Most cars on test drives take quite a bit of punishment as motoring journos put them through their paces in an effort to get a feeling of what the model in question is capable of.But conditions on a test drive through Bavaria in the XC60 were tougher than most. While snow-covered roads may have been tricky to negotiate, and requiring a more cautious driving style, the high-revving, free-wheeling fun that constituted the associated ice driving event allowed for some pretty unalloyed mayhem.So it gave a valuable insight into how the XC60 was likely to cope with a variety of conditions, especially interesting in light of the recent weather problems in the UK that have led to a scramble towards SUVs.Smaller SUVs and all-road estates have been particularly popular of late, with car buyers shying away from the really big SUVs on the roads due to high running costs.So models like the XC60 - alongside the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga, Volkswagen Tiguan and more upmarket BMW X3, Land Rover Freelander and Audi Q5 - are in demand, with other manufacturers racing to plug the gaps in their product line-ups with all manner of weird and wonderful compact SUVs. Inside and outThe R-Design treatment has smartened the car up a little, giving it a more assertive stance and the XC60 remains quite a looker in this segment.Interior space is impressive when compared to some rival cars, and the boot is particularly easy to access. Standard kit should cover most bases, though some must-have options will add to the cost.Gadgetry includes crash-mitigation system CitySafety, and there's plenty of the active and passive safety aids.Volvo's class-dunce satnav system lets the side down, however, proving singularly awkward and counter-intuitive every time it's called on to do something. Handling and rideThe Volvo model I drove out in Austria was the XC60 R-Design, complete with a body kit and sports suspension.While this makes for stiffer handling, the XC60's off-road ambitions haven't been curtailed and ground clearance remains untouched.While the benefits of this tuning weren't especially evident during a cautious drive to the proving ground, they soon were when taking 90º corners on a track carved out of the ice.But even with as much of the active safety aids switched off as was possible, it was pretty tough to get the XC60 to do anything untoward on the ice.A combination of the tweaked suspension, autobox, four-wheel drive, winter tyres and DSTC channelling torque and braking power to individual wheels made it hard to get the XC60 to step outside of the straight and narrow, which is precisely the point of all those various driving aids, though you may to struggle to source those winter tyres in the UK.Some limited, but nevertheless enjoyable, sideways action was eventually possible; at which point the XC60's bucket seats come into their own.Steering certainly benefits from being more responsive in the snow and ice, though, and reacts quickly and accurately - with only driver incompetence behind the occasional unplanned detours off track.Back on the roads, now blissfully clear, the XC60 also proved a refined cruiser with a quiet engine, good sound-proofing and a comfortable interior.Back in a more prosaic environment, the XC60 R-Design will probably offer a good balance of ride and handling. It's a tauter affair thanks to its tweaked suspension, but it's not noticeably to the detriment of ride quality. XC60 PowertrainsThe 205bhp D5 engine can be gruff at low revs, and can output a lot of grunt low down, but it generally offers a good mix of performance and decent, if not earth-shattering, economy.I tend to prefer a manual box, although the Geartronic is eager enough, particularly with the semi-manual function, and an autobox may make sense for the kind of people likely to buy this car.There's also a 2.4D DRIVe R-Design model that dispenses with four-wheel drive to cut down on weight and fuel economy. Both diesels come with a six-speed manual as standard, while the 4WD model has the option of the Geartronic autobox.The range-topper is the monstrous 281bhp T6 petrol engine mated to the autobox that will chuck fuel consumption considerations out of the window and powerslide over them.R-Design prices range from £29,495 for the DRIVe model up to an eye-watering £37,245 for the T6.All told the R-Design is a strong unit and, in typical Volvo fashion, offers two very different cars in the case of the DRIVe compared to the T6.While any challenging road conditions are probably within the XC60's abilities, it's in the everyday that the compact SUV makes most sense: as a cruiser, as a family car, and as a load lugger.Plus, with all that R-Design kit on there, you can pretend you're driving something much more vulgar to boot. Volvo XC60 MILESTONES Volvo XC60 R-Design 5dr AWD Geartronic D5Price: £31,530Engine: 205bhp 2.4-litre D5 diesel engine with Geartronic six-speed automatic transmission,Fuel consumption: 37.7 mpg combinedEmissions: 199 g/kmTop speed: 127 mph0-62mph: 8.9 secondsLuggage capacity: 655 litres (1455 litres with rear seats down)Braked towing capacity: 2000kg
