[AlwynMike]

No thanks.

With the North Sea oil industry's helicopters falling out of the sky, my crewchange was delayed, which meant having to hire a car to get home.

After a bit of searching around by Europcar, I was given a Volvo V60 D5, so here is a bit of a non-representative mini-review. . .

I covered nearly 500 miles in the car, mostly on the cruise button at 70mph (bear in mind that I'd worked a long shift, flown in a helicopter that didn't fall out of the sky, and I was starting my journey at 10:30pm)

First impressions are good, even though it was dark! Millions of buttons to play with on the boring journey ahead. Fiddly electric buttons to get the fore-aft position right (I didn't see the Memory buttons until the next day). Nice leather seats, heated. Rear seat legroom poor with the front seats in a driving position, but there is a lot more room in the load space than an E91.
Next impression, not so good. Start the engine, and OK, it's a diesel, but it did sound rough. In continuing the theme, the ride through Aberdeen's very poor streets was also rough. Noisy, harsh - both engine and ride. Not excessively,but noticeably.
Out of the town, and the best view of Aberdeen - the one out of the rear view mirror as you head towards Stonehaven! As I got up to speed, there was a revelation. Smooth road, 70mph and silence. A completely different car. This is where it was meant to be.
Now bear in mind that I thought that this car was a 2 litre. I considered the performance adequate. Not slow, but not quick. This was echoed by my colleague who has a 2 litre Passat. I dropped him off at home in Carnoustie. By that stage, I was still trying to work out what half of the buttons did, and how to change the trip to mpg from l/100km. It wasn't until I'd got home that I found that it was a 2.4 litre. Hmmmm.
By the time I'd got towards Glasgow, I reckon I'd got it sussed. Bluetooth paired, heating set up, seat adjusted, driver "aids" set up. A fine, clear night it was too. Onwards.
The seat was fair. After an hour, my lower back was aching. This could have been a result of the aforementioned heliopter ride, or the seat itself. Anyway it didn't get any worse throughout the trip, and the backache has gone now, so the jury is out on that one.
The oft-maligned i-Drive knob; how I wished Volvo had fitted something similar. The couple of dials to operate the system, with switches inset into each were just not intuitive. You'd get used to it, but not as good as BMW or Merc's solution. Then, when you want to change the info in the speedo/tacho dials, to get the full range it was a case of pressing the button on the stalk - fair enough, but then having to take your hand off the wheel to move a rotary on the stalk was not good ergonomics.
The Nav screen was clear, with supplementary info (heating temps etc) displayed, but it was dull grey on grey with a flat perspective, and the daytime white was too bright for night time driving. At least you can put your own POI's into it though. Take note BMW.
I'd heard that E9x audio systems weren't up to scratch, but I'd considered mine OK - I am no audiophile, and I listen to the radio most of the time. However, the Volvo system was immediately much much much better sounding than the BMW. Full rich sound and very clear - even with the equaliser set flat. Full marks there.

Enough of the inside guff, what did it drive like?
Well, close, but no cigar for Volvo (Or is it Ford??)
The drive is good if you're not used to an E91!
The ride is sporty - read "firm" and body roll is well controlled and not excessive, even when pushed. The tyres tramline like an E60 on RFT's - and these are normal tyres (well, OK, that was an exaggeration, it's not as bad as an E60, but it was noticeable). Road noise was intrusive around town, but was better at speed, even on country lanes. From my point of view, there has been 2 design committees for this car, one designed the suspension for handing, the other designed the car for comfort. Then someone came along and stuck them both together. The result is a car that does go round corners well, and is comfortable. Until you get onto a bumpy road. Then it acts like the car is in 2 parts, the tyres are on the road, but the body seems disconnected from it, so the ride is very jiggly and I'd consider it verging on the uncomfortable, even at slow to normal speeds. The E91 can never be called a comfortable ride, but it is better than the V60 on rough roads.
Engine noise is noticeable, but not unpleasant. The slightest whiff of throttle brings in some induction roar, and even at high revs, the engine wasn't intrusive like a lot of the recent Merc's I've driven (5 and 6 cylinder). Indeed after the 335, a bit of engine noise is nice, as mine is far too bland. At tickover, there is the usual diesel racket that isn't there (on my 335d anyway) in an E91, but it shakes around like a Routemaster bus at the traffic lights, but this goes as soon as you move off.
Economy; some people I have spoken to since I had the car have said "oh, that's good", others have said "that's not good" so I'll leave it up to you. Nearly 500 miles, probably 350 of that at 70mph on a clear motorway returned 39mpg. My 335d, in those conditions would have been in the mid 40's.
You know how you thought the feature on your cruise control to bring the speed up in 5mph increments was good? Try a Volvo where that is the only option. Not good. When set at, say, 42mph, all is OK, but a flick up will give 45mph, down 40mph. Not good when you want to push the speed limit envelope a little (as if!!)

Now to the Driving Aids. Or Nanny Buttons, depending on your point of view.
Blind spot alert; very good. A light next to the door mirror comes on when there is a vehicle at that side of you. Lane alert; no thanks. Bonging every time you cross the white line without indicating (what are indicators for anyway??). That would be switched off. Driver Alertness sensor; no thanks. I know I'm tired. It's 3am on a dark motorway. With a single beep and a message to "take a break" it is easy to ignore. Tailgating alarm (Volvo probably have another name for this one!); OK to no thanks. A yellow light reflected on the screen when I'm too close to the vehicle in front is fair enough. I know I'm driving too close - it's one of my bad driving habits. Get closer, as if for an overtake, and theres multiple bright red lights flashing on and off, reflected in the windscreen. Well over the top. Too Nanny State for me.

Adaptive cruise? Maybe BMW's the same, as I haven't got that option, but it's not for me. Approach a slower vehicle when in the cruise, and the car just slows down behind the slower one and matches its pace. As you're not used to it, you think that he has accelerated - it's only when you glance down that you see that it's your fault! Maybe you'd get used to it and pull out earlier??

I don't like the High Beam Assist on my E91, but it is a lot better than the Volvo. Every road sign dips the lights, but an oncoming vehicle on a dual carriageway doesn't. It doesn't pick up tail lights very well either, so it effectively flashes the headlights repeatedly as you approach a lone vehicle.

So, in isolation, it is a nice car, as long as you don't do too many rural roads - it does cope with potholes a lot better than an E9x. A comfortable motorway cruiser that will pick up it's heels a bit. I don't know about cost differences, but I'd pick an E91 320d above the V60 D5, thank you.

End of ramble.

[ukbeemerboy]

Simple... No. I've always been a closet fan of Volvo's. I mean the T5 engine was one of the best and is still used today in Fords. But would I buy one.... Probably not, well certainly not over a BMW anyway. BMW's have their problems, but they are soon forgotten once your in the driving seat.

As a side note, you do know you can turn High Beam assist off in iDrive?

[AlwynMike]

Originally Posted by ukbeemerboy

As a side note, you do know you can turn High Beam assist off in iDrive?

Yes, and it usually is on my car!
Thanks

Mike

[parapaul]

I test drove a V50 before my E90, and I'd absolutely echo Mike's last statement - in isolation, a really nice car. I knew though, as soon as I'd driven a 330d, that if I bought the Volvo I'd just have spent all my time and money trying to make it as powerful as the BMW.

Interiors and extras aren't BMW's forte, not by a long shot, but nobody else even comes close to making engines with equivalent power and economy.