Volvo XC70 wagon touts safety for 2011

BY IRA SIEGEL For Sun-Times Media August 30, 2011 9:28AM

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2011 VOLVO XC70 T6

ENGINE: 300-horsepower 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder

TRANSMISSION: six-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: all-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 17 city/22 highway

BASE PRICE: $38,000

AS TESTED: $45,675 (includes $875 for destination)

WEBSITE: volvocars.com

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Some of the reasons I like the Volvo XC70 is that it’s a nice-sized, versatile and safe wagonlike crossover. But the two main reasons I like the XC70 are its exceptionally refined ride, and its extremely comfortable and supportive seats.

It’s not easy making seats both comfortable and supportive. Usually with more comfort you lose support and vice versa. Not here, though.

You’ll be hard pressed to find another vehicle in this class with seats as good as the ones in the XC70. I could spend hours driving the XC70 in traffic or on a long road trip and not have to deal with soreness or stiffness.

Seating comfort and support are incredibly important to the engineers at Volvo and it’s quite evident when spending time behind the wheel of their cars.

And more than that, XC70’s cabin, even in its most basic form (minus leather and wood), is a fine representation of contemporary Swedish styling that includes Volvo’s trademark “floating” center stack.

The XC70’s cabin is accommodating and versatile. The 40/20/40-split folding rear seat allows up to 72 cubic feet of cargo.

A disappointment, though, is the optional navigation system that pops up from the top of the instrument panel. It’s not user friendly and doesn’t have a touch screen. Instead, there are steering-wheel-mounted buttons and a hand-held remote to duplicate those controls for the passenger.

The XC70 previously has been offered as an all-wheel-drive crossover, but for 2011 Volvo is offering an available front-wheel-drive model.

Regardless of which one you choose, the XC70 delivers a pleasing ride and provides loads of standard amenities and safety features.

The 2011 Volvo XC70 is available in two trim levels: 3.2 ($32,150) and T6 ($38,200). The 3.2 can be had as a FWD or AWD while the T6 is AWD only.

Standard equipment in the 3.2 includes 16-inch alloy wheels, front and rear fog lights, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power driver seat with memory, an eight-speaker audio system with CD player and more.

The premium package adds leather upholstery, a sunroof, an eight-way power passenger seat and wood trim.

Step up to the T6 and you’ll get all the goodies that come with the premium package, plus a more powerful, turbocharged engine, 18-inch alloy wheels and more.

The 2011 Volvo XC70 3.2 is powered by a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine that produces 240 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque.

The 2011 Volvo XC70 T6 gets a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder that pounds out 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.

Both engines are mated to a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission that can be shifted manually when desired. The 3.2 FWD model is rated at 18/24 mpg city/highway and the T6 nets a disappointing 17/22 mpg.

Aside from the poor fuel economy, the turbocharged 3.0-liter I-6 in my 2011 Volvo XC70 T6 tester was exceptionally smooth and responsive. The turbo spools up extremely fast and the extra power comes in evenly without that expected turbo lag.

The six-speed automatic transmission delivers smooth shifts and it can be shifted manually when desired.

The suspension, steering and braking systems are very good and help provide a well-mannered ride. The AWD system also provides extra traction on slippery pavement.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention all of the nifty available safety features, including adaptive cruise control, collision warning with auto braking, lane-departure warning and driver fatigue warning that are all part of the technology package.

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