SUMMER is finally here and with many families planning to get away from the heat and bustle of the city for a few days, an SUV is an obvious vehicle to do the job.

Australia loves the jacked-up kit-lugging segment and subsequently there is a lot to choose from no matter what the budget, from small basic crossovers to hulking seven-seat four-wheel drives.

The mid-sized segment is largely dominated at the cheaper end by the Japanese manufacturers, but with a little extra spending money the more prestige offerings from Europe become possibilities - including Volvo’s XC60.

Kicking off the range are four two-wheel drive variants with a choice of 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines starting at $56,990, but stepping up the list opens up more powerful engines bolted to four-wheel drive transmissions.

With plenty of Euro-style competition from the likes of Audi’s Q5, the BMW X3 and Land Rover’s Freelander, the Volvo XC60 has to tick all the boxes to keep up.

We escaped Melbourne’s record-breaking heat-wave and took the middle-of-the-range $69,990 XC60 D5 Luxury to the Victorian High Country for a weekend away.

Click here for the full review...