The best thing about driving a different car every week is that sometimes, just sometimes, you get in a vehicle that surprises you.

When I used to review films for a living, I would spend hours trying to stay awake in a cinema watching one bad film after another. It was painful and more often than not, I would end up snoring.

Then a good film would come along and that made up for all the bad stuff. And it surprises me to say this but the XC70 is the automotive equivalent.

Yes, I know it’s been around for years and will one day soon slip out of the Volvo line-up for good but I’m actually enjoying this roomy estate more than I ever expected.

Why? Well, it’s damn comfortable, doesn’t come with an image problem and I just felt totally at home the moment I slipped behind the wheel.

I may be approaching pipe and slipper age by admitting to this I know but so far, I’m loving my XC70…