2013 Volvo XC60 combines comfort and safety (pictures)

Volvo's midsize SUV, the XC60, carries the price and accoutrements of a premium vehicle. It is a five-seater with a reasonable amount of cargo space in back. The XC60 is Volvo's smallest SUV, slotting in under the XC90.

Two engine choices are available for the XC60. The base model has a 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine. Shown here is the turbocharged 3-liter inline six-cylinder, which makes 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.

The XC60's suspension can be a bit springy, making the car's body shift substantially in a series of turns, but it also leads to a very comfortable ride in normal driving circumstances.

The base model of the XC60 comes with front-wheel drive, but all turbocharged T6 models have all-wheel drive.

The cargo area is modest for an SUV.

As a premium vehicle, the XC60 offers nice amenities, such as leather-covered, power-adjustable, heated seats.

The driver can flip down the rear headrests at the push of a button for better visibility, or to annoy the rear-seat passengers.

Volvo still uses hydraulic power steering, instead of the electrically boosted systems gaining favor among automakers.

Volvo's instrument cluster has a nice, clean design, a theme repeated throughout the car. Useful information shows up on both gauges' internal monochrome displays.

Volvo's cabin electronics cover the basics of navigation, phone, and stereo, but the interface can be a little difficult to figure out.

The navigation system maps show traffic and some buildings in 3D renderings.

Volvo uses color coding for the cabin electronics' different features. Navigation is green, the hands-free phone yellow, and the stereo screens are in red.

Voice command is limited to phone and navigation.

The keypad on the center console makes it very easy to enter phone numbers, although most people will use the voice command to enter a name from the paired phone's contact list.

The XC60 offers a good set of digital audio sources, but it lacks popular apps, such as Pandora.

The Bluetooth audio streaming integration shows track information on the LCD.

The XC60 offers bass and treble controls, but also has this five-band equalizer for people who really want to fine-tune the listening experience.