Fire up the... Volvo V40

HERE'S a great petrolhead question to occupy an idle moment or two. What's the first car you ever travelled in?

For most people, it's whatever of chariot of choice is used to convey mother and baby back from the hospital, and even though my dad owned a Range Rover on that fateful day in March, 1986, it didn't fire up its V8 in anger that day. So my first ever automotive outing was in - drumroll please - a Volvo 340.

More than a quarter of a century later I've been promoted from back to front seat in the latest in a long line of Swedish family hatchbacks - Volvo's V40, which is about as far from its square-rigged ancestor as you can possibly imagine. In fact, if anything it looks like a Ford Focus with Scandinavian trimmings, which is apt because you if peel away that swoopy exterior that's near enough what it is. Which is no bad thing.

I've already written in these pages that the Focus is a fine family car contender, but the Volvo offers a similarly sized package with a more mature vibe, with the emphasis on style and quality. Perhaps £27,000 for the 1.6 diesel D2 version I tested is asking a little too much, but hunt a little further down the pecking order and you're getting something which looks and feels like a premium offering but also offers value for your money.

It's a given that it capitalises on Volvo's reputation for safety, coming not only with the practically compulsory five star rating from the gurus at Euro NCAP but a string of accident-conscious acronyms thrown in as standard too, but the great thing with the V40 is that the interior's one of the most stylish I've ever come across. The floating centre console, in particular, is a thing of beauty.

In fact, my only real gripe is that it's traded comfort for fun once you get behind the wheel - it handles as sweetly as its American cousin, but it'd much rather you settle down and relax than have a bit of fun. If you're looking for a car with the bunker-like qualities of the Golf but with a bit more style and vigour you're going to love the V40, but yoofs like me, if I'm being honest, will prefer the cheaper, cheerier Focus. The V40 hits the target for Volvo lovers, but not for me.

Perhaps, despite 26 years and my best efforts, I haven't grown up enough for this voluptuous Volvo.

A Volvo to be proud of

IT'S always nice to see a classic car being used by its owners for everyday chores, particularly if it's one as clean and cherished as this beautiful '65 Volvo.

This sober Swedish saloon - which I think is a 121 Amazon, although I could be wrong - is a brilliant example of what Volvos used to look like before their designers discoverd Etch-a-Sketch had been invented, and arguably you can see influences of it in today's rather sleeker and sportier offerings, including the latest V40.

If you own this classic Volvo by all means get in touch - I'd love to know more about it. I'm sad to admit it, but it made my lunch break seeing it on a Southport street otherwise packed with Astras and old Escorts.

Fire up the... Saab 9-5

IT'S a company that - despite a proud history of its products proving popular - seems to go from crisis to crisis.

No, it's not News International but Saab, the Swedish car company which only a few weeks ago narrowly avoided closure after it got a huge order from China. An order that'll include the impressive second generation of the 9-5.

This car, a distant cousin of Vauxhall's acclaimed Insignia, is the model which will make or break Saab's future, and if it's going to succeed it's got some very strong competition to see off. Is the 9-5, which starts at a shade over £27,000, good enough to tempt you away from not only the BMW 5-Series, but also a revitalised Jaguar XF and Audi's A6?

The good news is that you shouldn't let its General Motors origins put you off; not only is the Insignia a startingly good base to start off, being an impressive cruiser in its own right, but the 9-5 is sufficiently Saab-ish in its own right.

Thanks to an ergonomically-gifted dashboard all of its own, clever toys like the night function for the instruments and an exterior that's challenging without being ugly, you're in no doubt that the new Saab is light years ahead of its predecessor.

Yet it's successfully carried over the one thing I adored about the old model - the comfort. Even though the model I tried was the 2.8 diesel version, it's near-silent once you get up to speed and the seats, front and back, are among the comfiest I've ever experienced. If you're an executive who regularly gets a numb bum, this is the car for you.

It's just a shame that - at least on the particular car I tested - builld quality wasn't quite up to the standards of its rivals, with a chrome surrounding on one of the rear doors coming loose. I can only hope it's an isolated incident, but even then you'd have to concede the bunker-like BMW 5-Series feels more solid.

The 9-5 might not tick as many of the boxes as its rivals but feels somehow more engaging for it; what it lacks as an all-rounder in makes up for in personality, which this saloon has in spades. If you're in the market for an executive saloon but find the big sellers a bit boring, you won't be disappointed with this leftfield alternative.

We should do our bit to save Saab, because they make good cars.