The engines aren’t quite so impressive. The D5 we’ve tested has plenty of overtaking punch, but sounds like a bumblebee with a heavy cold when you put your foot down.

That’s a shame, as otherwise the XC60 is a refined and comfortable mile-muncher. The driver’s seat is as welcoming as a favourite armchair and there’s enough room in the back for a six-foot passenger to be comfortable behind a six-foot driver.

Volvo XC60_Page 20.gif

The boot is large and well-shaped, with a healthy 655 litres of space with the rear seats in place. The wide opening makes loading easy, and the back seats fold flat with no need to move the bases first.

That makes the Volvo a much more practical car than an X3, but the BMW has lower emissions. The D5 diesel and the less powerful 2.4D both put out 199g/km of CO2 as manuals, giving a 30% BIK banding. That’s comfortably beaten by the equivalent BMW and Audi Q5. On versions fitted with the six-speed auto, like our test car, emissions jump to 219g/km, giving a 34% tax banding.

The Volvo’s saved by its keen pricing, which means driver’s tax bills are actually slightly lower than for its more expensive German rival.

The real star for the company car park is yet to come, though. By next summer, Volvo will sell a front-wheel drive version with a CO2 target of 170g/km. If it drives as well as the 4×4, it should be worth the wait.

BACK…