IT'S NICE to be proved right.
After spending some time at the wheel of Volvo's new Sports Utility Vehicle, the XC90, I came to the conclusion that in 30 odd years of motoring journalism, this was the best Volvo I'd yet driven.
Quite a claim to justify when you consider some of the greats of the past, especially the massively solid offerings of the 70s.
I pondered over this for some time, but then massive backup for my claim arrived on my desk by way of consumer car safety organisation Euro NCAP, which announced that it had awarded the XC90 its highest mark possible - a five star rating.
This makes the XC90 the first SUV to get five stars, but it is not its first award. It has received more international awards in a shorter period of time than any other Volvo. Several of these have been safety awards, but the crash test carried out by Euro NCAP enabled the XC90 to physically prove its merits in an independent safety survey.
Earlier this year the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also tested the XC90 and gave it its top marks and the title of 'best pick'.
First impressions when you drive this first Volvo SUV are of a V70 model that has been on steroids. It is a hunk of a chunk of a car.
Standing higher off the ground than other Volvos it looks as though it is ready for anything. But although it embodies toughness, the all-wheel-drive XC90 is a pure dream to drive. You are in total command of all you survey in this high rider.
Power is from a T6 petrol engine or D5S diesel and prices are from £29,150, topping out at £34,895 for the luxuriously equipped T6SE which I firmly believe has given the opposition a real headache. My version featured the automatic Geartronic transmission which suited the car to a T.
One feature which many will find useful is the inclusion of occasional seats in the rear which can be folded away. This makes the XC90 into a seven seater.
I have driven a number of the SUVs on the market and this is by far the best yet. It underpins the core Volvo values with new horizons of fun.
FAST FACTS
Volvo XC90 T6 SE Geartronic
Price: £34,895
Mechanical: 272bhp, 2,922cc six-cylinder petrol engine driving all four wheels via 4-spd Geartronic transmission
Max speed: 130mph
0-62mph: 9.3secs
Combined mpg: 21.9
Insurance group: 16
CO2 emissions: 309g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 8yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint