When I was much younger, I climbed into the seat of the family car, and pretended like I was driving. I was about 12 years old, and the car in question was a brand-new Perodua Kembara DVVT. In Sparkling Silver, it looked interesting, especially with its Hitler-esque moustache. Through the years we had that car, it never skipped a beat. On the road, it was as dependable and reliable as an ox, and on the handful of occasions it went off-road, the same traits remained. Sure, it wasn’t the most refined thing in the world, nor was it the most comfortable. But it did the job.

My family had Kembara fever at the time. No less than three identical silver Kembara DVVTs were purchased in the same month, bearing registration plates all starting with ‘WKY.’ Unlike the one in my grandmother’s care, the others lived slightly harder lives. One was subject to regular abuse by my two oversized cousins, while another saw it live its life usually covered in mud. Despite all that, none of the three ever faltered, even when maintenance schedules were ignored and ‘best use’ guidelines were thrown out the window.

But times have changed. As consumers, that’s how we used to want our SUVs. Rough, tough, and ready to go. If we wanted something more refined, comfortable, or better handling, we’d buy a saloon car. Obviously. We didn’t buy SUVs unless we really needed them, and we happily put up with the unique experiences they throw at us, in exchange for the equally unique adventures we could only enjoy in them. Today though, our SUVs have to do so much more than handle a little bit of dirt every now and again.

Volvo was the first car maker to really recognize that paradigm shift. While cars like the original BMW X5 still maintained decent off-road performance, Volvo brought us the XC90, which made no false promises about what it would do off tarmac. It was a big SUV designed to ferry 7 people in comfort, safety, and refinement, and handle things like snow and standing water without much fuss. Period. Since then, our SUVs seem to be built to this mould, with the advent of ‘crossovers’ and 2WD offerings in the SUV segment.

Of course, it was natural. How often do we find ourselves driving on unpaved surfaces anyway? And though our weather can be incredibly dramatic, we don’t really need the extra ride height anyway. But boy, do we want it. So when I walked up to the Volvo XC60, the baby SUV of the range, I knew exactly what I was getting into. The XC60 isn’t a roughty-toughty go-anywhere kind of car, and I didn’t intend on evaluating it as such. Oh no, the XC60 is meant to give you the practicality of an estate car, with the commanding view that SUV owners so desperately want.

As I approached it, I could almost smell the scent of pinewood, a smell that (in my mind, at least) is synonymous with Sweden. You have to hand it to the Swedes though, because they really do know how to make some beautiful things. The XC60 sports a design that can only really be described as unparalleled elegance, with gentle lines and tasteful smatterings of chrome. And you won’t find any of that mirror-finish stuff, either. Volvo seems to only use satin-ish chrome, which I like very much. Even the wheels were finished in the stuff, and paired to the sandy-beige colour of the test car, it looked absolutely fabulous.

All this design flair wasn’t restricted to the outside alone, as the cabin just permeated this feel of understated luxury. Every panel was soft to the touch, and felt like it was prepared to weather a beating from Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir. The brushed-silver finish of the floating centre console was undoubtedly the centrepiece, though the virtual head-up display did try and goad my eyes away. Volvo’s of old had a tendency to feel outdated even as they sat in the showroom, but the XC60 felt thoroughly modern and contemporary inside.

Settling into the armchair-like seats, I set off into the distance. I’ve made it a habit to drive test cars long distance, because there’s nothing to sort out a car quite like trial by fire. So off I went, setting a destination into the navigation system. 347km away, it told me. Perfect.

I activated the cruise control the moment I eased onto the motorway. The new 2.0 turbocharged Drive-E engine made little fuss as it brought me up to highway speeds. At 110km/h, the XC60 felt no more out of place than a hatchback on the 3-lane expressway, and felt like it was in its stride. I’d been briefed when I received the keys that the XC60 T6 was fitted with Adaptive Cruise Control as standard, and I was keen to find out. Setting it at the national speed limit, I let the car do the work, and so it did. It’s a smooth operator, the cruise control. It brakes the car when it senses a slower vehicle in front, but never in a way that might jar you. And once the obstructing vehicle is gone, it speeds up just as gently as it slows down. Frankly, I’ve had chauffeurs who drove with more gusto than the computers in the Volvo, much to my annoyance.

As the big, gold Volvo took charge of the power, I fiddled with other things. I found the stereo was amazing, and the ‘Sensus’ system rather intuitive. I also adored the instrument binnacles most when they were in ‘ECO’ mode, because it felt like I was playing a game, trying to eek out the best fuel consumption possible. No matter what it was that I was doing in the XC60, I could feel just how much time and effort a bunch of Swedish engineers had spent ensuring that this car would live up to all that may be expected of it, and then some. Even its handling was incredible, with very little body roll through the twisty bits. It felt sure-footed and accurate, even with a hamfisted oaf like myself at the helm. And considering that it isn’t a Porsche, or a BMW, or an Audi, that’s truly remarkable.

After a 3hr drive, I stepped out of the Volvo XC60 feeling just as fresh as when I’d stepped in. Maybe it had something to do with its safety and convenience systems doing most of the work for me, or maybe it was the fact that this car was just brilliantly engineered. I sat on a bench which was conveniently facing the car, and thought long and hard about things I didn’t like. And it was very difficult to find anything unsavoury about it. Even when I parked it for the last time back in its reserved bay at Volvo’s offices, I still couldn’t figure out something nasty. Sure, maybe the central screen could’ve been a little bigger, but it was still pretty alright. Even the fuel consumption was brilliant, having never exceeded 9l/100km no matter how hard I tried.

Handing the keys over, I was a little blue. The XC60 had performed faultlessly over the weekend, and I was sad to see it go. I think what did it for me was a thought that had occurred to me in the lift, as I was handing the car back. No matter what you throw at it, the XC60 is all the car you’ll ever really need. It’s a modern SUV for a modern SUV buyer, and it will happily do whatever it is asked of it, nary a complaint or a groan. It’s a brilliant thing, and provided you’ve got all your priorities straight, you’ll be very happy with one of these. Very happy indeed.