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Questions regarding the future of Volvo have rolled all over the roadway the past three or four years since China’s Zhejiang Geely took ownership of the Swedish firm.

A bit of an answer was delivered to my doorstep last week in the form of the 2015 V60 Sportswagon.

It’s a sleek, low-slung, front-wheel-drive compact wagon offering great handling and good economy; an all-wheel-drive version will be available. The new V60 is 8 inches shorter and 300 pounds lighter than the long-popular XC70 wagon.

Turbocharging and direct-injection boost performance of the V60’s 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission to a rating of 240 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, and an EPA estimate of 25/37 miles per gallon (I failed to get near the 37-mpg mark).

The 8-speed goes far beyond the former 6-speed in delivery. Move the shifter into the gate to the left of Drive, the Sport mode, and the paddleshifting sequences are immediate and smooth up or down the gears, after a momentary lull on takeoff.

Keeping the turbo revved high with a tap of the paddle to a gear lower, the wagon shows outstanding, flat cornering and impressive maneuverability.
Adding economy to the V60 is an automatic stop/start system which shuts down the engine at stoplights, restarting on release of the brake. My overall fuel-mileage average with the wagon, of which more than half its miles were on the highway, was 28.7 mpg.

With Stuart Wright as a passenger, I drove the V60 to the Colorado Convention Center for the opening day of the Denver Auto Show last week. A like model was spotlighted in the Volvo display area.

Power blue metallic finish enhances the structure, from its blunt nose and long hood to the roof that slopes to Volvo’s trademark elongated taillights. It rides on 19-inch, polished diamond-cut wheels with Pirelli Cinturato 235/40R19 all-season tires.

V60 occupants are gripped by deeply bolstered, leather-covered seatbacks, an interior highlight. Up front, of course for a Volvo, is the floating center stack. Legroom is somewhat tight and footroom even more restrictive, especially in exiting, in the rear seating area. Cargo capacity is only 15.2 cubic feet; fold the rear seats, though, and it expands to 43 feet.

The review model is the V60 T5 Drive-E model, the E representing the fuel-efficiency. Don’t be confused by the T5 for a 4-cylinder-powered vehicle. Under the hood of the AWD version will be a turbocharged inline-5-cylinder block. Also available will be a T6 R-design, powered by a turbocharged 6-cylinder.

Power-folding side mirrors (when car is locked or unlocked) were among optional items which pushed sticker price of the V60 Premier Plus model to $42,225 from a base of $35,300. Also on the added list were a lowered sport chassis, paddle shifters, the 19-inch wheels, heated front seats and metallic paint.

Sensus navigation, up graded audio, sunroof, push-button start, dual-zone climate control and rain-sensing wipers were other features.

Volvo, known traditionally for structural integrity, includes on the V60 a rearview camera, blind-spot and lane-change alert and a City Safety system which can apply braking if it detects excessive speeds on approaching an object, as well as standard airbags.

Scandinavian-based Volvo has endured a period of uncertainty since its purchase by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group of China, so introduction of the new Swedish-built wagon is refreshing. Geely bought Volvo from Ford Motor Co. in 2010. Volvo supporters insist that the new owners maintain the level of quality for which the carmaker has been recognized.

“This is an exciting time of transformation for Volvo and shows our Swedish heart is beating strongly,” said Volvo Cars of North America President and CEO John Maloney. “The V60 signifies our first step in a gradual move toward powerful, highly efficient, 4-cylinder engines across the entire portfolio of our vehicles.”

Volvo was founded in Sweden in 1924 by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson; their first car, the 1944-cc Jakob, was in production three years later.
Sales in the U.S. began in 1955, when the Volvo PV444 cars arrived in Los Angeles. In 1956, Volvo sold 5,047 cars here.

In 1958, Volvo invented the three-point safety belt, considered one of the most important safety features of all time.

Some of its better-known cars, after coming to America, were the P1800 coupe of 1961 and the 240 series, beginning in 1974. Some of those 240s, now 20 to 40 years old, are still seen about the streets of Denver.

Volvo, bought by Ford Motor Co. in 1999, was re-sold in 2010.