Every car manufacturer needs its own USP (unique selling point). For some it’s obvious – Ferrari is sex and speed, Bentley is luxury and pomp, and Toyota is hybrid tree-hugging. But what about Volvo?

Well, Volvo’s USP used to be about safety packaged in a big, square box. But then the rest of the industry caught up and now everybody has airbags, antilock brakes, stability control, crumple zones and all the rest. Volvo lost its lead on safety, and for a while a lot of people had no idea what it was about.

But with the XC60, priced from £24,750, Volvo reckons its safety mojo is back with a vengeance. In fact, the company claims its new rival to the BMW X3, Land Rover Freelander and Audi Q5 is the safest Volvo of all time. Maybe even the safest car in the world.

One of the keys to this bold claim, and something Volvo says is a world first, is City Safety, a system that can automatically and dramatically brake the car to a complete stop if the driver doesn’t spot an obstacle or a car that suddenly stops in front of it.

The system monitors the speed of cars in front with a laser sensor and applies the brakes if it determines a crash is imminent. At speeds from 9-19mph, the idea is to lessen the severity of the inevitable impact, but the real party trick happens below 9mph, when the car can panic-stop itself, so entirely avoiding a collision.

So I tried it. A Volvo engineer told me to drive at a large, inflatable “car”, and to keep my foot on the throttle. To his great distress, the XC60 punched the inflatable car out of the way and continued at unabated speed. I tried it again with the same result, so we decided to find another XC60. This time it worked to stunning effect, braking the car suddenly from 9mph and stopping it with inches to spare. As somebody who has been rear-ended in London traffic, I believe this is an excellent innovation. I do wonder, though, how much of an opportunity Volvo is handing to litigious American lawyers: “My client didn’t touch the brakes because he expected the car to do it for him.”

So City Safe works and is a good idea, and the XC60 is loaded to the roof with Volvo’s other passive and active safety technology. So that’s the safety USP sorted, but the other challenge Volvo has is to convince a UK audience that it doesn’t build boring boxes on wheels. It takes that mission a step further with the XC60, which is a very good-looking car. It’s more substantial in the flesh, too, where the light plays off the voluptuous curves around the car’s “shoulders” and the deep Vee of the bonnet. There are also sweeping LED tail-lights that are set to become a visual signature for Volvo in the way that BMW and Audi headlights are an instant nighttime identifier.

And the XC60’s interior is a mighty fine one in which to spend time. Volvo is positioning the XC60 as a crossover, placing emphasis on its more car-like tendencies than, say, the slightly more utilitarian Freelander. That said, the XC60 has all-wheel drive and ground clearance of 9in – not to mention Hill Descent Control – so it should have reasonable mud-plugging ability.

In line with its on-road brief, the cabin gets the “sporty driver” treatment, with the centre control panel angled towards the driver. It feels like a premium cabin, too, with aluminium highlights and very tasteful matt wood finish. There is also plenty of head and legroom for four large adults, although the dramatically sloped tailgate compromises luggage space.

As with its siblings the S80 and V70, the XC60 uses the same basic platform as other Ford-group cars, such as the Mondeo and S-Max. That’s good news, as the latter two in particular are dynamically accomplished cars. That’s also the case with the XC60, which has a good ride, neutral, predictable handling and an agility that belies its height and weight.

And it really is a heavy old thing, the D5 diesel version weighing in at 1,885kg and the petrol T6 at 1,901kg. It’s hardly surprising, then, that the gruff 185bhp diesel is pretty lethargic off the line, although performance does feel more urgent once the XC60 is up and rolling. There’s a lower-powered, cheaper 163bhp D5, which is slower still.

For sheer nuttiness, though, the T6 petrol version is the headline model. With 285bhp, the T6 XC60 will gallop to 60mph in 7.1sec, but unless you bought oil futures at $60 a barrel, I’d give it one a wide berth, as the official combined consumption claim of 23.7mpg is likely to be very optimistic.

Indeed, Volvo says it will sell only a tiny number of T6s in the UK, the main seller being the D5 diesel.

Volvo is desperate for buyers to vote with their hearts and not just their heads, because the company understands that just having a USP of safety won’t be enough for long-term success.

When Volvo started thinking outside the box (quite literally) with its bigger XC90 model, that went on to be a huge hit; the XC60 could well be about to repeat that success.

ENGINE 2400cc, five cylinders

POWER 185bhp @ 4000rpm

TORQUE 295 lb ft @ 2000rpm

TRANSMISSION Six-speed auto

ACCELERATION 0-60mph: 9.4sec

TOP SPEED 124mph PRICE £25,750

TAX BAND F (£210 for a year)

VERDICT Stylish, a good drive, safe

RELEASE DATE November 2008

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