When the Chinese took over Volvo seven years ago it was probably the best thing that could have happened.

While Volvo was part of Ford it didn’t have that class which now the brand reeks of and this month Volvo has just celebrated its 90th birthday.

But despite all these changes over the past 90 years, one thing has remained the same and that has been the company’s commitment to making the world’s safest cars.

To mark its birthday Volvo started the production of the new mid size SUV which is the XC60. The car, which was the first ever Volvo, was the OV4 of which just 275 were built.

The new XC60 replaces one of the best-selling models in Volvo’s 90-year history. It replaces the old XC60 which was a phenomenon, with climbing sales every year since it was introduced in 2008.

Seven years after it was revealed, it became the bestselling premium mid-sized SUV in Europe, and in its ninth year it is still the best seller.

The current XC60 represents around 30 per cent of Volvo’s total global sales, and this month the number of original XC60s produced will surpass 1,000,000.

The first mass-produced Swedish car was a conventional vehicle, with elements of American car design, a wooden frame made of ash tree and beech, a 1.9-litre side-valve engine and artillery wheels with wooden spokes. Only one colour combination was available: dark blue with black fenders.

But I have been driving the new all-wheel drive V90 which at £40,000 might be rather expensive but I defy you to find a better car.

It is an eye catching model with a host of useful features and will give you more than 50 miles to the gallon from a two litre diesel engine.

If its speed that you are after the V90 will give you more than 130mph and 0-62 mph in just over eight seconds. Add the fact that Volvo make good reliable cars then what more could you want?

On the road driving is a pleasure and a 200-mile journey leaves you refreshed with the vehicle's excellent handling.

I enjoyed driving the all-wheel drive model and as one of the car magazines pointed out it is equally as good to make a SUV redundant!

Fitted as standard to every V90 are:

• Sensus Connect – allows you to access a range of web apps and browse the internet; includes Connected Service Booking, which enables the car to pre-book itself for a convenient service appointment at your chosen Volvo dealership.

• Sensus Navigation – full European mapping with traffic information and lifetime map updates.

• Nine-inch centre console touch screen.

• Voice-control system.

• City Safety – includes pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection, and front collision warning with fully automatic emergency braking, including at junctions.

• Pilot Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control – this semi-autonomous drive technology takes care of the steering (up to 80mph), accelerator and brake inputs required to keep the car within lane markings and at the desired cruising speed.

• Run-off road protection – automatically tightens the front seatbelts should the car inadvertently leave the road, while front seat frames with a collapsible section reduce vertical forces to help prevent spinal injuries.

• LED headlights with active high beam.

• Two-zone climate control with ‘Cleanzone’ air-quality system.

• Power-operated tailgate.

• Power folding rear-seat backrests and headrests.

• Eight-inch active TFT crystal driver’s information display.

• Leather-faced upholstery.

• Heated front seats.

• 17-inch alloy wheels (18-inch on D5 PowerPulse versions).

• 60/40 split-folding rear seats.

Volvo is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world, with sales of 534,332 cars in 2016 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) of China since 2010. It formed part of the Swedish Volvo Group until 1999, when the company was bought by Ford Motor Company of the US.

In 2010, Volvo Cars was acquired by Geely Holding.

As of December 2016, Volvo Cars had more than 31,000 employees worldwide. Volvo Cars’ head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China), and body components in Olofström (Sweden).

Last year Volvo Car UK sold 46,696 cars which was a seven per cent year-on-year increase.