VOLVO: The good oil

YOU'VE got to hand it to Volvo they are producing some very desireable cars these days.

The five-seat, mid-sized XC60 off roader is Volvo's top-selling model in this country and it's not difficult to see why.

It looks good, goes well and excellent value for the money, with lots of built in safety features.

POWER

The 2.4-litre twin-turbo diesel engine has undergone significant upgrades for 2012.

These changes have increased power form 151kW to 158kW while torque jumps 20Nm to 440Nm.

Fuel consumption has been improved by 10 per cent.

The improvements are the result of a lighter crankshaft and camshafts.

The impeller in the coolant pump has been redesigned and contributes to reduced fuel consumption.

ECONOMY

The turbo diesel is paired with a 6-speed Geartronic auto with the option to change gears manually.

Claimed fuel economy has improved from 7.1 to 6.9 litres/100km.

With a 70 litre fuel tank that gives it a range of just over 1000km.

We were averaging 8.5 litres/100km over 700km.

The reduction in fuel consumption means that diesel models qualify as low emission vehicles and benefit from the recent changes to the Luxury Car Tax which has brought the price down.

SAFETY

The XC60 earns a maximum five stars for safety and now boasts a rear reversing camera standard equipment. It comes with a full compliment of active safety systems, including City Safe which is designed to help prevent rear-enders by automatically applying the brakes if a collision is imminent. Blind spot awareness cameras are also fitted as standard with this model.

VALUE

Leather and climate controlled airconditioning are standard, along with auto lights and wipers, power operated front seats, rear parking sensors and a power-operated tailgate. The latter might sound like overkill, but once you have had one you won't want to give it back.

Other features include swivel headlights, with wash system and Bluetooth has been updated to include audio streaming, with an eight-speaker audio, with a 7 inch colour monitor and DVD player.

Prices for XC60 start at $54,990, while the D5 Teknik model is priced from $65,990.