Picture Gallery: 2008 Volvo XC70 | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
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The 2008 XC70’s starting price ($46,495) is $1,000 lower than the 2007 model’s but the price quickly rises with the features and packages stuffed into my test vehicle. Replacing the turbo-charged inline five-cylinder engine that powered the XC70 in the previous generation is an inline-6 cylinder engine that produces the same amount of torque (236lb-ft) but 27 more horsepower (235hp) — unfortunately, according to Volvo’s specifications, it drinks considerably more fuel as well.
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With the features present in this XC70 it is getting to the point where a self-driving car is almost one of the options — won’t be long before it is offered, it seems. Added to the base model XC70 on my tester are: the premium package, the luxury package and the convenience package.
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As separate options, my tester is equipped with: sunroof, premium sound system, adaptive cruise control and collision warning system, blind spot information system and personal car communicator, plus seashell exterior paint; all this tops the price out to a nice round $62,260.
My initial impressions of this new XC70 are good, with an updated interior that screams luxury and comfort and a similar compliant and controlled driving feel that blurs the lines between SUV and luxury sedan. I’m a huge fan of the wagon body layout and the cargo area is cavernous in the XC70.
Maybe I’ll do some power Christmas shopping and fill up the back of this vehicle. I certainly could have used it last weekend for transporting goods — part of me wants to try to fill it, the other part of me (my credit card) is screaming for mercy.
2008 Volvo XC70
MSRP as tested inc. destination & delivery: $62,260
For more information on Volvo and the XC70 visit Volvo Canada
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The door sensor kept telling me a door was open, the parking sensor was constantly warning me that I was about to run into things and the blind spot indicator was going off and on randomly.
Besides those issues though, what a car! The interior of the XC70 is fabulous with: soft leather throughout, extremely comfortable seats and a smooth, quiet ride; you really cannot go wrong.
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Both the front and rear seats provide plenty of leg and head room and the integrated rear child seats are, as I can only imagine, a huge bonus for young families. You can also get rear heated seats, although not with the integrated child seats, unfortunately. Let’s just say I am enamored with the heated seats in the XC70 — I have never had such a toasty bottom before and I like it.
Some details as very welcome, such as the gas strut that holds up the cargo area floor for easy loading of small items you wish to hide, or the 60/40 split seats that split 60 on the right hand side rather than the left hand side in so many vehicles.
The interior design and ergonomics of the XC70 are perfect and there isn’t much I would change. Except the same thing I complained about the previous generation: the fact that the automatic wiper system turns off each and every time you shut off the vehicle — a minor quibble, I will admit.
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When I’m not driving two km/h behind someone afraid that the snow might cause their car to careen randomly off the road and into a ditch, I’ve noticed some positive and negative traits about the XC70’s driving dynamics.
Powered by only 235hp and weighing in at a hefty 1,891 kg (4169lbs), the XC70 is not quick by any sense of the word. Off the line it feels extremely sluggish but acceleration seems to improve once out of first gear. However, this is the worst car I can recall driving for drivetrain deceleration — lift off the accelerater one bit and the car seems to grind to a halt.
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This trait causes a few issues: first fuel economy suffers and secondly you find yourself constantly driving slower and requiring to accelerate rather than maintaining a constant speed — again resulting in more fuel usage.
My tester is equipped with what Volvo refers to as the “Four-C Active Chassis;” with the touch of a button you can adjust the suspension from comfort mode to sport or advanced modes. To be honest I can’t tell the difference in everyday driving but I’ll blame that on the snow.
What I did get a lot of time to play with is the collision avoidance system and adaptive cruise control. Like any other cruise control you simply set your speed, but with the adaptive cruise you can also set your following distance. With this set the vehicle will match speeds with the vehicle in front of you. This works exceptionally well on open roads, but not so great on the highway within city limits or in heavy traffic as the car will tend to brake to match speeds before you get a chance to move over into the passing lane, resulting in a never-ending battle with the cruise trying to slow you down and you trying to accelerate.
I also had a chance to try the collision avoidance system. A very bright L.E.D. bar is mounted on the dash in front of the driver, ready to alert you of your impending doom. This can also be accompanied by an audible alarm, but personally, a bright flashing light and beeping tone is not something I want to be my last memory before a huge accident. But it certainly gets your attention.
