Used Volvo V60 2010-2018 review

Those who fondly remember the large and square-sided Volvo estates of yesteryear - rammed full of children, dogs, antique furniture and wellington boots - will no doubt be quite surprised by the Swedish firm’s modern-day wagons. Gone is that utilitarian approach, and in its place now is a series of lifestyle estates - good-looking, swish and suave - aimed very much at families whose idea of getting dirty is spilling a Starbucks coffee on their Hollister hoodie rather than digging up their garden or mucking out a pig sty.

The V60’s shape is undoubtedly pleasing to the eye, though, and the grille is unmistakably that of a Volvo. Underneath, it’s actually an old enough car to borrow a lot of its underpinnings from Ford, the V60 dating from an era where the American company had a large stake in Volvo cars.

Under the bonnet the V60 offered a huge range of engines over the years: petrol-wise there was a 1.6-litre 150bhp T3, a 1.6-litre 180bhp T4 that was replaced in 2017 by a 188bhp 2.0-litre engine, a 240bhp 2.0-litre, known as the T5, and a 304bhp 3.0-litre unit known as the T6.

There was a 115bhp 1.6-litre diesel D2 (replaced in 2016 with a 118bhp 2.0-litre engine) and two further diesel options based on the same 2.0-litre diesel engine, with either a 136 or 148bhp D3, or a 163, 179 or 187bhp D4. There was also a 2.4-litre diesel that powered the range-topping 212bhp D5 and 289bhp plug-in hybrid-diesel D6 model. The fastest V60 was the 362bhp powerhouse Polestar that rounded out the range.

Five trim levels were available over the years: Business Edition, SE Nav, SE Lux Nav, R-Design Nav and R-Design Lux Nav, as well as that there was a later ES trim, while there were two trims for the rugged V60 Cross Country, a raised-up version with some additional bodywork for occasional off-road use.

On the road the V60 is an able performer with most of its engine options, although the 1.6 diesels can feel sluggish. None of the diesels are particularly refined, either, although their on-paper economy is much better than the petrol options offer. Most examples come equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, though the automatic gearbox was a popular alternative in many versions.

Approach a corner and you’ll find the V60 competent but uninspiring. There’s plenty of grip but its steering is a little slow and its handling is perhaps compromised by a chassis set-up that’s definitely biased towards ride comfort. On broken surfaces and beaten-up road irregularities the V60 rides with an almost old-fashioned panache, and its comfort will be appreciated by those who don’t deal with every corner as though it was the last one at Le Mans.

By the standards of the times in which the V60 was launched, in 2010, the interior is stylish and quite imaginative. The seats are comfortable and the driving position good. The floating centre console looks a little old-fashioned now, and there are rather too many buttons gathered around it. Space-wise, it’s good up front but poor in the rear - leggy teenagers won’t like travelling behind a taller driver, and the boot is surprisingly short of room - a corollary of that extravagant and stylish rear roofline.

You can pick up one of the earlier V60s with a highish mileage for under £4000, but we’d recommend spending £6000 for a good 2011 or 2012 cars with an average mileage for the year and a full service history, bought either privately or from a trader. Up the money to between £9500 and £14,000 to get yourself a tidy 2014 to 2015 car. Late 2017 to 2018 cars can be found from £16,500, while the rare D6 plug-in hybrid can be cost more than £20,000 for something with low-mileage.

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Not surprisingly it’s the diesels that are the most economical in the range, especially so the 2.0-litre 120 D2, with a combined fuel economy figure of 74.3mpg for a corresponding CO2 emissions figure of 101g/km. Meanwhile, the 1.6-litre D2 version that features in earlier models boasts a fuel consumption of 62.8mpg, with corresponding CO2 emissions figures of 119g/km. The 2.0 D4 163 claims an average 62.8mpg as well, while the best performing petrol-powered version is the T3 150 with an average 47.1mpg and CO2 emissions of 139g/km.

Those V60s registered before the car tax changes of April 2017 came into force will be charged annually depending on CO2 output, while those few registered after that date will be charged at the flat rate, currently £145 a year. To find out more about the current road tax costs, click here for further information.

Insurance costs for the V60 are reasonable, as Volvo’s excellent safety reputation helps to keep premiums down. Groups range from 21 up to 42 for the most powerful petrol-engined flyers.

Volvo doesn't have specific fixed price servicing costs, but main dealer servicing is competitive with other premium brand manufacturers.

You’ve got a good choice of engines on the used market, but we’d try and seek out one of the D4 diesels because it has a good combination of power and economy.

ES trim was a later addition to the range and came sufficiently well equipped, though we would look for one that comes with sat-nav as standard, the so-called ES Nav model.

Our favourite Volvo V60: 2.0 D4 163 ES Nav

The Audi A4 Avant is the estate version of one of our favourite executive cars. It’s available with a range of punchy and efficient engines, both petrol and diesel, and it’s impressively refined with nearly all of them. Its interior is a high-quality and beautifully designed delight, with an excellent infotainment system. It’s also efficient in all guises.

The BMW 3 Series Touring adds a dose of practicality to the compact executive car that defined its own class: the 3 Series saloon. That boot is of a useful size and shape, and the rest of the car retains all the virtues that have made the Beemer so popular: it’s great to drive, has strong performance and an excellent infotainment system called iDrive.

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