Volvo V40 T3 R-Design Nav Plus (Price, on the road, £29,555)

WHAT IS IT:

ON the face of it, the V40 would seem to be the perfect family hatchback - stylish, smart and practical. Problem is it has some pretty big rivals to contend with.

ON THE ROAD:

VOLVO offers a good range of engines, with something to suit almost everyone. We were given the T3 petrol to test with 152hp on tap. It was good for 130mph, with nought to 60mph coming up in 7.8 seconds. It's a refined unit that responds well to instruction.

The V40 has direct steering which inspires confidence and it handles well on all surfaces. I found the ride quality to my liking, but some may think it a little firm. On the motorway, it is an able cruiser.

ON THE INSIDE:

THERE is a definite air of quality inside the V40, in fact that is probably doing it a disservice, as it's more than an 'air'. The cabin is put together really well, with good quality materials used wherever you look. The switchgear is all durable in nature and should definitely stand the test of time. The overall design is also very well thought out. There's nothing in your face, nothing flash, just good, grown up, conservative ideas well implemented.

WHAT DO YOU GET:

EVERY V40 gets the following as standard: City Safety, including fully automatic emergency braking up to 31mph, LED headlights, two-zone climate control, five-inch colour display screen, speed limiter, hill-start assist, digital radio, Bluetooth, 16ins alloys and 60:40 split-folding rear seats. Options on the test car included dark tinted windows, flexible load floor, Keyless Drive, rear park assist camera, Tempa spare wheel and jack and Volvo On Call with App.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT:

AT my age, driving comfort is paramount and the V40 doesn't disappoint. There's plenty of room to stretch out your leg and the seats are very kind on the rear. Volvo have thought hard about all the things you carry with you as well, so there are plenty of cubbies and hideaways for your valuables, drinks bottles and the like.

The svelte nature of the car may have an impact on taller rear seat passengers, but leg room in the back isn't an issue. Again, there's plenty of storage here too.

While the boot has a narrow entry, I didn't find it difficult to get larger items in. You do however, need to watch the rear windscreen when closing the hatch as I found it was easy to misjudge the height of handlebars and the like. There's 335 litres of boot space to play with, but if you drop the seats you can increase that to 1,032. If you opt for the variable boot floor you get a nice even surface.

RUNNING COSTS:

VOLVO say it should be possible to get 50.4mpg from our test car. I managed 42.6mpg. CO2 emissions are 127g/km.

VERDICT:

A DEFINITE alternative to the usual suspects

ALTERNATIVES:

VOLKSWAGEN Golf, Audi A3