It shouldn't be too difficult to spot a Volvo S60 or its V60 equivalent on UK roads, but you could spend a very long time waiting for the T6 version of either car. It's like comparing your chances of seeing a seagull on the one hand and an osprey on the other.There are various reasons for this. One which irks Volvo UK is that the T6 is fitted only with a six-speed automatic transmission. If there were a manual or even a semi-automatic alternative it would help sales in this country considerably, but Volvo head office - looking at the broader international scene - doesn't feel that this would make sense, and there's nothing to suggest that this will change soon.Another thing working against the T6's chances of out-selling the Ford Fiesta is that it's the most expensive, least economical and costliest to tax V60 you can buy. But then, it would be, since it's by far the most powerful.I should say right now that the car I drove was a bit out of the ordinary in that its lovely three-litre six-cylinder petrol engine (built, you may be interested to know, in Wales) had been upgraded by Volvo tuning specialist Polestar to produce a maximum of 325bhp rather than the standard 300bhp.But even the lower figure is enough to send the T6 from 0-62mph in only a little over six seconds, despite the power-absorbing automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive system and if you like the V60 and want anything like this kind of performance you are simply not going to be able to find it anywhere else in the range.Nor will you find another V60 which emits more than 200g/km of CO2 in the EU test. The T6 beats that figure handsomely with 237g/km - that's greater than the official figure for several Porsches - and as a result will cost you £445 a year in Vehicle Excise Duty, though if you've already paid more than £36,000 for the car in the first place this probably isn't going to be much of a concern.One would hope that an ability to provide a thrilling driving experience isn't a concern either. This is the sportiest model in what Volvo describes as the sportiest estate in its history, but as I've said before I'm not sure that Volvo has any idea of what the word "sporty" means.Despite all the extra effort that has gone into its chassis, which has certainly made it more responsive than a standard V60, the T6 feels like an ordinary mid-range model - the starting point, not the conclusion, of a programme to produce an exciting high-performance estate.So what we have here is a reasonably practical car which is more relaxing to drive than its looks suggest and is happy to squirt along rapidly in a straight line if you want it to. But if I bought one I would soon find myself wondering why I hadn't instead chosen the Skoda Superb V6 4x4 Estate, which is much roomier, nearly as quick, every bit as good to drive and significantly cheaper. Engine 2953cc, 6 cylinders Power 300bhp Transmission 6-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 28.5mpg / 237g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 6.2 seconds Top speed 155mph Price £36,285 Details correct at publication date
Our Rating
