As you can possibly tell, I’m a bit of a wagon fan, and I could go on and on comparing the Volvo to the Audi forever, and that’s before I even get into the BMW and Mercedes. But I won’t bore you with all that. I’ll just say that they all have their pluses and minuses which, in my mind, balance them out pretty evenly.

Performance wise, the 3.2L delivers well but I wouldn’t stretch to terming it a sports wagon. I think that moniker is possibly best left for the T6 version, although I would say that the 3.2L might surprise one or two non-believers out there. I’d personally put the handle of “lively” on the vehicle, and I’m sure that it will please most wagon buyers.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Volvo review if I failed to mention the safety features on the vehicle. The XC60 boasts Four-wheel anti-lock brakes, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Dynamic Stability & Traction Control (DSTC), driver and passenger multi-stage airbags, side curtain airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners. It even boasts a Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) and a Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and, if that’s not enough gobbledygook for you, the XC60 even comes with something called the City Safety low-speed collision avoidance/mitigation system.

Now I’m sure that you’re all perfectly aware of what these systems do. If not, take next week off work and I’ll try to explain one or two of them for you! Seriously though, the last item on that list truly is something a tad special. This system actually senses when the vehicle if front of you brakes, and if you’re not paying full attention (which you really should be doing), it will actually slow down and stop your vehicle for you. Not that this was designed to enable you to window shop in downtown traffic, but we’ve all seen, or been involved in, the “Sorry, I was distracted for a moment” fender bender.

It’s actually quite amazing how this all works and, in the demonstrations which I’ve witnessed, it really does add to road safety. Then again, isn’t that where we started off talking about Volvos?

I guess, when all is said and done, the company still maintains that owners’ safety should come first on its list of priorities. However, it’s also nice to see that Volvo is moving along with the times. The new XC60 is a great all-round family vehicle and one which I would not hesitate to recommend. Canadians used to love station wagons before the arrival of large SUVs and, although we now have the somewhat smaller quasi-SUVs or crossovers, I still believe that there’s a place in the market for a well thought out wagon, and that’s precisely what the new Volvo XC60 is.

So well done guys! Oh yes, and a big thank you for taking care of my Uncle many years ago!!