There you are, standing outside your local Volvo dealership after close of business and that stunning blue XC60 you had your heart set on is parked next to a cool grey V90 Cross Country. Dang it, which dotted line do you sign on?
Estate
Lineage: BMW M5
Howling straight six, thundering V8, banshee V10 or fizzing turbochargers… which one’s your favourite M5? NamWheels brings you the ancestry of one of Germany’s best performance sedans.
Sprint Review: Volvo V60 Cross Country
A new car, lots of information in short paragraphs.
What you need to know: The Volvo V60 is an estate car, no doubt about it. South Africans hate estate cars because they think of them as hearses. Volvo’s been clever by nailing some off-roady bits to a normal V60 and calling it “Cross Country”. You see? No more undertaker! All lifestyle, ready for your mountain bike trip…
Top List: Boot Space
Ag no man. Your mother-in-law is coming along on holiday and the kids want to take ALL their toys and sports equipment along. Where are you going to fit all of this?
Perhaps you have already invested in a sizable trailer and decent roof-top box but your car simply can’t handle more luggage. Well, we at NamWheels love to help and have compiled a list of cars with at least 400L of luggage space. Big enough to put your skoonma in the boot.
Tested: Volvo V60 T5
The bigger treat
No more than two decades ago, if you wanted to buy a family car you would choose between an estate (station wagon) or a Kombi (microbus). Thanks to the advent of SUV’s, cross-overs and niche cars, those days have long gone. I find this a real pity as I’ve just spent some time with Volvo’s excellent V60.
Tested: Volvo V60 D4
To many people, the name Volvo conjures up images of solid, staid, somewhat pricey reliability and safety. The ubiquitous family estate car stuffed with irritable children, or the somewhat unimaginative but comfortable sedan being driven by a harried businessman. Few people would have associated words like dynamic, cutting edge design, innovation, funky, cool or chic with a Volvo. But that has all changed and Volvo’s new 60 series is an affirmation of this impressive change of association.
Launched: Volvo 60 Series [2013]
The crazy love
People. That’s who Volvo alleges their cars are made for. Until dogs or potted plants learn to drive, it may be a painfully obvious statement but, together with their hashphrase #MadeForYou, it does evoke warm fuzziness that this isn’t just another cold-hearted maker of mass transport.