Our Sport package-equipped tester exhibited a bit more sportiness than expected on the jaunt up to Big Bear Lake. "The 19-inch wheels and lowered ride height, along with stiffer spring, dampers and anti-roll bars, add up to ride and handling equivalent to a sports sedan's," we previously said of the V60. The wagon effortlessly hugged every kink in the road with very little lean. On our figure-eight course, the V60 managed a 26.5-second time averaging 0.66 g. The Allroad does the same lap in 27.1 seconds at an average of 0.64 g, but the V60 really shows the Allroad up in the braking test. The V60 needed 103 feet to stop from 60 mph versus the Allroad's 120 feet, but that's probably partially because the Allroad is 156 pounds heavier than the 3721-pound Swede. The Sport package also adds sport seats that feel like they mold around you, plus paddle shifters for the eight-speed automatic that shuffles quickly through gears. I couldn't agree more with associate editor Mike Febbo on the V60's steering: "The steering is smooth, with on-center resistance that builds as soon as you add input."

Impressive performance, but will it fulfill the needs of those with families and for those that haul around lots of stuff? The V60's cabin felt spacious both up front and in the back. The V60 boasts the same 37.4 inches of headroom for rear passengers as the Audi. Shoulder room is greater all around in the Volvo, as is front legroom (41.9 inches versus 41.3). Rear passengers will appreciate more legroom in the Audi (35.2 inches versus 33.5). All dimensions are comparable, but because the Audi is a bit longer, it wins by a margin when it comes to cargo capacity, with 50.5 cubic feet of space compared to the V60's 43.1 cubic feet. Boiling it down to cost, the base price of a 2015 V60 will run you $36,225, while the base price of an Audi Allroad is $41,595. How you option your wagon is at your discretion. Our tester with the $2500 Premier Plus package and a $900 blind-spot monitoring system run the cost up to $42,225.

The 2015 V60 proved to be an honest and simple package. What you see is what you get, and that seems like a pretty sweet deal. While Febbo will take his in Chrystal White, I'll wait until the Drive-E engine is available with all-wheel drive before I take mine in Flamenco Red Metallic.

2015 Volvo V60 T5 Drive-E
BASE PRICE	$36,225
PRICE AS TESTED	$42,225
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door wagon
ENGINE	2.0L/240-hp/258-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	3721 lb (60/40%)
WHEELBASE	109.3 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	182.5 x 73.4 x 58.4 in
0-60 MPH	6.3 sec
QUARTER MILE	14.9 sec @ 92.4 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	103 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.89 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	26.5 sec @ 0.66 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	25/37/29 mpg
ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY	135/91 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS	0.66 lb/mile