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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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s always a great indication of a good product if you can boast enthusiastic brand ambassadors amongst your customers. Volvo must be doing excellent work with its cars as I had the tremendous pleasure of being accosted by a very enthusiastic Volvo owner while driving the fantastic V40 T3 Excel just the other day.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Modern consumer culture demands that the motor industry almost perpetually reinvents itself, especially big companies like Volvo. Having just tested the impressive V40, this week we found ourselves in the familiar surroundings of a Volvo V60.
Yesterday while cruising through some bustling and café-laden side streets, I realised that my current test vehicle must nudge the upper limits of cool and trendy. Some may disagree but I’ve experienced plenty of rubber-necking and made two new friends thanks to the Volvo V40.
Many of my reviews start with confessions or apologies and this one’s no different. The last Volvo I tested was an utter disappointment but I’m not about to apologise for poking holes in it, much rather confessing that I wasn’t looking forward to testing this V60 estate.