Volvo XC70 (07 on) - Review

The XC70 was originally available with a 3.2-litre six-cylinder petrol along with the D5 diesel. The 238bhp petrol sounds impressive on start-up and is no slouch either, accelerating from 0-60mph in just 8.1 seconds. It comes with the automatic Geartronic gearbox as standard but while it's very smooth, it's also very thirsty and averages just 25mpg. Unsurprisingly it's the D5 which is vastly more popular. It has less power with 185bhp but crucially delivers more pulling power which is available at lower revs, ideal for towing. As a result, it's not that much slower from 0-60mph (taking 8.8 seconds) and comes with a manual gearbox too. But the biggest difference is economy with the D5 able to return 39mpg. In 2009 the 3.2-litre engine was replaced by a more powerful turbocharged 3.0-litre T6 which has 285bhp and can sprint from 0-60mph in just 7.1 seconds. It's still very thirsty though and averages the same 25mpg fuel economy. There were further changes in 2009 with the D5 upgraded to 205bhp while fuel economy actually improved slightly to 40mpg. At the same time an entry-level 2.4D with 175bhp was added to the line-up as a low-emissions DRIVe model. It's only available with front-wheel drive but performance is respectable with 0-60mph taking 9.1 seconds (9.7 seconds with the Geartronic) while fuel consumption is 47mpg.

One of the key advantages of the XC70 over a traditional 4x4 is its relatively low stance making it feel far more agile on the road. Overall it's very similar to a conventional estate car on the road, with well controlled body roll when cornering and a comfortable ride. However, the steering lacks feel so it's rarely an involving car to drive. It's surprisingly capable off-road though and compared against similar cars such as the Audi A6 Allroad, can tackle trickier ground. It has greater ground clearance than the A6 Allroad, even when the Audi's air suspension is raised to its highest setting and the XC70 also has more generous approach, departure and ramp angles. The all-wheel drive system usually drives the front wheels, but when sensors detect the front wheels slipping, drive is also sent to the rear wheels. The front-wheel drive DRIVe model does without the four-wheel drive ability of other models, but it's high ground clearance is useful on loose, uneven surfaces.