R-Design is to Volvo, as VXR is to Vauxhall, or AMG is to Mercedes-Benz. All carmakers worth their salt must engage with a sportier option plan and, even though Volvo is not a brand to which might be attached an overt performance tag, its innate sense of Scandi-conservatism being the more predominant trait, R-Design allows it to stretch its legs and play a confident role.
Thanks to inherently good chassis dynamics, all Volvo models over the years have lent themselves to a punchier position in motoring life. Not for the first time, have I pressed a Volvo to its utter limits on a racetrack and returned with a satisfied smirk on my face. Sadly, without access to Snetterton (in Norfolk), I made do with the delightful roads of Suffolk, mostly on the county’s Heritage Coastal Route, to exploit the V60 R-Design Pro’s much-enhanced qualities.
Without the plastic wheel-arch lips of the V60 Cross Country, the flanks and bumpers of the regular V60 outline are unadorned and immensely attractive. In its most popular D4 TDi guise, the 2.0-litre displacement modular engine delivers a healthy 190bhp, which translates into an affordable 124g/km CO2 and a moderate up to 52.3mpg, progress is silken and surprisingly brisk. The 8-speed auto-box slurs rapidly between ratios, despatching the 0-60mph sprint in a zesty 7.6s, before hitting the buffers at around 137mph.
Of course, it is a large car and tips the scales at a hearty 1,669kgs. Fortunately, its wieldiness is uncorrupted and, thanks to deliciously communicative steering, firm but not uncomfortable and beautifully damped suspension, allied to amazing stopping power, this sporting estate car can cover ground at an astonishing rate. There is a enjoyable linearity to its power delivery.
Inside the car, Volvo personality is stamped proudly on every high-quality trim panel, instrument face and the beguilingly knurled switchgear. The car’s multi-adjustable front seats offer unrelenting comfort and support and the driving position is one of the finest in class. Naturally, for a car in the up-market bracket, you pay for the privilege, although its list price is an affordable pre-discount £40,210 (the test car carrying a further £5,750’s worth of options that include £1,075 for the retractable towbar and £750 for the four-way adaptive dampers).
Volvo charges for its smartphone integration package (+£300) but connectivity options are good and the customary market-leading safety and driver aids, which includes Volvo’s brand-specific technology, create a sound base for either business, or private motoring needs. As a sporting package, the V60 R-Design Pro is a very complete one and its comprehensive raft of driver-pleasing features ensures that most owners will want for little more. Its appeal to me is total and I have no fear in recommending it against its key rivals.
