HUGE technological advances have placed the Volvo marque in the fast lane of modern motoring.

The brand, once suffering an uncertain future is back with a flourish under new ownership and the latest range proves without doubt that the company is building hard on its core values of safety and solidity.

But economy is now ranking high on the Volvo list of priorities, proven by the amazing mpg and low carbon emissions of its S60 DRIVe R-Design model.

This saloon, out to capture sales from the likes of BMW and Audi and features a sporty look with the promise of some fine driving characteristics.

It is the economy star of the range featuring the company's DRIVe towards zero technology with a 1.6 diesel emitting just 114g/km of carbon dioxide.

And like some other cars of its type the Volvo is very light on fuel consumprion with 65.7mpg on the cards in the combined cycle.

The S60 was the first model with Volvo Car Corporation's groundbreaking Pedestrian Detection system - and from model year 2013, it can also be equipped with the new systems Road Sign Information, Active High Beam and Tunnel Detection.

It is one of those designs that is a saloon but has the sweeping line of a coupe and is very attractive, being a statement of the latest in Scandinavian design at its best.

The R-Design version comes with a range of specially developed details both outside and in.

On the inside, the driver and front passenger sit in sports seats in which the backrest from the S60 and V60 is matched by a seat cushion with even closer side support than before.

Volvo Cars' chassis experts have taken the next step on the road to a more and more exciting driving experience. In the R-Design chassis they have sharpened the steering, the agility and the solid overall impression.

On the road the R-Design demonstrates rail-riding properties and its slightly harder suspension does not deter ride quality.

With a maximum speed of 121mph, the DRIVe version may be the slowest of the range but at 114kg kerbweight it is the lightest, a fact which helps in its economy stats.

The 1.6 diesel, the smallest in the range is lively with a 0-62mph sprint of 10.4 seconds which is not bad for a car designed for economy.

On interior design it is the usual Volvo story of well-equipped luxury and a fine attention to detail, underlining the fact that this new-age Volvo is a fine example of a car for the time.