I love travelling in the V70. Apart from its hugely comfortable seats and the satisfyingly deep rumble from the exhaust, there are some pretty handy gadgets inside which I just couldn't live without now. Best of all is the built-in telephone system - since the new mobile phone laws were introduced I use it all the time. There's a tiny slot in the dashboard; just insert the SIM card from your phone and you're in business; there's even a loud- speaker built into the driver's headrest.

The satellite navigation system is in constant use now I've mastered the controls, which are on the back of the steering wheel. There's a screen that pops up out of the dash, which also doubles as a TV for when you're stuck in traffic, or waiting for the missus to get ready.

For a big car, the Volvo handles very tidily. It has massive amounts of grip and it's especially good on wet roads, although sometimes I get the feeling the V70R is doing most of the driving for me.

Apparently it adapts to your particular driving style, using something called Four C technology (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept). As you drive, various sensors collect huge amounts of information about the driver's inputs and the way the car reacts, then adjusts the suspension and power delivery to suit different road and driving conditions. It's probably quite confused by my particular driving style, although it could explain why it seems to get faster every time I drive it.

I've only had the V70R for six months and it has already clocked up over 15,000 miles. In fact that's what our big Volvo does best - eat miles, lots of them, quickly.