Faults:

The lower front wishbone bushes failed at 33k miles, replaced by Volvo under warranty. I was impressed by this, as I expected they would claim "wear and tear", but they replaced them without any quibbles at all. Bearing in mind that over 20% of the miles I do is with a caravan on the back, so the suspension and brakes have a hard time.

The exhaust gas temperature sensor failed soon after, also fixed under warranty.

Occasionally, the door lock buttons stick slightly so that the door (usually one of the back ones) may not be locked. Needs keeping an eye on and the odd squirt of WD40.

The parcel net has fell apart a couple of times and got tangled in itself, even though I'm always careful when pulling it out or putting it away. Volvo won't cover it under warranty.

General Comments:

There is one thing that is obvious about this car if you've ever owned a Mondeo MK4, it's very much a Ford chassis. For me, this is no bad thing, as the Mondeo was an excellent car and Volvo's lovely interior and higher quality paint etc make this stand head and shoulders above the Mondeo that it's based on.

The engine is all Volvo too, being the latest D4 four cylinder diesel. It offers very decent performance, even when towing my 1350 kg caravan - which this car excels at, incidentally.

Not that the performance is ever staggering, even in sport mode, but it's more than quick enough. The excellent 8 speed gearbox makes it easy to find the engine right in its sweet spot, whether you're cruising for economy or pushing along harder.

It should go without saying that the seats are the usual exemplary Volvo chairs.

The infotainment system seems a little old fashioned now, being controlled via the rotary dash buttons, or the steering wheel controls. I like it however, as on the move I find it much easier to use than other touch screen based systems that I've had experience of.

The sat nav is very good (with free updates for life from Volvo) and the iPod integration is first rate. The voice control is the best I've used by far.

My only real complaint is that the sat nav should have the option to restrict the search location to a single country, as searching through every single point of interest in the whole of Europe is pointless and time consuming, and the search "near me" requires you to know which exact category your POI will be...

Fuel economy is so-so and nowhere near the official figures. When solo I'm lucky to get 40 MPG. When towing, that can drop to less than 23! This engine may be a lot cleaner than the old S80 D5 I owned, but the fuel economy hasn't improved a bit in the real world.

Things I love:

The heated windscreen.

The heated seats that stay comfortable for mile after mile.

The powerful stereo (not even an upgraded version and yet it rocks!).

Very quiet when cruising.

Mostly feels solid like a Volvo should.

Folding front passenger seat for those extra long loads.

Flat loading bay.

Good sized boot when loaded to the roof.

Excellent tow bar integration with Volvo's kit.

Things I'm not so keen on:

The split parcel net is very poor quality and not a patch on the integrated net featured on the old P2 V70s. This is the trade off for the 60/40 rear seat split being replaced by the 40/20/40 split, which I don't find very useful myself. 60/40 plus ski hatch is best in my book.

I had to fit a boot 12v socket myself as it was an accessory. Although a very easy thing to do, it should be standard on a car in this class.

No full size spare wheel, in fact I was lucky to get a space saver on mine, as it was an extra...

Things I hate:

Four cylinder diesel sounds rough around 1800 RPM when cold and never sounds as good as the old 5 pot, which was glorious when revved hard.

Lack of dipstick for either the engine or gearbox means you have to rely upon sensors, which is fine... till it goes wrong...