Review: Volvo V70 XC
What’s the most important factor people look at when buying an off-road wagon? Ground clearance? Approach and departure angles? Differential locks? Tyres? In the image-driven 21st century the people who buy 4x4s often do so to make a fashion statement. Parked in front of the house they look great. In the shopping centre they send out the message that the tubby housewife loading the Pick ‘n’ Pay packets into the luggage area is actually a serious adventurer.
Drivers of lesser vehicles know not to mess with the superior beings towering above them at the robots. But do these wonder-chariots ever go out and get their boots wet and muddy playing in the dirt? Must be crazy, doll. This thing costs more than my house! After an exploratory foray down a dirt road or two in the early days of ownership they’re condemned to a life of Sandton semi-retirement.
But the Volvo Cross Country V70 XC is different. It doesn’t look like a 4×4, so those not in the know will be unimpressed. But it does boast all-wheel-drive, and, when you take a closer look at the sump-guard and plastic body protectors you realise that it’s meant to cope with more than a couple of icy European roads.
The reality, of course, is that, like almost of the suburban all-wheel drive wagons, the Volvo wasn’t designed to be a true bundu basher. But, like virtually all of its ilk, it’s capable of much more than 95% of buyers would ever ask of it in off-road conditions, without battering itself to death — provided common sense prevails.
Despite its non-butch appearance the Cross Country has fairly good off-road credentials. Ground clearance is 193mm — up from the 134mm of the standard V70 wagons — and alloy wheels are clad with Pirelli Scorpion 215/65R16 rubber. The all-wheel-drive system delivers about 95% of the torque to the front wheels under normal conditions, but fancy electronics take over and adjust the split between front and rear axles as soon as there’s a traction problem. In addition, Volvo’s Tracs system monitors wheelspin and applies the brakes to any offending wheels, allowing the differentials to redistribute the power to the opposite side of the car when necessary.
The Cross Country’s 20-valve five-cylinder engine is unique to this model. Displacing 2435cc, it utilises a low pressure turbocharger to boost output to 147kW at 5100rpm and a healthy 285Nm of torque at 1800rpm. On-road performance is not in the league of the 250kph V70 T5 version of the wagon, which uses a 2319cc 184kW unit fitted with a high-pressure turbo, but the wide torque spread allows the all-wheel-drive Volvo to get to 100kph in around nine seconds, and the top speed of more than 200kph is pretty healthy for such a big vehicle with reasonable off-road ability.
The test car was equipped with a five-speed auto transmission with Geartronic shifting. Unlike some other gearboxes that claim to allow you to shift them like a manual transmission, this one really lets you do so by simply flicking the shift lever one way or another. We like it.
The Volvo is a big car and it feels it, especially around town. The overall impression is one of stateliness rather than sportiness, with a soft ride and a bulky feel. Of course, the size pays off in terms of accommodation. There’s a whopping 485 litres luggage space with all the seats filled, and the rear bench has a 40/20/40 split to offer more room when needed. With the seat folded away there’s 1641 litres available for stowage.
The Volvo V70 XC is a well-rounded vehicle. It boasts all the electronic bells and whistles you would expect in a typically Swedish quality package. It’s quick, can cope very well with bad roads, and fairly well where they’re almost non-existent. For the conservative type who wants a classy wagon that does not look or feel like a 4×4, but can get the job done, there’s not much to touch the Volvo except the Audi allroad, which is a better all-round performer but costs about R100000 more.
At R372000 (R362000 for the manual version) the Volvo offers good value for those who know what they want and have the money to buy it.