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Highway or city, the XC70 is smooth, quiet, comfortable and refined, although in the city your fuel consumption may not bedazzle anyone but your credit card company. Over the week I averaged 13.5L/100km — yet another week where I am not very happy with the results at the gas pumps.
My travels were mainly highway miles again — perhaps it is the cold playing havoc on my fuel consumption figures, hopefully I can determine this with my own vehicle or perhaps my next tester.
Overall I was quite pleased with the XC70 with its versatility and comfort; my only real gripe is the price.
*Rating out of 5:
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*Rating based on vehicle’s classification
2008 Volvo XC70
MSRP as tested inc. destination & delivery: $62,260
For more information on Volvo and the XC70 visit Volvo Canada
to our site.
November 28, 2007, 12:29:43 pm
Thanks for the correction...
November 28, 2007, 12:33:55 pm What? I wrote inline-6.... or at least I thought I had....
November 28, 2007, 12:36:27 pm cheap drugs will do that
November 28, 2007, 01:01:57 pm The Volvo is one of only two cars offering a cross-wise positioned inline six cylinder engine. It is a good approach, however uncommon. I have a similar engine layout on our Suzuki Verona and like it very much. The Volvo's higher quality and greater displacement would be much appreciated, so I will be looking at the car when it arrives locally.
November 28, 2007, 01:03:13 pm I looked at one in the showrooms and thought it looks smaller than my '04. But pull out the tape measure and it's acutally bigger - I love that kind of design work.
Let me know how the power tailgate and the Dynaudio sound system are. Options my wife and I (guess which for each) would have our eye on.
We love our '04 and I love everything I see and hear (except for gas mileage) about the new XC. When it comes time to replace ours, I look forward to picking up a used '08 or '09 in 2010 or '11.
November 28, 2007, 02:33:14 pm I am a huge Volvo fan. They get design - in and out, but still haven't worked out winning on price in the marketplace. They are so solid though - even if they aren't barn-burners.
November 28, 2007, 03:02:08 pm It needs the turbo 6 in a bad way. Slug.
November 28, 2007, 03:22:57 pm I'm sure it's owners will be able to drive at ten under the limit in the fast lane just fine, turbo or not. Never forget the target market
(ktm525, before you go nuts, the V70R is a very different animal, with a very different target market, than the XC70)
November 28, 2007, 05:19:53 pm I'm sure we'll see another engine in the XC70 before it dies... hell, the XC90 went through 4, 5, and 6 speed automatics, turbo 5, 6, V6, and V8 engines too!
I drove the old XC70.. it was a relaxed drive but I did not enjoy its FWD dominance. Do you still find this James?
It has also got open diffs everywhere eh? Volvo still thinks TCS power routing > Limited Slip
November 29, 2007, 09:14:27 am Wing can you let us know what you think about the adaptive cruise control and collision warning system.
November 29, 2007, 09:22:32 am
November 29, 2007, 09:29:40 am This is not at all my demographic but I like a lot of things about this car, save the price.
of course I coudl say the exact same thing about the departed A6 Allroad and the Legacy Outback (admittedly the OB is cheap in the US).
November 29, 2007, 11:31:57 am
That would be a great combo!
November 29, 2007, 12:53:42 pm Gorgeous looking vehicle, inside and out. The dash actually makes "plain" a good thing. The price seems in line with its siblings and predecessors, although quite a bit rich for my blood, even if I were still in the market for something that large.
November 29, 2007, 02:27:52 pm I love this Volvo, saw one of those past models the other day, really great. But I guess that the Taurus X is a better deal talking about cost/benefit.
November 29, 2007, 05:46:03 pm Are the seats no longer 40/20/40? I love that about our XC70.
I'm happy to say I drive the snot our of our XC70 when baby is not in the back seat. It goes pretty good and handles better than my V40 (that's not saying much I admit). A little slow off the line, but surprisingly fast once at speed.
I'm as much of a FWD hater as any (thus why I consider the V40 a bit of punishment for not earning more), and I don't find it irksome or heavy-FWD feeling in my XC70. The only annoyance compared to past experiences with scooby and Audi AWD systems, is on slippery launch, the lag caused by the turbo+weigh+auto tranny+Haldex slippage is very noticeable and not smoothly handled. The Haldex seems to kick in right as the turbo spools and you get this sudden lurch forward. Overall, we are very happy with the XC70 so far (we've owned this '04 for about 6 months).
