Video: 2009 Volvo XC60

Last year, when I spoke to the president of Volvo, she said, "You know, we saw people who think of us as a boxy automaker, but we haven't been for nearly 10 years." Well, the XC60 along with the C30, really helps them explode that myth. Even though it wants to get rid of its boxy image, Volvo has two things that definitely doesn't want to lose. One, is its sense of utility. And two, is its sense of safety. And we'll talk about utility first. In the front row, the seats are incredibly comfortable, the leather is very nice and very supportive. And what's interesting is they've taking their front dash and they've tilted a little bit more towards the driver. It makes it a little more ergonomical, makes a little easier to use. The second row is comfortable, but a little tight. My knees, as you see here, are pretty close to the row in front of them. And the headroom is okay, but not terrific. Now, one of the nice things about the XC60 is that getting more cargo into the car is not a problem. First of all, you start off with a really large area in the back of the car. If you need more room in the back, you can take down any of the three seats in the back one by one with just one hand movement. Reach in, grab the handle and push the seat forward. What's really nice on these seats also is that if the seat isn't locked into place, there's this red button that pops up to warn you that the seat isn't locked, push the seat back and poof it's gone. Volvo has a well-founded reputation for safety and their new SUV is no exception. The XC60 has system called City Safety. That's like a system in other cars where the car sensors, through lasers and other techniques, if you're too close to the car in front of you and automatically applies the brakes. Volvo says though, that this is the first car that comes standard on. In addition, it also has its blind spot warning system much like the one on the S80, or there's an orange light either on the drivers mirror or the passenger mirror, that warns you when there's a car sitting in that locale near you. Volvo has always been a family-friendly automaker and the XC60 is no exception. One thing I will say though, is if you're trying to carry teenagers or adults with you on a pretty consistent basis, it may not be in the car for you, that second row will can be a little small. And if you've got smaller kids, the XC60 can be right up your alley. <v Narrator>For additional information on this car or any other, got to cars.com and our blog Kicking Tires.