First drive: Volvo V60 DRIVe

The majority of sales for Volvo’s sleek and design-focused V60 are diesel and the Swedish brand has bolstered its line-up with a sub-120g/km version.

This low CO2 producing diesel model also achieves low fuel consumption figures of 62.8mpg and that means there is no first year road tax and thereafter, only a £30 a year road tax bill which is a good selling point for retail customers looking to reduce costs.

Volvo’s DRIVe badge is fitted to those models that offer the best environmental performance in their respective size segments.

Volvo’s belief is that economy should come without any detriment to the driving and usability of the vehicle, therefore the interior and driving characteristics of the V60 remain intact.

This is a stylish product with sleek lines and a low roof-line.

The V60 might not dramatically reduce the average age of a Volvo customer but the styling is definitely better attuned to a younger audience.

Handling is sharp for an estate and the six-speed manual gearbox is extremely smooth shifting.

And it wouldn’t be a Volvo without having top-class safety systems.

The V60 comes with pedestrian detection with full auto brake, lane departure warning alerts, seat-mounted side airbags and Volvo’s patented whiplash protection system (WHIPS).

Volvo has designed the V60 with the driver in mind, rather than the loading capacity, so it’s not meant to carry big loads.

There’s 430 litres to the window line with rear seats up and 557 litres loaded to the roof. With rear seats folded, capacity jumps to 1,241 litres.