When shopping for a used family SUV the Volvo XC60 is hard to beat. Expensive when launched, as a second hand buy it has aged well, and represents excellent value. One of the first of the breed of softer, 44-inspired but less boxy SUVs that now dominate Britain's roads, it offers a blend of Volvo's safety and family-focused design and (on AWD models) Land Rover-style off-road hardware. It looks great and has aged well. Lacking the boxiness of a Freelander, or the slightly odd proportions of the BMW X3, its key rivals, it stands out from key rivals thanks to Volvo's strong design language. Used buyers might be tempted by cheaper, older XC90s when browsing cars for sale, but the XC60 is designed to be equally family-friendly if you don't need seven-seater space. It's less bulky and wallowy, and on the road it doesn't handle like an off-roader. The Four-C Active suspension option provides good body control for sportier driving styles, while the ride quality is excellent on most versions, making it a superb long distance machine.While it is stylish and less boxy than the traditional Volvo estate, the XC60 isn't a case of form over function. It's got a generous boot with 495 litres of space available (under the parcel shelf) with the seats up. The rear seats split 40/20/40 and fold down flat so it's easy to carry large objects while the boot itself is very wide and has no load lip so loading and unloading are straightforward. An electrically operated tailgate is available as an option but it's quite slow and as the tailgate is light enough to close easy, there seems little point paying extra for it. Up front there's plenty of storage thanks to a good-sized glovebox and central cubby, plus there's stowage behind the central console. The door pockets aren't especially large though.the XC60 is one of the safest cars Volvo has ever built and no surprise then that it was awarded the maximum five stars by Euro NCAP. It achieved this score in 2009's tougher standards, though these are less stringent than current requirements so cannot be directly compared with new cars. All models come with City Safety as standard this is active up to speeds of 19mph and if the vehicle in front brakes suddenly (and the system deems a collision is likely) it primes the brakes if the driver remains inactive the car applies the brakes automatically. When the speed difference between the two cars is less than 9mph then City Safety may help avoid a collision. Between 9mph and 19mph the focus is on reducing the impact and any potential damage or injuries. Six airbags are standard along with DSTC stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, whiplash protection and roll stability control. Trailer stability assist (TSA) is an option which works with the stability control to prevent a trailer from snaking. Other systems available include a blind spot warning function and lane departure warning.