Volvo wheels out V70 wagon

Newswheel staff :: 06 February 2007 :: Filed under Estate/Wagon, Volvo, Europe & UK, US

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A Galant effort

Forget the Audi-bashing elegance of the new S80 and the low key classiness of the XC90 SUV. And don’t be distracted by the surprising funkiness of the C30 coupe-hatchback. Big wagons with enough seats for an army of ill-tempered offspring and ludicrous amounts of luggage is what Volvos, even now, are all about. Right? Well, that and the ability to look after you better than the average barge if you decide you simply can’t be bothered not to park in a ditch at, say, 50mph. The launch of the new V70 premium estate car, therefore, is still a key moment for the Swedish brand…

As ever with Volvo, the V70 isn’t merely the estate version of the S80 saloon. It’s more a model in its own right. So, out goes the S80’s Yamaha-sourced transverse V8 from the flagship model and in comes a new T6 in-line six-pot turbo petrol mill knocking out 281bhp. Enough, surely, for most family transportation needs, though the 7.2 click zero-to-62mph sprint suggests the V70 is packing a fair few kilos (Volvo has yet to provide a kerb weight figure).

For the record, the T6 displaces 3.0 litres and produces 295lb/ft of twisty stuff. The compact straight-six is also available in 3.2-litre naturally-aspirated trim (235bhp), while a 2.5-litre turbo five (198bhp) rounds out the conventional petrol options. A bio-fuel E85-compliant version of the latter lump with 144bhp will join the range towards the end of the year.

As for oil burners, a pair of 2.4-litre five-pot engines offering 183bhp and 161bhp are your lot. Six-speed Geartronic slushboxes are available with every lump.

Styling, inside and out, is largely in line with Volvo’s current design language. Until, that is, you reach the rear end, at which point the V70 appears to morph into something resembling a mid '90s Mitsubishi wagon. Bummer.

There’s a whiff of mid '90s Mitsubishi about the V70’s nether regions

Still, the V70 is enormously flexible inside. There’s a 40:20:40 split folding rear bench, an extra 55 litres of space in the boot compared with the outgoing model and a sliding cargo floor for easier heavy load manipulation. Bung in the built-in kiddie thrones, more airbags that you can shake a pretensioned seatbelt at and collision radar that can activate the brakes and you have Volvo’s modern-day take on the ultimate domestic transport device.

However, quite where the alarm system, which includes a heartbeat monitor that informs the owner from as much as 100m away whether man or presumably large beast is in residence, fits into the overall Scandinavian philosophy on private road transport is less clear.

 
Anywho, other items of interest include the standard electric driver’s seat, the optional ‘leccy dampers with four modes and Volvo’s BLIS blindspot information system.

No word for now on pricing, but sales kick off in Blighty in September with first deliveries October time.