We already know that the Volvo S60 is an excellent luxury saloon and it a superb cruiser in diesel form in years gone by.

So the question here is how good is the petrol?

The answer is very good indeed.

And that’s a good job, because Volvo has dropped the unfashionable oil-burner from the S60 range entirely.

Instead, hybrid power is the flavour of the day in the T8 Twin Engine setup.

We, however, drove a new trim level to join the range, the T5 Inscription, with its straight up 250hp petrol engine.

This is the one with the luxury touches, whereas the popular R Design trim is the sporty one and the Polestar Engineered is the proper sporty driver’s car.

And that’s all there is, as the Swedes seemingly look to simply the range.

With a 62mph time of 6.5 seconds, the performance is certainly there on the T5.

It’s got plenty of effortless power going on that is infinitely satisfying for the driver.

You’d think that the cost of that is not so great consumption ¬– and you’d be half right.

Around town it’s predictably thirsty, with little over 30mpg to be seen.

However on the motorway cruise it’s really quite impressive - I managed low 40s, which was a bit of a surprise.

And that all slots in pretty nicely with its on-paper MPG of 35 to 40.

The T8 is a whole other story.

It ticks the boxes for both economy and performance, with 62mph up in – and I’m not lying, honest – a swift 4.4 seconds on the Polestar and 4.6 on the ‘standard’ version.

And, because it’s a hybrid, on-paper MPG is 104 combined for the Polestar and 122 to 176 for the standard lump.

CO2 comes in at a super-low 39 to 48g/km.

That’s all great on paper, so we hope to put it to the real world test later in the year.

Back to our T5 Inscription, aside from its poke it’s an effortless car to drive, sublimely comfortable in its ride and handling.

It’s a joy in every respect.

You get plenty of kit, of course, and inside is a delight of luxury, especially on Inscription spec, where white leather adorns the cabin.

The rear cabin is generous and offers plenty of comfort, including own climate control, and the boot is deep and lengthy.

The S60 is a top executive saloon, make no mistake, and this latest version will keep Volvo’s purple patch going.

Prices start from £38,285, rising all the way to £56,105 for the Polestar.