo.
Dare I say that the Volvo is a bit more fun? It is, at least for the large price discrepancy between the two - adding in M-Sport options and the like can push the Bimmer to the point where the slightly less advanced V60 quickly starts looking like a bargain.