November 29, 2007, 06:38:34 pm David, pretty sure I folded all those seats down in folds.
November 30, 2007, 04:03:53 pm
See if there is a release latch right next to the center headrest. The photos of the trunk with the seats up look like they've got the fabric cuts for the 40/20/40 seats. It's great, to have 60/40 on either side, or have just the 20 drop for a larger passthrough like effect.
Looking at the specs for my 04, the lbs/ft-lb of torque is 15.7 (about the same as a 128 or my V40). Not fast, but not super pokey. (3700 lbs for 236 ft-lbs of torque).
November 30, 2007, 04:06:56 pm http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2008/index.php?level=picture&id=2446
In this pic you can clearly see the 3 cuts and latches for the 40/20/40 seats. See the latch on the upper right hand side of the center section.
November 30, 2007, 04:13:17 pm Ah yes, so I suppose they drop 60/40 or 40/20/40 which is even better.
Wow the '04 weights 3700lbs? Volvo lists the '08 at a MINIMUM 4100lbs I'm sure my tester is closer to 4300 with all the goodies.
November 30, 2007, 07:46:45 pm http://www.edmunds.com/used/2004/volvo/xc70/100278284/specs.html
3699 lbs. Very few weight-related goodies to add (upgraded sound, no boosters, no sub).
That is a big weight jump now that I think about it. Who'd have thunk my car would seem svelte. Actually, compared to some of the new BMW's it is a bit of a lightweight.
December 02, 2007, 07:53:23 am When I sat in XC70 last fall I found I cound not sit in the rear seat once I had the seat adjusted to my driving position
"What I did get a lot of time to play with is the collision avoidance system and adaptive cruise control."
Like you said in a large city it would impossble to use this feature unless everyone had it.
In the open hiway it could be usefull if you come up someone doing way under the limited and need to slow down.
Would it work in the fog, and you came up to someone would did not have their lights on, would it stop you so you did not run into them?
December 02, 2007, 09:24:28 am Volvo will introduce a system (City Safety System) which will be for Urban driving for 2009.
http://wardsauto.com/ar/volvo_city_safety/
Explaination for some of Volvo's new safety features and what they do.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) uses a radar sensor to help the driver maintain the distance to the vehicle in front. ACC should primarily be seen as a comfort-enhancing function, but it contributes at the same time to more controlled driving when the traffic rhythm is uneven.
Collision Warning with Auto Brake Function (CW) helps reduce the risk of frontal impact. If the Volvo approaches another vehicle from behind and the driver does not react, the system alerts the driver with audible and visual signals. If the risk of a collision nonetheless continues to increase despite the warning, the brake support system is activated. Thereafter, if the system senses that a collision is likely to occur, then the brakes are applied up to 50%.
Distance Alert helps keep the time gap to the vehicle in front, also functions when the ACC is disengaged. If the gap becomes shorter than selected, a heads-up display is illuminated to warn driver.
Driver Alert this unique system uses a camera to monitor the cars movements between the lane markings. The system calculates whether you risk losing control of the vehicle. An audible and test message warning are used if the risk is assessed as "high".
Lane Departure Warning is activated if the car should cross one of the road markings without an obvious reason. This system helps to prevent road departure accidents and head-on collisions due to temporary distractions.
Blind Spot Identification System (BLIS) registers if another vehicle is in the offset rear blind spot along either side of the car and the driver is alerted via a visual signal.
Above systems can be disengaged.
Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS) helps stop the driver being distracted by non-essential information in pressing situations, for instance by delaying incoming phone calls or SMS.
December 03, 2007, 06:07:23 pm
"What I did get a lot of time to play with is the collision avoidance system and adaptive cruise control."
Like you said in a large city it would impossble to use this feature unless everyone had it.
In the open hiway it could be usefull if you come up someone doing way under the limited and need to slow down.
Would it work in the fog, and you came up to someone would did not have their lights on, would it stop you so you did not run into them?
December 03, 2007, 08:58:27 pm 6-1, could be the size 13 that makes things worst