Volvo has a great all-new version of its XC70 crossover for 2008. This is the off-highway-capable version of the V70 wagon.
Previously built on the mid-size S60 sedan platform, the XC70 now shares its architecture — as well as its design characteristics — with the larger, top-of-the-line S80 sedan.
Exterior styling is still unmistakably Volvo, but the new XC70 has more pronounced lines and contours, larger headlights and grille, upscale contrasting protective side sections with a chrome molding at the door bottoms (in place of last year’s traditional cladding), more dramatic wheel housings, and a hexagonal-design rear cribbed from the new Volvo C30 coupe and dressed with big taillights.
Gone are the 208-horsepower 2.5T five-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic transmission. The 2008 powertrain is a 3.2-liter I6, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, generating 235 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel drive is standard. EPA fuel economy ratings are 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway.
Hill descent control, dynamic stability and traction control, an advanced whiplash protection system, side curtain airbags, and front and rear fog lights are all standard equipment, along with Volvo’s overall ultra-high safety standards.
Adaptive cruise control, collision warning with auto brake, distance alert, driver alert control, and lane departure warning systems are available as optional features.
The passenger cabin is even more comfortable now, with “ortho-posture” supportive front seats that have increased width at the shoulder area, and more leg room for rear-seat riders.
Interior design elements are straight from the S80, giving the new XC70 a decidedly more elegant appearance. Materials are of the highest quality, and everything looks put together with painstaking detail. Though completely stocked with the latest technology and then some, nothing is so complicated that it can’t be easily operated.
Interior cargo capacity is 72.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, and 33.3 cubic feet with them upright. The new tailgate is configured to make loading and unloading easier.
The standard audio system is a high-performance, eight-speaker job with CD player, auxiliary input jack and MP3 capability. An optional Dynaudio system includes a six-disc CD changer and 650-watt amplifier.
A navigation system and a dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system are also available.
My tester included the upgraded sound system, a Premium Package adding a moonroof, leather seat surfaces, power passenger seat, wood inlays and more, and a Climate Package with heated front seats, headlamp cleaning system, heated windshield washer nozzles and rain sensing wipers.
Also on the tester were Volvo’s wonderful integrated two-stage child booster seats, which eliminate the need for those annoying portable boosters, and can accommodate kids who are too big for a portable booster, but too small for adult seating.
The appeal of the Volvo XC70 has been obvious from the beginning — an elegant, civilized vehicle that delivers car-like driving on the highway, with a low enough center of gravity to take twisty roads in stride, but with the modifications necessary for handling challenging conditions both on- and off-highway.
The 2008 XC70 takes that appeal to an extreme.
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