If you're old enough to remember Volvo's transition from staid family values to surreal performance back in the 1980s, the Swedish marque's T-series moniker will carry certain connotations. Models like the original T5, with tyre-shredding performance, rock-hard suspension and the odd banana-yellow paint job got the motoring world's attention.
Good times. But those times are gone now - at least in the context of this car, the new V60 T6. Ironic acceleration and obscene looks are all very well when you desperately need an image change (just ask Skoda), but these days Volvo is more focused on being considered sophisticated executive transport. Think Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The V60 (or S60 if you opt for the sedan body shape) is the marque's best shot against the established premium players: it's the most stylish Volvo in the showroom, certainly the most modern, and it plays in a segment where the Germans are the established masters. We're talking Audi A4, BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-class.
The T6 is the flagship of the V60 range. It looks the part, boasts a 3-litre six-cylinder turbo engine with 224kW/440Nm and the six-speed automatic transmission is matched to all-wheel drive. With the V60 still in the ambitious rather than established stage, you'd expect a price advantage and you'd be right: the T6 is $83,990. The Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI quattro, for example, has less power and less performance but costs $90,900.
The T6 powertrain is less polished than its rivals, but makes up for it in character. The six gargles its way to peak torque at 2100rpm and gets this shapely wagon to 100km/h in just 6.2 seconds. The automatic gearbox has "just" six ratios - Audi and Mercedes offer seven, the forthcoming 3-series boasts eight - but it's hard to fault the quality of shifts.
