New Vehicle Review

By: Kristi Bannen

The 2001 V70 XC station wagon is well built for comfort, safety, performance and style. The “XC” stands for Cross Country and it’s the all-wheel drive version.    If you’re familiar with Volvo’s S80, the V70 is based on that model. 

Since I have pretty much mastered the sub-compact car category so far, I think Steve is now expanding my experiences to encompass the station wagon segment.  Not that I’m complaining since the wagons we’ve received to test-drive have been very nice cars - including this Volvo V70, the Saab 9-3 Wagon and the Subaru Legacy Outback. 

I found the Volvo V70 XC to be a good cross between both of the other wagons I’ve driven.  It was stylish and refined like the SAAB 9-5, yet it was sporty and functional like the Outback. 

Volvo has done a nice job on making the body styling unique and attractive through the use of rounded yet distinct edges.  The interior is classy with rich, large leather seats and leather wrapped steering wheel and gearshift.  The color contrast inside and out on our Volvo V70 test car was interesting yet surprisingly appealing too.  The interior was a graphite gray color and the exterior was Ash Gold Metallic. 

For some reason, the safety features really stuck out in my mind as I reviewed the Volvo V70 XC.  I definitely felt safe driving the car.    I was most impressed with the inflatable side curtains protection system they’ve installed as a standard safety feature.  In the event of an accident, these side curtains inflate for added protection all along the side windows from the front pillar to the rear pillar.   It looks almost like a one-person inflatable beach raft.   It also has airbags for the driver and front passenger plus side-impact airbags.  All five-passengers are provided with padded head rests/restraints.  I think all cars should come with head restraints for every passenger.

When you unlock the car from outside, the lights go on so you can see easily inside before entry along with an anti-theft ignition system with coded keys.  The security system on the car has a separate back-up battery for the siren that is useful especially if your car battery fails. 

As for comfort, the leather front seats were comfortably wide and the rear seats provided enough room for three passengers easily.  The ride was quiet and sturdy.     It was a bit noisy with the sunroof fully opened.  

One of the best attributes of the Volvo V70 XC was the storage capacity.  It has about 71 ½ cubic feet of cargo space.  This car seems built for a nice ride, yet functional too.  I very easily fit 15 bags of mulch in the back - and YES  Steve, I had an extra large tarp underneath and around so as not to get anything in the car.  I had to test its haul-ability!  It passed with high marks.  The Volvo V70 XC has a clearance from the ground to the bottom of the car of 8.2 inches and is designed to handle such cargo. J  They’ve made it easy to keep the back by providing a rubber reversible cargo mat. 

For an additional $225, you could have a Cargo Security cover which our test car had.  This would be nice to have if you have a smaller pet too that you’d like to keep in the cargo area when you travel.  Or to stack things and keep them in place back there.   It was easy to use by simply pulling down into place. 

Even the storage compartments in the front of the Volvo V70 were quite useful. 

All the doors had narrow, yet deeper storage bins that stretched across the doors.   The center armrest and compartment could hold 8 CDs and the lid doubled as a two-person cup holder for those riding in back when the lid was flipped open.  The front doors could store a couple pop cans in each door plus there were two more cup holders built into the center console with a grip bar next to them.   And I can’t forget the ninth cup holder, yes ninth.  It pops out of the center instrument panel.  (Volvo must have thought the V70 XC drivers and passengers are a thirsty bunch!)  If one of our favorite Car Show hosts, Roger, were to rate this car on cup holders alone, and functional cup holders I must add, the car would get a four-tire rating!  Roger, you’d be in cup-holder heaven - you’d just need a built-in porta-potty!  (Not a pretty picture.)

There was even a place for your sunglasses to be secured by a rubber clip.

The Volvo V70 XC performed well.   It was fairly zippy with an aggressive pickup yet smooth and solid.  It is powered by 2.4-liter turbo engine with 197 horsepower and is all-wheel-drive.  To handle better during inclement weather, it also has a 5-speed Geartronic transmission with a winter mode.  It also has four-wheel traction control and four-wheel power assisted disc brakes with an anti-lock braking system.   

The extras on our Volvo V70 XC test car were certainly appreciated yet did add about another $5,000 to the base price.  The Cold Weather Package included heated front seats and headlamp wiper and washer.  The Touring Package provided a power passenger seat; trip computer/CD player; and auto dimming mirror with a Homelink system.   The Leather Package is what made this car look so nice on the inside with custom-cut seating surfaces; leather covered steering wheel and gearshift knob; plus the simulated wood inlays on the side doors and glove box lid.    

Overall, out of a four tire rating, with four being the very best, I give the 2001 Volvo V70 XC a three-tire rating for a well above average rating.

Kristi’s Fun Fact:
Volvo has in the works a feature that would adjust driver controls automatically through the driver’s eyeballs.  A mechanism, an eye sensor, would be built in the car to automatically “look” for your eyeball.  Once found, the sensor system would automatically adjust to the driver’s size by moving the seat, the pedals, steering wheel and center console – including the gearshift for the best fit. 

Volvo is now owned by the Ford Motor Company.