2009 Volvo V70 Reviews

Volvo's latest V70 plays to the marque's patented strengths: bank vault safety and bank vault looks.

And it's reassuring to know you are cocooned in one of the safest vehicles in the world.Volvo has made the third-generation V70 wagon an even safer proposition. There is greater side protection and curtain airbags extend a further 60mm to cover smaller passengers in the rear seat.It is a departure from previous models in that it gains a six-cylinder engine for the first time and is enhanced with more luxury features. Performance and sophistication were the goals for the V70 that is powered by a fresh 3-litre V6 boosted by a twin-scroll turbo.For those who want to tow, there is a generous 400Nm available across the 1500rpm-4800rpm rev range.There is spirited performance in a competent chassis which rides, steers and handles diligently.In fact, you can tailor the car to steer, handle and ride to suit individual tastes.There is the Four-C continuously controlled chassis as standard where you can set the damping to three settings — comfort, sport and advanced.For a $750 premium you can add the adjustable power steering that can be set to one of three levels — low, medium and high. It works at low speeds such as in parking areas where assistance is most needed.On the highway the steering feels quite neutral and the ride, even in Advanced mode for better body control and firmer damping, is reasonably compliant.The clarity and quality of the interior layout and trim, red leather in the ilk of an Italian sports car rather than a Swedish wagon, is top shelf and up there with the highly praised Audi architecture.The seats are a hallmark, one of Volvo's strong points, where it is easy to consider occupying a pew on an inter-city haul or a long driving holiday.On the launch drive from Adelaide, through the hills and down to Goolwa and back, the fuel consumption was 12.6 litres/100km, overshooting the factory claim of 11.3.The V70 feels bulky, a substantial vehicle in mass and on-road presence.There's a long list of standard features although the list of options runs up a princely sum.Among the items you can add are ventilated seats ($3200), electric sunroof ($2150), satellite navigation ($3950) and reverse camera ($1200), adaptive cruise control and collision warning with auto brake ($3950), integrated telephone ($2900) and Blind Spot Information ($1200).This is a fine package that successfully harnesses performance, luxury, packaging and safety.Just as BMW are the kings of the compact premium sedan genre, Volvo is the king of the wagon market.The V70, while initially it may be seen as a low volume seller, is ready to catch any fall-out from the luxury SUV crowd.A word of warning — don't lose your Personal Car Communicator (the key) — it's at least $270 to replace.

It was not long ago that Volvo had the prestige wagon market sewn up. Before 2000, Volvo V70 wagon sales accounted for a sizeable slice of Volvo Cars Australia's local volume. But as carmakers moved away from traditional wagons and into pseudo off-roaders, Volvo also chased a new market.It gave consumers the five-seater XC70 and seven-seater XC90, leaving the V70 trailing in the sales stakes.In launching its new V70 T6 AWD, Volvo Cars Australia managing director, Alan Desselss, says the company has tried to reposition the new V70 away from its traditional family wagon role and present it more as a high-end alternative to large off-roaders.The V70 has the same all-wheel-drive system as the XC70 but will be sold as one model only, the turbo-charged 3.0-litre T6. Positioning the V70 into the local line-up has been a challenge, Desselss says. Because of the success of the XC70 and XC90, the company had toyed with the idea that the V70 may not be needed.“But from our customer feedback, people wanted this car,” he says.“We've positioned the V70 above the XC range for the family buyer who wants more performance and luxury.”Desselss says the V70 is a relevant model, despite a conservative sales forecast of just 120 a year.The V70 is based on the S80 sedan, the petrol 3.0-litre T6 mated to a six-speed sequential 'Geartronic' automatic driving all four wheels.The six-cylinder sits sideways in the engine bay and the location of the airconditioning compressor and power steering pump behind the engine in the space above the gearbox provides a compact format.The turbo is a twin-scroll device that allows quick response low-down in the rev-range and excellent mid-range overtaking ability. Desselss says there are no plans at this stage for other petrol engines, or even a turbo-diesel engine, for the V70.“I can't imagine there would be a demand for a V70 diesel,” he says.With pricing set at $67,950 the V70 sits fractionally above the XC70 D5 LE but the Volvo boss says it will attract a different type of buyer.As expected of a Volvo there is a raft of passive and active safety equipment as well as the expected luxury features such leather, heated front seats, climate control, auto dimming rearview mirror, 18-inch alloys, automatic tailgate, active bi-Xenon headlights and six-stacker CD stereo.The T6 is fitted with Volvo's active chassis technology, called Four-C.This is essentially an active suspension system that has three-mode damper settings — comfort, sport or advanced. The system also resists a tendency to squat, dip or roll under hard acceleration, hard braking or emergency steering manoeuvres.Speed-dependent power steering, meanwhile, is an option, while the power steering effort has three levels of assistance — low, medium and high. The luggage area is a work of art.There is 555 litres of space with the rear seats in place.That's 70 litres more than the previous generation V70, adjustable anchorage points on aluminium rails and a 40/20/40 split-rear seatback.The V70 and XC70 actually share much in styling terms.But the V70 looses all of the plastic cladding, high-riding attitude and looks more conventional. Only the stylish 18-inch alloys and AWD badge on the back give a hint of the car's performance.The deep rear glass echoes the C30 hatch and allows excellent rear visibility when reversing. A reversing camera, combined with parking sensors are available as an option.One thing that strikes you about all Volvos is the integrity and design sophistication of the cars.The doors shut with a Volvo thunk, the quality and presentation of the interior equals the best out of Germany and ergonomics are spot on.All-wheel-drive and little things such as the power tailgate, 40/20/40 split rear seatbacks and the thought put into the versatility of the luggage area makes you wonder why anyone would bother with a gas-guzzling SUV. And there are no complaints about the turbocharged 3.0-litre six either. Snapshot Volvo V70 T6 AWDPrice: $67,950Engine: 3L/6-cylinder 210kW/400NmTransmission: 6-speed Geartronic automatic 0-100km/h: 7.2 secondsEconomy: 11.3L/100km claimed

