Volvo V70 D5 SE Geartronic

Thankfully, Volvo’s V70 comes with enough of them to keep the most avid button presser happy.

The Volvo’s ‘buttons galore’ approach is in stark contrast to other premium executive estate cars, and in particular BMW’s 5-series, which sees most of its functions incorporated into the i-Drive system.

In our V70, there are upwards of 40 switches, toggles and buttons around the centre console and steering wheel, and that’s not counting the two, yes two, remote controllers which activate the satellite navigation (press a button on the remote and a screen rises out of the dashboard) and the television and hi-fi systems.

The TV and sat-nav are part of the £3,050 optional Communications Pack 2, which also incorporates the telephone system built in to the dash and Volvo On Call – a telematics system which can track the car if it is stolen and also automatically dials 999 if the airbags are deployed, alerting emergency crews to the location of the car.

It’s very clever stuff which gives the V70 a unique selling point for safety-conscious fleet managers in this sector.

While we’re talking about optional extras, our car has got a fair few, taking the price from a basic £28,413 to a whisker under £36,000.

Apart from the Communications Pack we’ve got a Geartronic automatic gearbox, the sublimely supple Inscription leather in dazzling Toscana tan, or bright orange to you and I, and metallic paint.

There are also water-repellent side windows which, to quote a phrase, do exactly what they say on the tin by clearing themselves of water when it’s raining, thanks to an extra slippery Teflon-style coating.

Another option is the iPod adapter to cash in on the vogue for the mini music marvels. Simply plug your iPod into the box located under the front centre armrest, tune your radio station to a certain frequency and, hey presto, instant access to your favourite tunes.

Alternatively, if you haven’t joined the iPod generation, load up the old-fashioned six-disc CD changer in the boot.

As well as being bang up-to-date with all the latest technology, Volvo has revamped matters under the bonnet. The D5 five-cylinder turbodiesel engine in our car now offers 185bhp, up 22bhp on the old version which continues in the range badged as the 2.4D.

It retains that characteristic Volvo warble but there’s now a lot more power at any point in the rev range. Early impressions are favourable.Channelled through the Geartronic gearbox, progress is effortlessly simple.

Despite having just a few hundred miles on the clock, the D5 unit feels nicely loose and is already returning combined fuel economy of 32.5mpg – not far short of Volvo’s claimed average of 35.8mpg.

There are some downsides to the driving experience, though. The engine is quite vocal at higher revs, and the ride is on the hard side thanks to stiff suspension and low profile 17-inch alloys. And the V70 has one of the worst turning circles of any car I’ve ever driven. It’s so bad that parking becomes something of a challenge and, if you don’t plan far enough ahead, requires several attempts to get the nose turned into a space.

But minor niggles aside, we’re looking forward to exploring the hi-tech gizmos.

Equipment and options

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