The Netherland really loves station wagons. Even though there are crossovers and SUV's appearing everywhere,
the station is and will remain popular. Volvo has a very big share in that,
because there are almost 200.000 Volvo estates driving around...
in the Netherlands, from old to new.
This is the newest addition; the Volvo V60, which'll compete with the Audi A4, the BMW 3-series,
and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. I'm curious if it's able to fight the big German three.
An important reason for buying an estate car, is the luggage space.
They've done that properly in this car. It offers 529 litres,
which is almost 100 litres more than the previous V60, which was a little cramped to begin with.
It certainly is bigger than the German three I mentioned before.
You can see the wheel arches are pretty flat. That's because this car doesn't have coil springs at the rear,
but a transversely mounted leaf spring. That sounds very special,
and it works pretty well. It takes up less space.
What's just as important as the luggage space...
in an estate, is the legroom at the rear.
You'll be using it as a family car, and if you've got big kids,
you need sufficient legroom and headroom.
Luckily, that's the case in here. My knees barely touch the seat,
but compared with the previous V60, or some rivals in this class,
this is pretty good. Headroom, legroom, both are fine.
We've got a little control panel for the climate control, which is separated for left and right sides.
Heated seats in the back, a 220V-socket,
and these vents in the B-pillar are pretty handy as well.
They're more effective than when they're down there, but they've still fitted two in the middle console.
So, they've done their jobs back here.
If they want to establish themselves next to the German three, the driving characteristics are the most important.
We've been driving this car for a few hours now, which almost is the most powerful version available.
The T6, which produces 310 horsepower and is fitted with four-wheel drive.
Essentially, it's front wheel drive, but because of the Haldex-coupling,
the rear wheels can be powered as well, if that's necessary.
The driving characteristics then. I can be very abrupt here, because they're good.
The shocks are adjustable. You can choose for Dynamic, or for Comfort.
Right now we're driving in Comfort-mode, and even though the standard trim will feature normal steel springs,
combined with normal shocks, so it'll feel differently,
but you can tell the base is very good. You can feel Volvo was owned by Ford once as well,
because they acquired the necessary knowledge. If I had to place this car,
I would put it right inbetween the 3-series and the Mercedes C-Class. The steering feels solid,
it's got a very balanced chassis as well. Like I already said, there's one leaf spring at the back.
There's nothing wrong with that, a Corvette has it as well, just like the Volvo V90.
It takes up less space, it's made from a composite so it's lighter,
so the whole rear axle is more compact, but despite that, the springs do what they need to do.
The steering is pretty direct as well, with lots of feedback.
In Dynamic-mode, it gets a little heavier,
but you can feel the steering column is balanced perfectly.
The steering is just good.
Right, the engine. It's a 4-cylinder,
which you'll practically always get, but this particular one produces 310 horsepower.
That's a lot. It's connected to an 8-speed automatic gearbox,
and when it comes to the transmission, it can't quite keep up.
Especially when you compare it with the 3-series, because the gear changes feel a little lazy.
It holds back a little. It's not as staccato as a 3-series,
it's nothing like a DSG-gearbox. Even though the gear changing-department isn't Volvo's finest,
but it's still a pass. What I like as well,
which we're used to in Volvo's, are the seats.
In this luxurious Inscription-trim, we've got pleasant, adjustable seats.
I can already tell the base model will have great seats as well, because Volvo's always have great seats.
Let's talk about the size. It's the biggest in its class.
It's 4,74 m long, which makes it longer than its predecessor,
and almost just as long as the last generation V70, which kind of makes this its replacement.
On the other hand, with more size comes more weight.
This is a heavy car, weighing 1.724 kg in this spec.
That's a lot, it's just two kg short of the V90...
with the same engine and drivetrain. It's also between 100-200 kg more than its rivals.
More weight also means more fuel consumption, especially when you're in city traffic.
That's not very positive.
Then, the engine range. Like I already said, Volvo only offers 4-cylinders in the V60.
At this moment, engines start with the T5,
a petrol engine which produces 250 horsepower. This T6 produces 310 horsepower,
and you've got some diesels. The D3 and D4, and they're usually connected to automatic gearboxes.
The petrol engines only come with automatic gearboxes. Next to the petrol and diesel engines, you've got hybrids,
which come in two flavours; the T6 Hybrid and the T8.
The latter having a tad more power, whilst both of them are plug-in hybrids.
In the current fiscal climate, they're not incredibly interesting anymore.
We're already used to the interior because of the new XC90, but also because of the current V90, S90 and new XC40...
The vertical screen with Sensus-controls.
A partly digital instrument cluster in the more luxurious version, and it all looks incredibly good.
In the middle console, it might be a little too shiny,
they could've used less of that, but it's still in a style of its own.
The finishing is very good, so it's right up there with its rivals.
When it comes to trim levels, the base version is very good.
You'll get LED-headlights, LED-rear lights, the well-known Volvo safety features,
like the Active City Brake. It's fitted with a braking assistant as well,
which can spot oncoming traffic when you're turning. It will stop the car if you've got oncoming traffic when you're turning.
It's more comprehensive than the safety features in other cars. The safety system can detect bicyclists and pedestrians,
and it can even spot big game. Something unique to Volvo,
because moose aren't uncommon in Scandinavia.
It can recognize them, even in the dark.
In short, it's got a very comprehensive safety system which is expandable in more expensive versions.
You can get Active Cruise Control, which this car has, and a so-called Pilot Assist,
which helps steering the car. It's actually a lane keeping-assist,
and you always have to keep your hands on the wheel. When it comes to the trim,
Volvo has done a good job. Despite the base D3 and D4-diesels having 16-inch wheels,
everything above that has 17 or 18-inch wheels, and the car we're driving right now has the optional 19-inch wheels.
Is the new V60 a serious competitor to the 3-series, the C-Class and the A4, we asked ourselves at the start of this video.
After a day of driving it, I can say it is.
The steering is good, it looks good, and just as important, the pricing is good as well.
€44.000 for a T5, with 250 horsepower and a automatic gearbox.
Just look at the others what you'll get for that money, because it's going to be a lot less.
And last but not least, the looks.
It might be a matter of taste, but I can't think of anyone who doesn't like the looks of this.
Absolutely, there's a new competitor on the block.