We are more than 4,000ft up in the French Alps, it has been snowing like billy-o and there is a treacherous three mile hillside drive to safety. The drop is some 800ft with some scary hairpins.
Never mind I’m a Celebrity… I’m a motoring writer and I must get out of here!
Back in Blighty the TV weatherman would be telling drivers to stay at home after 14 inches of snow but ours is a journey we must take…there is a ferry to catch.
Thankfully Volvo had the answer in the shape of the all wheel drive XC60, its year-old sports utility which has enough muscle to do the job…I hoped.
Now I’m an old cynic when it comes to hi-tech gadgets on off-roaders which rarely go off road but hey, I can eat humble pie when it suits so suddenly an XC60 with hill descent is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Hmm, hill descent. Why ever would you need something that stops a car sliding out of control down an an icey hill in Britain? Judging by the weather here over the past month it would probably have come in handy but for Swedes, and everyone else who copes with snow month on end, it is a godsend.
In the Alps those without off road transport get by with snow tyres and chains. The Volvo had standard road tyres and with four-wheel drive there didn’t seem the need for chains so thank heavens for hill descent.
As the hill got steeper and more hairy the XC60 was sliding even on the ABS brakes so with a hairpin coming up now was the time to hit the hill descent button.
It works in first or reverse gear and uses engine braking to slow the vehicle to around 4mph applying braking when the sensors detect the wheels sliding. The driver needs to keep the faith because feet come off the pedals and technology takes over.
I am pretty certain the combination of the XC60s braking system and four-wheel drive would have done the job but why be a hero with a drop of Alpine proportions just a few feet over the barrier. I only used hill descent for a couple of hundred yards but it did the trick and from now on it is my bezzie mate.
Without being swayed by the XC60s heroics on the mountain it is an SUV to which you can become easily attached. First up it is the prettiest by far of the junior off roaders.
While many rivals are boxy but the Swede has a super sleek shape with a heavily curved tail and dominant boomerang shaped lights. The only SUV that comes close on looks is Mazda’s CX-7.
As everyday transport the Volvo’s driving manners are as near to a family hatchback as you can get. The compromise between comfort and handling is another of its strong features. It doesn’t have the dynamic drive of an Audi Q5 or the Mazda but it is plenty good enough and certainly strong on comfort.
My test car came with the 20-valve 2.4 litre diesel, a powerful motor with plenty of punch but with a good deal of weight to haul around average consumption is likely to be mid thirties. I managed 36.4mpg over 1730 miles which was pretty reasonable from an automatic pumping out 200hp. The manual should get closer to 40mpg.
A less powerful, front wheel drive 2.4 gives better economy and costs less.
Volvo XC60 D5 SE
Engine: 2.4 litre; 201hp
Performance: 0-62mph 8.4secs; 127mph
Economy: 37.7mpg combined
Emissions: 199g/km. VED £215
Insurance group 15
Price: £28,455 (starts £25,245)
VOLVO we have a problem.