First Drive: 2008 Volvo XC70

There's a well-known saying that involves beauty, eyes and beholders. Normally this is a backhanded compliment. Rest assured we're not suggesting the 2008 Volvo XC70 looks like it wandered into the Ugly Forest and ricocheted off a few trees. On the contrary, it's actually quite handsome.

We're talking about inner beauty, the kind your mother wants you to see in others. Several manufacturers have built reputations on driving dynamics and feature content. But that's flashy beauty. Volvos are better known for safety and their pragmatic appeal, which isn't nearly as sexy unless you're into Swedish homemakers.

The XC70's modus operandi has always been to offer enough visual braggadocio over the straitlaced V70 to catch the wandering eye of consumers in the market for an all-weather, all-terrain SUV, only one that's as safe and practical as only a Volvo can be. Volvo has stuck to the playbook with the 2008 XC70. It's the innocuous, clean-cut do-gooder from next door.

Does This Make Me Look Fat?

We sampled the Volvo V70 and XC70 in Cologne, Germany, and both cars were in Euro-spec flavor. Volvo tells us that the U.S.-bound model won't include some of the European goodies like the active dampers, a diesel or the turbocharged version of the inline-6 gasoline-fueled engine. We do know that the XC70 reaches the U.S. in late fall of this year, a few months ahead of its V70 sibling, and pricing will be announced in early September.

Borrowing heavily from the recently revised S80 sedan, the conventional V70 and the outdoorsy, flannel shirt-wearing XC70 have been designed and engineered to be dedicated wagons, not sedans in disguise. Those fetishists steeped in Volvo's model nomenclature already knew this, but they might not know that the wagon twins ride on a new platform for 2008. It's 4.2 inches longer and 1.7 inches taller, and it rides on a 2-inch-longer wheelbase, resulting in increased passenger space and two additional cubic feet of cargo volume. There are consequences, though, as lots more steel for additional crash protection adds more than 400 pounds to the XC70's curb weight.

Opens Up Like a Centerfold

In the rear, large "Volvo" lettering suggests a prouder character for the new XC70, while taillamps now integrated into the liftgate contribute to a larger, more accessible opening into the loading area. The floor of the cargo area itself incorporates a system of handy, movable tie-down hooks that lie flush with the floor when not in use, plus there's a large lockable storage compartment.

A new interior offers color combinations not available on the V70 and maintains Volvo's waterfall-style center stack, now a trademark design cue for Volvo. The seats are exceptionally plush, if not the last word in lateral support, and are just the ticket for hours-long driving stints. The rear seat is a 40/20/40-folding affair, and in a world's first (Volvo says), the options list includes two-stage booster seats that are integrated into the two outer rear seats.

Familiar yet fresh, the revamped exterior styling continues to reflect the outdoorsy character of previous XC70s. A reduction in the amount of pavement-gray plastic bodywork adds more class, and incremental increases in the crossover's approach, departure and breakover angles improve its go-anywhere driving utility.

It Always Wears Protection

Safety systems are comprehensive. Volvo packs the XC70 with airbags galore, second-generation anti-whiplash head restraints, adaptive cruise control, active headlights, blind-spot vehicle detection and a collision-warning system that flashes lights, sounds an alarm and preloads the brakes for the impending doom. We found that the collision-warning system is overly sensitive in its default mode, Chicken Little-ing during common traffic maneuvers. Fortunately, the system has three driver-selectable levels of sensitivity.

Steering effort, of all things, also can be adjusted by the driver, though it's still too light for us even in its heaviest setting. An ongoing dialogue between the steering and the driver's fingertips does not appear to have been a priority here. Nevertheless, this is at least consistent with the dynamics of the rest of the XC70. Even with the adjustable Euro dampers turned up to their most aggressive setting, the ride is rubbery rather than harsh.

Wearing a Bigger Personality

The XC70 headed Stateside will be equipped with the corporate 3.2-liter inline-6 and six-speed automatic transmission found in the S80 (and the Land Rover LR2, actually). Rated at 235 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 236 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm, it produces 27-hp more than last year's turbocharged inline-5 and propels the XC70 to 62 mph in a claimed 8.6 seconds. It's a nice engine, but we can think of other straight-sixes with not only more power but also more personality.

The XC70 has enough all-terrain capability to get to a ski resort or your summer cabin. The Haldex all-wheel-drive system sends 95 percent of engine torque to the front wheels in normal driving. If the front tires lose traction, up to 65 percent of engine power can be transferred to the rear wheels. A Land Rover-style hill descent control function has been added, which manipulates the throttle and brakes to limit speed down steep slopes to 6 mph.

This One's a Nester

It's tempting to dismiss the Volvo XC70 as nothing more than a jacked-up V70 with taller, knobbier tires, a kind of station wagon for those who have been enticed by the rough-and-tough SUV persona. There are more than shades of truth to this. Mechanical differences between the V70 and XC70 are practically nonexistent, and half of all XC70s worldwide have been sold in the image-conscious U.S. market.

In reality, however, the 2008 Volvo XC70 offers as much SUV-ness as almost anybody needs, and you don't have to live with all the compromises of an SUV, like too much weight, too little maneuverability and poor fuel economy. Such is the inner beauty of wagons.

source: edmunds.com