WHEN the first Volvo XC60 came out in 2008 I really wasn’t entirely convinced.

It looked gawky, like the adolescent it was next to the adult XC90 with its full seven-seater versatility and road presence maturity.

But Volvo has refined and improved its mid-size SUV to the point where it really does look extremely good on the road, thanks in no small part to its 2014 model year update, particularly to the front design of the car.

And it’s that refining process that really does make the XC60 D5 a most accomplished drive in such a brilliantly Swedish understated way.

The Achilles heel of Volvo XC60 D5 AWD SE Lux Nav, however, is the high CO2 emissions. Not so much of a problem if you’re the business owner and want to run it privately and then use the AMAP rates to fund your business mileage.

But a tad painful at £386 a month on company car tax – before any extras – if you are an SME company director running it as your company car (assuming tax at 40%).

In which case, there is an answer: give up a cylinder.  And all-wheel drive. Painful I know.

But, but, but…

…but the new four-cylinder D4 engine is a real company car star and will save you – on an equivalent version (although there is no four-wheel drive) – £160 a month in company car tax.

So maybe not so painful after all.

And over a three year business car lease period, you would save yourself a total of £5760 in company car tax. Now think what you could spend that on…

More on the Volvo XC60

Click here to read our car review of the Volvo XC60 D5 AWD SE