Cars
Yesterday afternoon I was introduced to my vehicular mate for the week. The man responsible for acquainting me with all controls in the Volvo XC70 T6 AWD made mention of a few somewhat surprising facts.Â
- Scooped - 2007 Volvo Xc70 !
Swedish car magazine Teknikens Varld -English translation : World of Technology, has got "THE" scoop on Volvo's upcoming mid-size crossover, the XC70. Based on the also new V70 -check it out here: Volvo V70 caught out in the open, the AWD XC70 gets...
- Volvo Xc70 T6 Driven
Latin scholars want you to believe that Volvo means "I Roll". Translated into Swedish, it is my personal belief that Volvo means "wagon". In fact, GoodCarBadCar.net made this very clear when the core Volvo wagon, the V70, was named to The Good 12...
- Volvo Xc70 D5 Across The Pond
Sacrificing 99 horsepower isn't attractive to everybody. For Volvo XC70 customers who enjoy 281 horsepower, the thought of just 182 pulling over 4000 pounds leads one to wonder. Fortunately, those 182 horses would work in tandem with 295 lb-ft...
- Volvo Xc70 Links To Click
AutoEnergy has unfortunately shown the Volvo XC70 as a fuel economy disappointment. Whether or not that matters to purchasers of luxury wagons, we know not. For AutoEnergy fuel efficiency comparisons, check out the XC70 against the Subaru Outback 2.5XT,...
- Volvo Xc70 - A History Lesson
Expect Volvo's sport-utility wagon to fill up the pages of GoodCarBadCar.net over the next week or so. Volvo Canada is to be placing an XC70's key in the hands of The Good Car Guy and a place underneath GoodCarBadCar Towers will be filled by the...
Cars
VOLVO XC70 - EARLY IMPRESSIONS
Yesterday afternoon I was introduced to my vehicular mate for the week. The man responsible for acquainting me with all controls in the Volvo XC70 T6 AWD made mention of a few somewhat surprising facts. Firstly, many customers who trade-in for an XC70 are switching from a BMW X3 or X5. His belief is also that many a former Audi Allroad driver didn't appreciate that car's reliability. Secondly, XC70 buyers love options. The car I was driving represented that fact well: at about $55,000; it sits beneath GoodCarBadCar Towers with a price some $11,000 more than a basic XC70. Cloth seats? Uh.... no.
Finally, the XC70 is a truly admired Volvo, certainly in this eastern portion of Canada. More Volvo clients around here choose the XC70 (base price $1,600 more than a basic mechanically and visually similar V70) than any other Volvo.
As for The Good Car Guy's early impressions, they centre around a few obvious bits of knowledge. Versatility, visibility, and joie de vivre. XC70s are gigantic; in a good sense. Contrasted with that previously mentioned sport-activity vehicle, the BMW X5, both of which escape normal automotive classification, this sport-utility wagon  can handle 292 more litres of cargo even though its body length is a couple centimetres shorter on a wheelbase that's about 13 centimetres shorter. True, the BMW can tow a trailer nearly twice as heavy and is as fuel efficient in comparable six-cylinder mode. By the EPA's reckoning, even the V8 BMW X5 is only a couple miles per gallon worse than the XC70.
Therein lies the Volvo XC70's greatest issue. Although yet to be determined in The Good Car Guy's real-world situation (to be described thoroughly at AutoEnergy) the Volvo's EPA ratings and Natural Resources Canada ratings are not pleasant to behold. Assuming you'll save money at the fuel pump because it's basically a car and not an SUV is, well.... poor assuming.Â
The turbocharged inline-six with 281 horsepower is rated at 15/22 in the city and highway by the EPA. Downsizing to the (larger capacity) naturally aspirated XC70 bumps only the highway figure; and only by a solitary mile per gallon.Â
There's plenty more to come, all about which you can read at this XC70 link. Click any of The Good Car Guy's images to see a larger view.
- Scooped - 2007 Volvo Xc70 !
Swedish car magazine Teknikens Varld -English translation : World of Technology, has got "THE" scoop on Volvo's upcoming mid-size crossover, the XC70. Based on the also new V70 -check it out here: Volvo V70 caught out in the open, the AWD XC70 gets...
- Volvo Xc70 T6 Driven
Latin scholars want you to believe that Volvo means "I Roll". Translated into Swedish, it is my personal belief that Volvo means "wagon". In fact, GoodCarBadCar.net made this very clear when the core Volvo wagon, the V70, was named to The Good 12...
- Volvo Xc70 D5 Across The Pond
Sacrificing 99 horsepower isn't attractive to everybody. For Volvo XC70 customers who enjoy 281 horsepower, the thought of just 182 pulling over 4000 pounds leads one to wonder. Fortunately, those 182 horses would work in tandem with 295 lb-ft...
- Volvo Xc70 Links To Click
AutoEnergy has unfortunately shown the Volvo XC70 as a fuel economy disappointment. Whether or not that matters to purchasers of luxury wagons, we know not. For AutoEnergy fuel efficiency comparisons, check out the XC70 against the Subaru Outback 2.5XT,...
- Volvo Xc70 - A History Lesson
Expect Volvo's sport-utility wagon to fill up the pages of GoodCarBadCar.net over the next week or so. Volvo Canada is to be placing an XC70's key in the hands of The Good Car Guy and a place underneath GoodCarBadCar Towers will be filled by the...