This is underlined by the Volvo's 0-100km/h sprint time of about 6.0 seconds or quicker.It is a finely honed car bristling with top quality components and luxury to make you look and feel good and keep you safe on the road.Turbo five cylinder engine has excellent performance, wide spread of power, almost instant throttle response. Revs to 7000 happily.Prefers premium unleaded but will run on standard.Can return impressive fuel economy if you resist accelerator pedal.Sounds different but good, a distinctive five-cylinder growl accompanied by muted turbo whistle.Six-speed manual is close ratio, slick shifter. Uses groovy speedball system on transmission tunnelClutch a bit hair-trigger off the line but you get used to it.Steering is direct and well weighted firm.Atrocious turning circle. Heard of five point turns?All-wheel drive system aids handling and safety.Car sticks like glue despite hefty mass. Handling boosted by three-mode adaptive suspension.Love the comfort mode for regular driving, Sport is ideal for press-on stuff. Advanced is hard, tied down tight.Press-button car can't be far away if this is indication. Imagine push select for type of performance, handling, steering, brakes and suspension.Beautifully built, stylish interior, top quality components abound. Love the burnt orange leather upholstery. No more yawn from Volvo in this department.Sound system to die for. Feel the massive bass, sharp mid-range, fine high range.Luxury aplenty including heated seats and everything else you'd expect in a $100,000-plus Euro. Brembo brakes, xenon lights and satnavc.Like the styling. Set off in pale mica green.Roll on overtaking is fantastic, no mucking around here.

Only in Australia, one hopes.You wouldn't find the Swedes effusively embracing a term that shatters their conservative and sheltered social standing so it's unlikely that the 'bloody Volvo driver' advertising campaign will have them rolling in the snow-laden footpaths of Stockholm.If the concept of Volvo blatantly promoting itself as the curse of Australian motoring seems ridiculous, the more recent revelation that it has made a fire-breathing station wagon that will cream most other road users will appear to be outrageous.But that's what has happened.Welcome to the Volvo R-series, comprising at the moment the V70R wagon and S60R sedan.Both have high-pressure turbochargers, all-wheel-drive, sports suspension, six-speed manual gearboxes (auto is optional) and go-faster paint colours.In our case, the test V70R came in blood, or should that be bloody, red livery which I felt was probably good for an extra 20km/h.The serious part of the V70R starts with a 220kW/400Nm 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine with help from a fat turbocharger and two intercoolers to dramatically reduce air temperature as it enters the combustion chamber.Along with variable-valve technology, the relatively small-capacity engine delivers a thumping 400Nm of torque from as low as 1950rpm.It is this torque that gives the V70R such flexibility, ease of driving and rapid acceleration, especially when exiting a corner.The 0-100km/h time of 5.9 seconds isn't to be sneezed at.All this in a vehicle that is ostensibly a lowered, luxuriously appointed, family station wagon.The cabin is spacious, though the slimline side windows reduce the view and make it appear less roomy. The leather trim interior is soft, supple and black, so while comfortable it wants to burn your body after a hot day in the sun.Few make dashboards as good as the Swedes. This one has topaz-coloured gauges that are backlit so you can know exactly what speed you are doing through the Graham Farmer Freeway tunnel.A great sound system and lots of electric motors to power things your arms can't be bothered doing reflect the status, and high price, of the car.The six-speed gearbox works well with close ratios that keep the engine on the boil.It works with an adaptive suspension system that the driver can use to dial-up a choice of firm, soft and automatic damper rates, so that country trips and winding road become an adventure.On some of my favourite roads just northeast of Perth the wagon showed exceptional road grip and excellent body control.Under the body there's automated all-wheel-drive that detects where most of the engine's power should go, giving more power to the rear when driving through a corner and more drive to the front wheels when exiting – a system that forces under or oversteer.That could get nasty, so there's a stability program to lessen the chance of you leaving the road sideways. Again, this can be controlled to be aggressive or benign.There are a lot of electronic aids in the V70R but that probably suits the Volvo safety mandate.