At first glance, Volvo’s V70 DRIVe looks like a seriously underpowered car. OK, it pumps out just 119g/km of CO₂ and your tax disc will cost just £35 a year. But can you really squeeze 62.8mpg (combined figure) out of this engine, as the brochure suggests?

To test exactly how thrifty the new V70 is, we set off on a round-Europe jaunt with stops in Holland for dairy farm visits and Germany for tractor-testing. The trip took in 1356 miles, with a mix of twisty rural roads and straight German motorways.

In that time we used 118 litres of diesel, equating to 52mpg. Not quite up to Volvo’s claims, but impressive all the same for a big car.

So how does it drive? This DRIVe model seems little different to any other V70. It’s just what you’d expect – comfortable, functional but not too flash.

At speed, the handling can be a little sketchy but we were told that’s down to the fact that the tyres are running at maximum pressure to minimise rolling resistance.

This Volvo is no dragster. The 1.56-litre four-pot takes a while to get the car up to speed, but once cruising it’ll hold a decent pace. Second-gear pull-aways are a definite no go – plenty of beans are required even in first. That’s no surprise given that the V70 weighs in at 1.7t.

As a family wagon, the DRIVe does exactly what Volvo owners would expect, just a little more frugally and a little bit slower. But don’t plan to start hauling box-loads of bullocks about – it hasn’t got the muscle for that.