I'd never driven one prior to the V60 R-Design that I had for a week recently, but the Swedish manufacturer's has always been associated with quality and reliability in my head.And my pre-test drive thoughts weren't shattered as I loved every minute of driving it. It was delivered on the same day that a Volkswagen Scirocco that I had been test driving was taken away – two cars that couldn't be any more different to drive.You see the Volvo is a 'sensible' car – the steering is a bit heavier than a lot of cars I've had recently, but I didn't mind that as it's a car that needs to be driven.I took it on a family day out to the North Yorkshire coast and it proved to be the perfect vehicle. There was plenty of interior space throughout, with two child seats and an adult comfortably getting in the back. The boot space was impressive too, with everything that you could possibly want to take for a day at the beach easily fitting in with no problems whatsoever.The R-design model I drove gives the car a more sporty feel than others in the range. The seats, which were extremely comfortable, have been designed to reflect this, with additional bolstering that showed off the R-design logo on the backrest.The 1.6-litre diesel manual model I drove was eerily quiet, which made it great for cruising, though it had more than enough grunt in it on the M1 and A-roads on the trip. That power came in handy when the opportunity arose to overtake caravans or cars being driven at a Sunday afternoon type of speed.But where I was most impressed with the V60 was on the hills and windy roads of the North Yorkshire Moors. It handled brilliantly in the rather rainy conditions, and the steering was accurate and responsive, while gear changing was smooth and easy.The only down side I could find was that the V60 does seem to need a fairly large turning circle, which was particularly evident as I tried to swing on to my drive in an evening and when I tried to park it once we had reached Robin Hood's Bay.Low CO2 emissions and make the Volvo V60 and impressive economic figures make the V60 an attractive alternative to the usual offerings from Audi, BMW and Mercedes for business users.Available in five different specifications – Business, SE, SE Lux, R-Design and the top-of-the-range R-Design Lux – the second generation Volvo V60 that was launched several years ago has been given a bit of a facelift.It's sleek styling means it still looks as good today as it did when it was first launched, but the addition of a wider grille and new headlights at the front have only enhanced its appeal.Inside is what I imagined a Volvo to be like, and it oozes quality. The centre console has a bank of buttons and rotary wheels that controls everything you could possibly need to make your journey as comfortable as possible.It may just be me but there were two minor issues that I had. Firstly, the rotary wheel for controlling the air conditioning was the same as the dials for the radio, and secondly the air con itself wasn't particularly cold, even when I had it on the lowest temperature setting and at its most powerful.Apart from that I found the V60 gadgets and gizmos as easy to use as any I've experienced before. The V60 is also a practical car too, with boot space a generous 430 litres with the rear seats up and almost 1,250 litres with the 40/20/40 split seats down.There's plenty of other storage space dotted about the car too, with the glovebox of a good size, and front and rear folding armrests also have cup holders.You won't be surprised to hear that the Volvo V60 is a safe car either, with numerous air bags, side impact protection and anti-whiplash headrests.The model I drove also came with a Driver Support Pack (£1,900) consisting of numerous extras including a Blind Spot Information System, Adaptive Cruise Control and Distance Alert and even Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection.A Winter Pack (£525) consisting of heated front seats, heated frosted windscreen, a headlight cleaning system and heated washer nozzles was also included.Prices for the Volvo V60 start from £22,205, with the R-Design model I drove beginning at just over £30,000. The car I drove cost just shy of £35,000 thanks to the perviously mentioned extras as well as metallic paint (£625), keyless drive (£550), Volvo on Call with App (£450), rear park assist (£325) and a Tempa spare wheel and pack (£150).