Freedom Volvo

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Walk Around

The Volvo XC70 was all new for 2008, meaning that everything from its engine to the interior to the basic architecture of its chassis has changed. The exterior design changed, too, and while its basic character is familiar Volvo, the XC70 looks smarter than before. Relatively speaking, additional changes for 2009 are minimal.

The XC70 is built on Volvo's large car platform introduced with the 2007 S80 sedan. (The previous XC70 shared its underpinnings with the intermediate S60 sedan.) The important point is that the XC70 has more in common with the line-topping S80 than it does with the mid-size S60. It's longer and wider than the previous XC70 (by 4.2 and 0.1 inches, respectively) and rides on a two-inch-longer wheelbase, opening up more room inside. In overall length and width this newest XC70 closely matches a BMW 5 Series wagon, albeit on a wheelbase that's still 3 inches shorter. The Volvo is lighter than the Bimmer, but by less than 100 pounds.

The XC70 body is nearly identical to that of the Volvo V70, which fills the role of a more conventional road-going wagon in the Volvo lineup. Both were developed with Volvo's attention to impact-dissipating crumple zones, and both have fully laminated glass. The only unique XC70 structural feature is an extra lower front crossbeam, added to account for its higher ride height in an impact.

The latest styling is Volvo evolution, but it's smoother, less gangly and visually tighter than the pre-2008 XC70. In profile, the character line at the bottom of the windows rises a bit more dramatically, creating a more forward leaning, dynamic stance. The window pillars are blocked out, which makes all the windows look like a single element. The rear glass now angles forward toward the front of the car, rather than dropping cliff-like from the back edge of the roof, yet there's still there's a bit more cargo volume inside.

The headlights and grille are larger, a bit more angular and more prominently defined. The XC70 has a soft plastic nose painted to match the body, rather than the full, dark-vinyl mask worn on the earlier version. The lower bumper is dark vinyl, with intake-like cutouts for the foglights; below it, the silver-colored skid has been widened and shaped more aerodynamically. There's a lot of dark, impact-resistant cladding around the bumpers and along the rockers.

From the rear, the XC70's hexagonal shape reminds us of the C30 coupe. The tail lights are large enough and bright enough to do Las Vegas proud, and the rear glass window extends down lower than the side windows to improve rearward visibility. The hydraulically operated power tailgate is handy if you approach the back of this car with arms loaded, and it keeps hands cleaner if the tailgate is coated with grime.

Interior

2009 Volvo XC70

The Volvo XC70 interior borrows heavily from the S80 luxury sedan, taking both design themes and components such as gauges, switches and console. We'd call it one of Volvo's best interiors yet. Volvo interiors have usually been straightforward in function, but they've sometimes been almost cloddish in appearance, with at least a few quirks. Not so in this XC70. It's understated, but elegant and nicely polished. Materials and overall finish are high grade.

The optional leather upholstery is smooth and stretched tautly over the front seats, and the seats themselves are excellent. It's hard to find a better mix of comfort and support for typical driving. Visibility outward is good, forward and aft. The rear-most side windows are imbedded with their own electrical grid for defrosting.

The XC70 driver sits before a fat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, looking at big, crisp gauges with bright-white backlighting and number gradients that are easy for the brain to absorb.

The standard trim is called dark fineline, while the T6 is trimmed in aluminum. We found the walnut and walnut root that come with the Premium Package gorgeous.

The overall effect is very Scandinavian, yet the coolest element may be the thin-panel center stack. It's no more than two inches thick, with open space behind it. Most controls are placed here, with audio above climate and a display at the top, arranged in a neat, symmetrical pattern. The primary knobs are big and raised substantially from the surface, and the airflow controls are fashioned in an icon shaped like a seated person, so there's absolutely no confusion about directing air toward the face, feet or windshield.

It's all quite clean and pleasing. Most significantly, measured by function and simplicity of operation, the XC70's various controls are better than most other luxury brands, and particularly German brands, which still insist on layering more menus in their interfaces (while still adding more buttons). This alone might be enough reason for some to choose Volvo.

The navigation system is well worth getting. The screen pops up vertically from the center of the dash, though it's canted forward at what seems a strange angle. The driver surfs through menus and makes choices with buttons on the back of the steering wheel spokes, almost where you'd expect paddle shifters for an automatic transmission. We think it's better than many other systems. The menus are no more difficult to learn, and they're managed without taking hands from the steering wheel and fishing for the controls. Passengers can control the system with a remote.

Cubby storage is decent. The center console and glovebox hold quite a bit of stuff. The pockets behind the front seatbacks are handy and the cupholders work well.

The rear seat is not the roomiest, given the apparent size of the vehicle it's in. We wouldn't recommend it to six-footers for a cross-country trip. There's enough room that someone 5-feet, 9 inches won't get claustrophobic or cramped riding in the back of the XC70 across town, however. And we think it would be fine for families until the kids are well into their teens. With the stereo upgrade, there are redundant audio controls and headphone jacks for rear passengers. The rear DVD system puts a screen in the back of both front headrests, which we prefer to those that drop from the headliner.

The cargo area is one of the XC70's strengths. The back seat folds easily, 40/20/40, so the center section can work like a pass-through for skis or hockey sticks. With a maximum cargo capacity of 72.1 cubic feet, the XC70 compares favorably with the larger, heavier Mercedes M-Class (72.4 cubic feet), BMW X5 (61.8) and the Hummer H3 (62.9).

The cargo floor is perfectly flat with all the seats folded down, providing a smooth, friendly area for cargo as well as dogs or even people: One or two people could sleep comfortably back there. We tested this. It's a useful feature for camping or for stopping for a nap on long road trips, a potentially important feature not found on many vehicles.

The fold-flat front-passenger seat is a valuable feature that should not be underestimated. The design seems to do nothing to diminish the seat's comfort, yet its back can fold forward to the same level as the folded rear seat and cargo floor. This allows the XC70 to carry long narrow items such as fly rods or two-by-fours securely inside, or maybe a kayak. Under the load floor is a lockable, shallow storage area, no more than six inches deep.

The cargo floor itself features aluminum rails with movable anchorage points for securing loads. The anchors can be tucked down into the rails when not used, to keep the floor perfectly smooth, and there are more anchorage points in the side panels. There are also a host of load-related accessories, such as hooks, nets and space dividers. Or favorite is simply a drawer, or rather a sliding floor that locks into the rails and pulls out beyond the bumper for easier loading. It will easily support 50 pounds. One slight disadvantage of the XC70 compared to the typical SUV is a lower ceiling, so the SUV will accomodate taller items in an upright position. In practice, we've seldom found this an issue. The XC70 has a lower liftover height than most SUVs do, and it's easier to load.

The seats are designed to help reduce whiplash injuries. During a rear-end impact, the WHIPS seatbacks move rearward to reduce acceleration forces on the occupant's back and neck, while the headrest pushes forward and upward slightly to meet the neck and head as they are thrust backward.

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