Volvo XC70

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Because Volvo released the new XC70 I thought it would be fitting to kick off with the old version


Volvo V70 XC 1998-2000

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Volvo XC70 2000-2007
Volvo changed the name during this period from V70 XC to XC70 because of the release of the new XC90.


Facts

The Volvo XC70 is built on the same car platform as the Volvo S60, Volvo V70 Estate, Volvo S80 and Volvo XC90.

The car is designed and built to be driven on all types of roads, good and bad alike. Its roadholding is consistent, regardless of the road conditions.

Like its sister vehicle, the Volvo V70, the Volvo XC70 is very safe. Its basic design is solid and robust, enabling it to withstand the severe collision forces that can be generated in accidents of different types.

Volvo’s patented whiplash protection system, WHIPS, is standard, together with the SIPS side-impact protection system, which includes side-impact airbags (SIPS bags) and the inflatable curtain (IC).

Versatility is one of the Volvo XC70’s hallmarks. The Volvo XC70 offers the kind of comfort and performance that make it a superb long-distance vehicle. However, it also offers AWD, which means that it gets through, regardless of the road conditions. Even those that are really, really bad.

However, the word "versatility" does not simply comprise the ability to get through. It also includes a flexible interior with a number of practical features. The Volvo XC70 is higher than a standard car. The extra height results in addi-tional ground clearance in difficult road conditions. The certified ground clearance is 200 mm.

As the car is no higher than it needs to be, it still has a relatively low centre of gravity, one of the prerequisites for really good driving characteristics and road performance.

The tyre used on the Volvo XC70 model is the Pirelli 215/65 R16 Scorpion STR. It has an excellent performance on normal asphalt as well as on snow and gravel.

Its relatively low weight is one of the reasons why the Volvo XC70 offers competitive fuel consumption. In mixed driving conditions, it consumes, depending on specification, 10.3 - 10.5 litres/100 km (manual) and 11.1 - 11.3 (automatic) in the petrol version and 8.4 - 8.5 litres/100 km in the diesel version (automatic only).

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Volvo XC70 2000-2007 #2


At customer clinics held during the development of the Volvo XC70, it emerged that customers regarded the car as an estate with greater potential - more func-tionality and versatility - than a standard five-door car can offer. At the clinic in the USA, customers also stated very clearly that, in terms of positioning, they regarded the car as a bridge between the standard estate and the SUV.

The extra equipment includes a child seat that Volvo has developed to be fitted in the luggage compartment. This seat is designed for two children who travel facing rearwards and are strapped in using normal three-point safety belts. When the seat is not in use, it can be folded away under the floor of the luggage compartment with a couple of quick turns of the wrist.

ISOFIX attachments for child seats are available as an option and accessories for both the outer seat positions in the back seat and for the front passenger seat only as an accessory. They must not be installed in the front passenger seat if the car is fitted with a passenger airbag.

The Volvo XC70 can be specified with different audio units. The top-of-the-line model is the HU-803. It has a CD changer for four CDs, eight speakers plus Dolby Surround speakers above the dashboard, 4 x 50W amplifiers and twin radio anten-nae for the best possible reception. What is more, the system can be supplemented
with a 12" sub-woofer under the luggage compartment floor, which is powered by a separate 150W amplifier, and a 10-CD exchanger, which is installed behind one of the side panels in the luggage compartment.

The range of accessories also includes a picnic table that can be fixed in the tailgate opening. The table is accompanied by cushions, which ensure that you can sit in comfort without getting your clothes dirty on the bumper.

Anyone who is interested in equipping the Volvo XC70 for somewhat more gru-elling driving will find that Volvo has developed an underbody protective plate to provide the engine, gearbox and lower subframe with extra protection on bumpy/ stone-covered roads.

A range of accessories that further enhance the level of versatility is available for the Volvo XC70. It includes a cargo box, which has been specially designed for this model and is colour-keyed to match the bodywork, a bicycle holder, plus hold-ers for skis or funboards. Anyone looking for something slightly more exclusive will appreciate the refrigerator, which can be installed in the rear seat.

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Volvo XC70 2000-2007 #3

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The all-new Volvo XC70 - more refined appearance but still ready for tough adventures

* More elegant and capable
* Dynamic driving protection in the right places
* More sporty exterior - without compromising functionality
* New, smart tailgate
* Interior with more premium touch and feel

The all-new Volvo XC70 has admittedly dressed up for a luxurious night out in town, but its appetite for exciting adventure is as large as ever.

"The dark-coloured plastic panels at the bottom are less obvious than on the current model. But as with exclusive outdoor clothing, the protection is placed exactly where it needs to be to withstand the rough stuff," says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.



The large dark-coloured plastic panels on the current XC70 model have now been mostly replaced with painted surfaces. This in combination with refined lines and contours and a more dynamic rear section give the all-new XC70 a more elegant, more luxurious appearance.

