THERE was the dread word in the press bumf about Volvo's XC60 school gate favourite - 'sportier'. Followed by 'road hugging'.

Now, if those three words related to a German car you could book the physio's appointment before jumping aboard, for they almost always signal an apparent lack of springs on our awful roads.

So praise be to Volvo; the company might now be ultimately managed from Hangzhou in China but its deeply Scandinavian roots are never far from the surface.

So you'll find that even when Volvo adds a touch of so-called sportiness to the top R-Design versions of the XC60 it (thankfully) lacks the full-on racetrack edge of something with four circles on the front or a blue-quartered roundel on the rear.

And that means the XC60 in bulging biceps mode still rides decently well, only turning a mite harsh under extreme provocation (a B-road pothole does nicely) and, anyway, you can save money with a lesser model and gain softer springs into the bargain.

The XC60 is well into its automotive middle age (shown to the world in 2008 and modestly reworked a couple of years ago, although you'd hardly notice) but that will be a properly good thing to many prospective owners.

For the XC60 is a car built to show the sensible Swedishness of its designers in everything from a dashboard you could read easily from the boot while wearing your skiing shades, to enough safety systems to keep a Saturn moon rocket from hurting itself.

Then, there are the seats. It's a bit of a cliché that Volvos have some of the most comfortable seats this side of a bacchanalian couch, but like most clichés there's a truth buried there too. The XC60 R-Design has specially 'sporty' seats that hug the hips more firmly but those of more ample build need not fear any restrictions to the posterior blood flow.

Shell out a little more and for £375 you'll be ready for a Swedish winter, with heating for front seats, windscreen and washer jets, while the powerful headlights manage cleverly to illuminate the far verge without dazzling oncoming traffic.

The XC60 range starts at £31,660 and the R-Design with posh trim and (superbly clear) satellite navigation costs from £37,890.

Volvo apes its German rivals with tempting add-ons, like the £1,900 driver support pack that includes the ability to stop the car automatically at town speeds if it detects an otherwise inevitable collision.

It also adds adaptive cruise control, road sign information display (caught out once or twice and indicating the wrong speed limit) and an irritating lane departure warning that can be quickly switched off.

Standard fit on this car was a fine automatic transmission that made town driving a relaxed doddle and was well worth the modest hit on economy and emissions it brings - even if the ever-optimistic 60mpg average was reduced to a real life 37mpg on test.

With a cabin full of people and their luggage the XC60 weighs more than two tonnes, so is never going to feel like a nimble ballerina. It does however feel rock steady and utterly imperturbable at a motorway gallop, while making not much noise and riding well most of the time.