Volvo V70 Interior Review
The plush passenger compartment of the Cross Country provides luxurious seats trimmed in a muted monochromic color scheme. Volvo has some great interiors nowadays, but the seats in our Cross Country came in dark brown leather that wasn't as appealing.
A conventional layout puts two bolstered buckets up front on either side of a multi-purpose console. The second-row bench seat features three-point safety belts for three positions. These seats feel extremely comfortable, but they can also perform tricks when necessary for safety or saving space. For instance, each front seatback contains a device designed to minimize the whiplash effect during a collision from the rear. At the onset of such a crash, the seatback moves rearward to reduce acceleration forces induced on the rider's back and neck, as the headrest pushes forward and upward slightly to meet the neck and head thrust backward.
The broad rear bench fits three adults comfortably. It splits into three sections of 40/20/40 percent, and each seatback can be flipped forward to form an extension of the flat cargo floor in the rear. Also, the smaller center section may be removed entirely, creating either an aisle for access to the rear bay or space for an accessory, such as a removable softside gear bag or the hardside electric refrigerated box for stashing car snacks. You'll need to spend some time reading the owner's manual to fully appreciate versatility of the rear seat design.
For infants and toddlers, anchors are in place in the bench seat to secure two designs for rear-facing child's safety seats that use a base frame to house a cradle-style padded seat with integrated safety straps. One style fits infants weighing up to 20 pounds and another suits a child up to 40 pounds.
The generous cargo bay can be fitted with convenience items like a container for shopping bags ($125) or an optional third seat sized for children. The third seat is included in a Versatility Package ($1,150) that also brings a cargo net divider draped vertically behind the second seat and a horizontal cargo security cover.
Cross Country appointments include power controls for virtually all equipment and an automatic climate system, with deluxe audio equipment available including one kit with an in-dash compact disc player for four CDs ($1,000). The stereo is a challenge to learn how to use and the operation is fussy. Most of us don't need to save 20 stations.
Volvo V70 Road Test
On pavement, the Cross Country behaves like an agile European touring car with a lush but firm ride quality and quick steering responses, due to a stiff structure anchoring independent suspension elements with front MacPherson struts and a rear multi-link axle, plus rack and pinion steering.
Away from pavement on rough terrain, it changes character and acts more like an off-road vehicle, thanks to the elevated chassis, nubby Pirelli Scorpion tires and an all-wheel-drive system that automatically channels engine torque to the set of wheels that gets good traction.
The Cross Country we steered up a rugged two-rut trace on Mount Manchester in Vermont maintained steady forward progress, despite trail obstacles like rain-slick rocks and tire-sucking mud traps. With the higher suspension we cleared all bumps and debris without fear, and the automatic traction distributor kept tires rolling so driving became no-brainer easy. Volvo's all-wheel-drive apparatus normally directs about 95 percent of the engine torque to the front wheels, although when on-board sensors detect wheel spin the mechanism can redirect the power to whichever set of wheels has the best tire bite. It's a seamless system that functions automatically, so a driver never must make a conscious decision to shift into four-wheel-drive mode.
A traction controller for all four wheels operates in conjunction with the all-wheel-drive system to brake a spinning wheel, and anti-lock controls for the disc brakes also work when needed to help maintain stability on pavement as well as dirt.
For muscle, the Cross Country draws from a 2.4-liter inline five-cylinder light-pressure turbo-charged engine that generates 197 horsepower. It produces high torque at relatively low engine speed without the typical turbo lag, bringing fast off-the-line starts and still enough juice retained at highway speed to inspire a quick pass around slower traffic.
The engine mates to a five-speed electronic automatic transmission equipped with Volvo's Geartronic mode that allows shift-it-yourself maneuvers. Simply slap the gear lever to the left and lock it in the gate, then push the stick forward to move to the next higher gear or tip it rearward to drop to a lower gear. It's useful for working through heavy traffic or undulating terrain.
All mechanical aspects of this vehicle work together to create a stable stance and proficient manners, whether on the road or off on a trail. It's easy to maneuver, rather frisky in a run through some esses on a hill course, and, with the stretched wheelbase and refined suspension elements, still plush on pavement. The aggressive Pirelli Scorpion tires make slightly more noise than a regular all-season tire, but are well within acceptable bounds.
Volvo V70 Lineup
The Cross Country shows up in a single body style spinning off Volvo's V70 mid-size wagon: It's a five-door estate wagon hiked higher in the suspension and outfitted with an all-wheel-drive system linked to a 2.4-liter inline five-cylinder light-pressure turbo engine with a five-speed automatic transmission.
Pricing begins at $34,900 with many standard safety features aboard, including side-curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes and a traction control system.
Accessories and luxury equipment grouped in packages add to the bottom line, such as a leather upholstery kit for $1,300, touring gear for $1,250, a power sunroof at $1,200, premium audio with in-dash CD player for four discs ($1,000), and Volvo's pop-up navigation system ($2,500).