I didn’t like this car when it first came out. It looked girly and too pretty to be a SUV, but then when Volvo decided to borrow me one I kept my mouth shut and took the keys.

For a small SUV, the interior is huge, but very comfortable and so tastefully laid out, I could not understand why other manufacturers get it so wrong when Volvo gets it right every single time. The controls, electric leather seats, steering wheel and materials just feel so Swedish. I don’t know what Swedish feels like, but I needed to make up a description because I really can’t explain Volvos and the way they make me feel. The materials used in the cabin are very high quality, soft touch plastics, metal and leather and the sunroof meant light just poured in and played on the varying surfaces.

The interiors are so stylish, yet simple and straightforward and I think it’s because there isn’t any clutter. It does not for instance even have a rear view camera or GPS and I didn’t miss these features at all. I think we’ve become too spoilt. The floating centre stack still amuses me because it looks like something from a concept car yet works better than most layouts because it is so simple and clean. The buttons look a bit busy, but most of the controls one uses frequently are on the steering wheel anyway, so there isn’t much need to be confused.

It only seats five, but in supreme comfort as the rear occupants get their own individual air vents. The boot is huge and because I had the top spec model it had an electrically operated tailgate door at the back which opened and closed at the touch of a button. I loved watching people stare in amazement when the large door did its thing as I walked to the car with my groceries in both hands. Parking attendants were particularly impressed when it closed by itself as I walked to the driver door.

Most people who can afford the R580 000 asking price normally opt for a BMW X3 or Audi Q5, which is strange because in my humble opinion this is the better small luxury SUV. I’ve driven the X3 and Q5 and quite honestly this car is much more comfortable. Some would say the other two have sportier handling, but I’d say its not a sports car. The X3 is uncomfortable and harsh and the Q5 is just plain boring. The Volvo doesn’t try as hard as those two and because of this it does everything it needs to do very well. It is the most comfortable small, luxury SUV out there at the moment and its very well priced starting at  below R450 000 for the new D3 DRIVe model.

It doesn’t need to be very fast, yet it gets to 100km/h in a frantic seven seconds. So yes, you’ll be able to outrun most hot hatches! The twin turbo, three litre, straight six engine is heavenly and the 224kw it produces feels very naughty. The power just keeps piling on and scared me at times. At high speed the car feels very stable and because almost no road noise enters the cabin you don’t always realise how fast you are going and that could be dangerous.

This car tells people you have class and maybe a little money, but it doesn’t force the issue. It doesn’t upset the Greenpeace people as much as the big SUV’s, but you still get lots of space and practicality due to clever packaging. Its a bit like being very good looking and not throwing it in people’s faces.