But don't be fooled into thinking the XC70 is ready to abdicate its position as the sportiest, most capable XC model. Quite the contrary.

"Imagine you are driving comfortably on an open motorway. When you look out the side window across the bleak landscape, you are surprised to be overtaken by a car driving in the rough desert with a trail a cloud of dust behind it. That was the vision and that was the car we had in our minds when we started designing the all-new XC70," explains Stefan Jansson, who is in charge of the exterior design.

Larger painted area at the front

At the front the characteristic dark nose of the current XC70 has been abandoned and replaced with a new, unique soft nose. The headlamps and grille have grown and now have the same trapezoidal shape that was first seen on the XC60 Concept in Detroit in early 2007.

In order to retain the rugged stance, the plastic panels at the corners have been emphasized around the bumper air intakes, which are more clearly pronounced.

"They look like "boxing-gloves", while the shape of the air intakes is inspired by a jet engine's frontal profile. These lines are echoed around the red reflectors at the rear, which accordingly trace the shape of the extractors on a jet engine," explains Stefan Jansson.

The silver-coloured protective skid-plate at the front has been widened and integrated to take on a spoiler-like shape.



Tall and spacious with rippling muscles

Along the sides the contrasting, protective sections have been supplemented with a chrome moulding at the bottom of the doors to emphasise the required stance of a tall, spacious car with elegant lines and rippling muscles. The roof-rail is integrated into the A-pillar moulding.

"The framed side windows, the distinct shoulders and the clean lines create harmony between the rounded, sporty front and the spacious rear of a genuine estate car. The raised rear section is also an important element in creating the well-balanced impression," says Stefan Jansson.

The pronounced wheel housings are another important feature of the XC70 model's confident statement that this is a highly capable car. The all-new XC70 can be specified with a variety of wheels all the way up to sporty six-spoke 18-inch alloys.



Intelligent overlapping tailgate

The rear of the all-new XC70 gives a more dynamic, more sculpted impression with the hexagonal design language taken from the remarkable glass tailgate of the new Volvo C30. The rear glass window also extends further down than the side windows to give the driver better rearward visibility.

"The shape of the outside is now more dynamic without compromising the car's practical properties. With the help of the intelligent overlapping tailgate, which takes the tail lamps up with it when it is opened, the space inside the car is larger than before and easy to load," says Steve Mattin.

At the rear, the Volvo name on the tailgate features more pronounced lettering with wider spacing than before. A new feature that was first shown on the XC60 Concept in Detroit this year.



Luxurious and adventurous

The all-new XC70 model represents Scandinavian design at its best - that is to say every little detail has been designed with one hundred percent focus on clean lines and intelligent functionality.

Comfort in the front seat includes superb seats and ergonomically designed instruments - naturally including an elegant, super-slim centre stack and an audio system of absolute world class.

"One could say that the XC70 has a dual personality. On weekdays it's a sophisticated and elegant car for an active urban life. Come the weekend and it transforms into a rugged partner for all kinds of exciting adventures," says Jonathan Disley, who has designed the interior of the all-new XC70.

Espresso Brown interior and royal inspiration

In addition to Sandstone Beige and Anthracite Black there is an Espresso Brown option where the warm dark colour of the seats, door panels and instrument panel contrasts with the sand-coloured detailing of the rest of the interior trim.

The special XC70 feeling inside the car has been inspired by one of the best-known patterns of Swedish design history - "Virrvarr" (Chaos or Confusion) by Swedish prince and later internationally renowned designer Sigvard Bernadotte.

"The ‘tangled' theme in "Virrvarr" served as the inspiration for a number of details: the stitching of the leather, the cross-brushed aluminium panels and the mesh pockets at the rear. The idea is that the criss-crossing lines should be echoed throughout the interior to make the car even more exciting," says Boel Hermansson, head of colour and material design for the all-new XC70.

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Volvo XC70 2007- #2

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Volvo XC70 2007- #3



Thats it for now.
Just want to share my opinion about this car with you, all those new Volvo's don't appeal to me. i think Volvo lost it with the previous S80 and V70. The only new Volvo which looks good is the C30 and that is because its just different then the rest (Astra, Golf, A3 and 1series).

Call me a grumpy old man but I just love the boxy Volvo's.
The box styling gives attitude, and it is even possible to use this "box" styling in a new design. Look at the 300c, It is a box but on the other hand it is not. Like that.

[robcooper]

Thanks for the write up, and the pictures. I share the same opinion about prefering boxier Volvos - this is probably because my Dad owns a '99 V70R 2.4 AWD 265 . And I too agree about how Volvo have lost it - all models after 2000 have not appealed to me at all - they could have stayed competitors with Audi, Saab and BMW - for a little while at least, but they wussed out with the second generation R.

Cheers, Rob.