EuropeanCarBlog

Volvo launches a new car - the V70, with alterations from its past models. This new family wagon highlights the look of the S80 sedan from the front. The tall unending taillights add a sporty look with the sloping roofline, giving it the perfect look of a family car. The increased rear quarter space, with alterations in the seats and the seat belts caught my sight at the first look at it. It also incorporates an adjustable booster cushion, specially fitted for kids to use the seat belts comfortably, regardless of their height. The stronger side structures of high tensile steel and the curtains insure more safety, minimizing the risk of penetration in case of a collision. Not only these, but the optional active bi-Xenon headlamps and the Adaptive Cruise Control insure more safety to the car. Besides, the car also comes with a Blind Spot Information System, which notifies the driver when another automobile is in a blind spot at the rear. 

A proper sound system is what I always put emphasis on, after considering the security part of a four-wheeler. I was surprised after listening to the premium standard audio system with Dynaudio speakers. I believe it to be the perfect speaker system for any car. Volvo also offers the option to upgrade it to eight as well as to twelve speakers from the standard six-speaker version. The wide legroom and the comfortable seats along with the spring-strut front anti roll bar front suspension and the multi-link rear with anti-roll bar makes the drive a pleasant one.  

The all-new 2008 Volvo V70 is packed with a 6-cylinder 3.2-liter engine delivering 235 hp of torque at 6200 rpm. The engine is designed in a transverse manner, keeping the front collision safety in mind. Stepping on the accelerator pedal I managed to reach 0-62 mph in about 9 seconds. Driving the six speed Geartronic automatic transmission version is fun, and much more easy as compared to a manual transmission system. A sport mode is also equipped with this automatic transmission, for shifting manually in case of spirited driving. At the top speed, i.e. 130 mph the car is stable enough to keep it in control. Further, the All Wheel Drive (AWD) also renders in controlling the car easily at high speeds.  

This new family wagon is all set to roll out in the

US auto market from the 2008 winters. Go for it if it’s a powerful family wagon in your mind.

To be honest, it reminded me of root beer! Now, that’s not because I want to portray Volvo as a velvet fist in iron gloves, but simply because to give an estimate of the excitement (imagine a child and the factor that compels him to choose root beer over coke; there you are!) that the Volvo XC70 delivers.

As a die-hard SUV fanatic, I had faced a lot of criticism from my family; while my elder son is a chip of the old block, his mom and sister are ardent worshippers of everything – in their words – cute and cozy and cuddly and pink. Both grumbled all these years looking forward to a family car but we both are men with an outlook like – ain’t a car if not a SUV; well, we didn’t compromise - until we saw the strong and shapely and AWD Volvo XC70.  No, it’s not a SUV – you got it right – but the next best thing to one!

The Volvo XC70 underwent a lot of changes in these eleven years but kept its strong point intact i.e. it’s still the even blend between a station wagon and a SUV. The cladding is rugged; the ground clearance has been slightly elevated – perhaps, it’s the new, refined definition for the crossover market? However, if I have to give an honest opinion, the second-generation Volvo XC70 didn’t require the contemporary, new dashboard to match the plush, supportive seating; with the entire wafer-thin lower panel, it appears more gimmicky and ultra-modern than its real capabilities. The world is itself a complex one; we don’t need another round of complexity while out on a drive! But then again, it was much pleasing to find that Volvo worked hard to keep complexities on the outer side at bay; the tail lamps, no more confined to the body, now have lenses bigger than before. Translated, that’s an added safety measure.

The 208-hp inline-five-cylinder powerhouse is now a straight 27 hp greater and smoother engine that measures a whole 3.2-liter in a V-6 configuration. To match with it, there’s a six-speed automatic transmission counter-balanced by an all-weather-traction system. Another additional feature is the hill-descent control; it brings the vehicle automatically to a safe speed when driving on steep grades. And my, my, I shall require plenty of that, for with a ground clearance of 8.3 inches, I have no doubts that I shall be heading the hills all the more. And that’s for $36,420; I think I’m quite happy to pay that price for something that’s a V-6 with a six-speed automatic transmission and a revamped all-wheel-drive system.

In turn to offer an affordable car to the U.S. citizens, Volvo restores one of its model in the 2008 Volvo C30. Alike the Mini Cooper, this classic hatchback represents much of the Volvo P1800ES of the early ‘70s, with the legacy of an easy backseats access and foldable long doors to reveal a large cargo space out of the blue. However, the glass finish, a curved front and the rear fenders impart a rather sporty look to the C30 with the flexibility of customizing the car up to any extent an owner may like, including a 9.1 channel, surround sound Dynaudio/Alpine hybrid audio system for the ultimate in audile pleasances.

But things related to the ears don’t stop there; press them on the hood and you shall get skeptical whether the Volvo T5 truly exists there. For a transversely mounted turbo-charged five-cylinder 2.5L 227 hp engine, it is remarkably silent. And even subtle is the 236 ft-lbs of torque, even at 1,500 to 5,000rpm. Equally responsive is the C30’s five-speed automatic transmission, though the standard manual six-speed would have proved a better match. It’s a crime to curtail the power the T5 delivers and the automatic transmission does just that, even when in the manual-selection mode. At the best, it’s plain sluggish.

However, the sport-tuned suspension makes up for that particular flaw. This is the Dynamic Chassis technology and delivers just the right amount of rigidity when bumps are to be handled. That said, any veteran motorist shall understand how the DC minimizes the body rolls at the hard corners, thus eliminating the chances for rollovers at the hairpin bends.

But oh, when it comes to the automobiles, power and money seldom travel the same road and the Volvo C30 is no exception either. It’s a 19mpg within the city and a flat 27mpg on the highways that we received as the best mileage in this car; however, other features like the BLIS lane-change warning system strikes the fine balance in the equation. It’s not a very common thing to see this kind of a security feature available in the less expensive cars; thus, at a tagged price of $25,700 and $22,700, it seems, hatchbacks are again back in style, especially with the young crowd. Thanks go by and large to the racks and the walnut steering wheel; it adds the necessary charm a sports car purist can never deny.