2009 Volvo XC70
Safety and security in spades
There is perhaps no better example of the Volvo vision of safety and security than the XC70 wagon/crossover/sport-ute (call it what you want). It’s a vehicle that has the efficiency of a family sedan, the versatility of a wagon, the ability of an SUV and all the safety features of a Volvo.
One of the world’s first “crossovers”, the XC70 was born as a variant of the new V70 wagon (called V70XC) in 1997 to give Volvo a presence in the growing sport-utility market. The designation was changed to XC70 in 2000 with the introduction of the larger, very-SUV XC90.
Today, the XC70 remains as wagon-like as it is SUV-like, and it still has very few competitors (the Audi allroad quattro and the Subaru Legacy Outback being the only readily identifiable ones).
From the start, the XC70 always surprised with its off-road prowess – here is a car that at first blush appears simply as an all-wheel drive wagon, yet it is capable of navigating much more than the “yardstick” cottage trail. It will climb a mud-slick one-lane uphill road through a forest; it will plough through (or over) the sturdiest of snowbanks; and it will ford the mediumest of babbling brooks. And through it all, it maintains the composure we’ve come to expect from Volvos.
The seats remain an example of perhaps the simplest and most comfortable in the automotive world. If Volvo were to make theatre chairs, every home theatre in the world would have people falling asleep in the middle of the film 300. And parents whose children have outgrown their infant seats won’t need to purchase boosters when the XC70 is equipped with Volvo’s ingenious booster cushion – simply release a latch and the insert part of the rear seatbottoms flip up and lock into place against the seatbacks, boosting your little ones up six or so inches and allowing them to use the vehicle’s standard shoulder belts.
The 40/20/40 split seatback itself folds flat forward in various sections to expand on an already generous, carpeted cargo load floor (with compartments under the floor for hiding away valuables or carrying groceries – flip up dividers). If the whole family’s into skiing, the centerpiece that houses the armrest folds forward on its own, allowing the kids to maintain their outboard positions. A centre seating position back there features nearly the same seat comfort as the other positions, but legroom will be hampered by a driveshaft hump and the back of the centre console, which houses vents and ventilation controls.
The driving position is adjustable to allow drivers of increasing heights to tailor-make a driving position, and everything around the wheel is within easy reach of front passengers. The centrestack itself, though, is loaded with a phone-like keypad and a joystick pad that requires far too much attention to navigate between radio and hands-free phone. The heating and ventilation system, on the other hand, is one of the simplest and most effective on the planet, with a central body-like figure making easy selection of which body part to heat or cool. The front seats are heating and ventilated, meaning in the cold of winter you can put on the heat and get the fan going at the same time.
And ride and handling adds to the comfort through Volvo’s 4C active chassis that allows the driver to choose suspension settings through buttons ahead of the gearshift lever. The steering is speed sensitive to insure the proper amount of assist is available for various driving needs.
And once you get past how comfortable the car is, you’re reassured by all the Volvo safety acronyms for occupant protection features like whiplash protection, side impact protection and even a blindspot advisory to insure ignorance of cars beside yours isn’t BLIS.
The powertrain in our test T6 was the 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six controlled by a six-speed automatic with sequential shift. The shifting itself is best left to the automatic’s devices as the sideways +/- motion is a little stiff. Plus, the engine has full torque available from 1,500 rpm through 4800, so you’ll never be wanting for oomph regardless of whichever gear you’re in.
The engine itself is smooth and responsive to throttle inputs, and the pedals are so easy on the calf muscles that negotiating the rush-hour conga line is almost as easy as traversing a long stretch of highway on cruise control. And the car also comes equipped with adaptive cruise control, which means a sensor takes care of keeping a desired distance to the car ahead (programmed by the driver at one to three second intervals) and lane departure warning if the crosses lines without a signal.
And in the case of an impending collision, a visual and audible sensor directly in front of the steering wheel jolts the driver to the realization that the car’s about to hit something (and starts applying the brakes). Other accident avoidance features include anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control and hill descent control (which also works in reverse!).
All things considered, this is probably the safest, most comfortable, most versatile vehicle you’ll ever drive, which is really nothing outside of routine for a Volvo.
Summary:
Strong Points
Weak Points
- - safety
- - comfortable and roomy seating
- - year-round versatility
- - pernickety transmission
- - sometimes overwhelming bells and whistles (literally!)
Editors Rating:
Latest News
-
1.
-
2.
-
3.
-
4.
-
5.
-
6.
-
7.
-
8.
-
9.
-
10.