Volvo XC70 (2008)

The good folks at Volvo chose to introduce the fresh, new, third-generation Volvo XC70 to the media in the big sky country of Whitefish, Montana. As we flew over Glacier National Park and into the Kalispell airport the yellowing aspens confirmed that fall is already upon these lovely mountains - a perfect time to be here. The aspens will soon be glowing gold.

The new XC70 is the all-wheel-drive sport wagon (or is it a CUV?), based primarily on new S80 components, also shared with the Land Rover LR2. It would take more than a higher ground clearance and all-wheel-drive to think of it as an off-roader, so it’s not an SUV in that sense, but much leeway is granted these days in defining a genre. Volvo calls it a “family adventure vehicle” an innocuous as that sounds. We’ll figure out what to call it before we’re done here.

The first two generations of the XC70 were more station wagon than anything else. Sure, they stood a bit higher off the ground than most wagons, I suppose, and a bit more sturdy, but a station wagon none-the-less. In terms of appearance this new one looks a lot like an evolution of the old wagon and a little closer to the bigger, brasher, more SUV-like XC90 that has been a great success for Volvo since it came out nearly a decade ago winning “Truck of The Year” honors right out of the box. The XC90 was one of the first to be called a CUVs designed with attributes of an SUV on a car platform.

I’m getting a close look at the new XC70, 4 inches longer overall and 2 inches longer in wheel base than its predecessor, on the lawn of The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, the rustic but upscale resort where we’re headquartered this week, on the shore of – you guessed it – Whitefish Lake. The air is cool with a light breeze coming off the still water and I kept waiting for the sun to go under the intermittent clouds so I could get some photos without harsh shadows and reflections. No luck, I had to shoot with the glare.

While evolutionary the new design is attractive. The Volvo design language, first presided over by Peter Horbury of Ford, took Volvos from slab-sided rectangular boxes to curvaceous, stylish elegance. Most distinctive is the broad shouldered look created by the mid-body’s extention outward from the upper body. The horizontal shoulder line blends into the hood line approximating a V-shape tapering to a distinctively Volvo grille. The rear view has sort of a hexagonal theme reminiscent of the tail of the revered P1800ES sport hatch of the early 70s. Part of the large, complex, but lovely rear lights are integrated into the lift gate and the rear window extends lower than the side windows. Flat black cladding on the lower body all around and high onto the rear may sound less than aesthetically pleasing but is executed well adding to the pseudo-off-road image of the wagon.

Safety, of course, is one of Volvo’s claims to fame. Sounding the cabin are more airbags than you’ll find at a Senate hearing, and somewhat smarter ones as well. Integrated into the car’s substructure is way more high-strength steel than in any previous model adding to the weight and the exceptional crashworthiness. Chassis dynamics the equal of any manufacturer’s keep the car going straight and under control no matter what the conditions. Collision and blind spot warning systems help the driver stay out of trouble.