Road Test: Volvo S60 D5 SE 4dr

Volvo has, by its own admission, been a little late in joining the exciting party that is the modern diesel executive class. While Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been knocking out diesel engines good enough to impress even the most ardent diesel haters, Volvo has been holding off fitting oil-burners beneath the bonnets of its S60 and S80 range.

'Big deal,' I hear you say, through a yawn. Well, it is if you're Belgian. Apparently, 87 per cent of premium cars sold there are powered by diesel engines and the figures for France, Austria and Italy are similarly high. Even in the UK, Volvo expects that diesel sales will account for one in every five S60s and S80s sold.

So there you are; if you are a car manufacture trying to flog executive metal you need a diesel, and with the aforementioned competition, it needs to be a jolly good one these days.

Of course Volvo has had diesel engines before, but those were bought in from Audi. This one is all the Swedish company's own work. Named D5, the five-cylinder, 2,401cc 163bhp turbo unit is in showrooms now in the S60 and S80 ranges and will also eventually be fitted to the V70 estate.

It all seems to be pretty high-tech stuff. The turbocharged aluminium unit uses second-generation common-rail technology, which means that the fuel is injected into the cylinders at a very high pressure, to ensure good response, fuel economy and emissions.

We weren't able to run a fuel check on the launch in France, so for now we've just got Volvo's official figures of 47.1mpg for the S60 and 46.3 for the S80. But I can tell you that in the S60, the engine feels very good indeed. A peak of 163bhp may not sound that much but the torque is very strong at 250lb ft; that's even more than the beefy T5 petrol engine produces. The D5 S60 may not be capable of filling its front wheelarches with plumes of tyre smoke like the T5 can, but if you are determined to put down some rubber exiting a junction, then this diesel will do it. It also likes being revved and has a sweet-sounding engine, especially for a diesel. Any fears that a combination of Volvo and diesel would add up to a double helping of dull are (happily) deeply unfounded. Drive the smart-looking saloon in a manner more like its makers intend and not only does it give you a chance of getting close to the claimed fuel figures, it is also a fairly rewarding experience. The engine is smooth, refined and reasonably quiet and has enough clout to row steadily along in higher gears on very low revs.

The lightweight diesel engine has thrown neither ride nor handling out of kilter and it works well with the five-speed manual gearbox. Well, it does in the S60, though I wasn't as convinced by the S80 drive. Although the larger car is only 20kg heavier and 0.3secs slower to 62mph, it felt less lively and arguably more suited to an automatic gearbox, an option which Volvo tells us will be available shortly.

Prices start at £20,750 for the S60 and £22,340 for the S80. Volvo is charging only a small premium over the equivalent petrol models. The D5 has taken its time getting here, but it's definitely been worth the wait.

Angus Frazer