Volvo invited us, and a couple hundred other journalists, to come sip beverages (orange juice, fresh squeezed) and dish about the 2008 Volvo V70 and XC70 wagons at a spot called Expo-Lac just north of the Rhone in Geneva. But it amounted to a full-on press conference, complete with pulling the sheets off cars and at least a dozen designers and engineers eager to field our questions.
The most interesting thing we learned is that Volvo has developed a new T6 engine for the V70 -- you may remember the old one from the S80 and XC90. The new engine is a 3.0-liter inline-6 with twin turbochargers. It's rated for 285 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, and a six-speed automatic feeds power through an electronic all-wheel-drive system. But here's the bad news: U.S.-bound V70s and XC70s won't get this engine -- at least not anytime soon.
That leaves our front-drive V70 and all-wheel-drive XC70 with a normally aspirated 3.2-liter inline-6 good for 238 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. That's fine, we guess, but now that we know the T6 exists, 0-60 in the low 8-second range hardly seems quick enough. (Europeans, by the way, will continue to buy the 2.4-liter turbodiesel version, D5, in droves, and ethanol-capable power plants are on the way for some markets.)
Until you remember why people buy these wagons: practicality and safety. After after a brief sit in the backseat, we're happy to report there's finally enough legroom for an adult, thanks to the 2.5-inch wheelbase stretch on the new wagons. There's also enough clearance to deter kids, seated in the wagons' new height-adjustable built-in boosters, from kicking the back of your seat. We're told there's also another 2 cubic feet of cargo capacity, and with a sliding load floor and adjustable cargo tracks, owners should be able to make good use of the space. Operation of the new power liftgate was quiet and refined.
The wagons ride on an all-new platform shared with the recently redone S80. Suspension bits are a predictable strut arrangement in front and multiple links out back, and Volvo's Four-C adaptive suspension will be an option.
Hill descent and ascent control systems will be standard on the 2008 Volvo XC70, because in talking to U.S. consumers (who are the XC's core constituency), said Steve Mattin, senior VP of design, "we found that a lot of people choose this car because they want the extra capability." Ground clearance is still right around 8 inches, but approach, departure, ramp and breakover angles are all up, says Volvo. Unsightly black cladding? Mercifully, that's down.
For more on Volvo's new wagons, check out our full coverage on the 2008 V70 and 2008 XC70.
roar02ram says:
12:19 AM, 03/ 6/07
I love Volvo wagons.
redliner says:
08:20 AM, 03/ 6/07
I love *a* volvo wagon -- V70R
ateixeira says:
09:42 AM, 03/ 6/07
Nice update. Evolutionary, but just enough to keep it fresh.
adeez says:
01:18 PM, 03/ 7/07
Pretty aggressive for a wagon. I think it looks good.