Station wagons, also known as estate cars, are certainly not as popular as they once were, but some manufacturers appear reluctant to abandon the format and go all-in with SUVs instead. One such manufacturer is Volvo, and a new second-generation of its V60 Estate has been seen undergoing testing in cold weather conditions ahead of a potential reveal at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The new model takes a number of styling cues from the recently launched XC60, and when it eventually goes on sale it will be a direct rival to the likes of the BMW 3 Series Touring.

At the moment, the car has only been spotted wearing the usual camouflage test mules are almost always wrapped in, but an official unveiling is expected later this year in Geneva, probably alongside a new S60 sedan.

But even though the prototype has the usual camouflage and several layers of black material to further hide the new model's lines, there is a panel on the left front quarter that's been left uncovered and confirms the new V60 will include at least a plug-in hybrid powertrain in its lineup. Of course, that's hardly a revelation as Volvo has a plan in place for electrifying its entire range by as soon as 2019. But despite the modern powertrains, this is still a car that's easily identifiable with boxy Volvo station wagons going back many years.

Both the new V60 and the as-yet unseen new S60 will share the same SPA platform as the latest XC60, which is also the foundation for the XC92, S90 and V90 models. In conjunction with the spy shots, this suggests a lot of design cues of those larger models will find their way into the V60 and S60 too.

There certainly won't be a lack of choice when it comes to powertrains available for the new V60. As well as the four-cylinder petrol and diesel D4 and D5 engines from the S90 and V90, a T8 plug-in-hybrid and possibly a T5 petrol, it's also thought an ultra-efficient three-cylinder option could be made available.