My Mother's argument for buying her first (of seven) Lexus RX300 back in 1999 was that "it's a truck that drives like a car!." And to some extent, she was right. Despite the big tires, the RX's "carlike" performance was impressive. What's it like to drive the 2008 Volvo XC70? Exactly the opposite. I never thought I'd want a car that drove like a truck, and after two full days and almost six-hundred miles with the car, I still cant' figure out why anyone would.


But let's get back to that. Volvo's heritage, C30 and Bertone models aside, is rooted in safe, low-key, efficient people movers. Basically everyone knows this. A Volvo is a soccer mom car, plain and simple. Ford has made a very valiant effort to move the brand upmarket to compete with the Germans in the luxury segment, the sports sedan segment, and the hot-hatch segment, but their core business is still Soccer Moms who need a people mover. If they just made great people movers at reasonable prices, they would be making a killing. But they aren't. Why?

Here's why. The sticker price on my test vehicle was a nav-screen shy of ,000. For a Volvo wagon? Come on.... Really? Really. For that much money, I'm buying German, or Lexus at least.
The XC70 interior is the best Ford has done so far in terms of materials and build quality, save for Aston Martin. The leather feels expensive, the buttons well dampened, and fit and finish is top-notch. On the other hand, my bad back found the seats terribly uncomfortable for any more than half an hour at a stretch, and the XC70 continues the trend of horrible seating positions; the front seats feel about three inches too high. But I like the bare wood trim and, useless as it is, "floating console" design that seems to have crept its way across Volvo's entire lineup. The rear seats are roomy enough for my 6'2" frame as long as someone a bit smaller than myself is sitting in front of me, and, strangely (or obviously, depending on how you look at it) they felt more comfortable than the fronts. The only word I could use to describe the suspension and road feel is "bizarre." It seemed to be too harsh over the big bumps and to floaty the rest of the time. On the FDR drive, widely known for its status as worst highway in the Universe, the XC70 wiggled and wobbled so much I felt like I was in a shopping mall flight simulator trying to mimic gravity. It was almost impossible to compensate for, and I always felt like I had trouble pointing the car correctly because of it. I've read in various other publications that the XC70 is good off road. And with more ground clearance and a lower center of gravity than a Jeep Grand Cherokee, that doesn't surprise me. But here's the all important question: Who the hell buys a ,000 Volvo wagon and goes off-roading? I can't think of anyone. Is there a secret society of off-roading soccer moms out there? I don't want to sound like a chauvinistic asshole here, but as a man, not even a car guy, I can't see myself ever driving a Volvo Wagon in anything more hardcore than a dirt road to my future daughter's horseback riding lessons. The good news is that the new Turbo Six is actually a very good engine. With 281hp and 295 lb/ft of torque available from just 1,500 RPM, the XC70 is actually quite sprightly in a straight line. At highway speeds, planting your right foot will provide plenty of thrust to make easy work of passing, don't even bother with the lever-shifted manual mode. The brakes are pretty run-of the mill for Volvo, making neither a positive or negative impression on this writer. They worked, that's all I can really say. I'm sorry, I really just can't see a reason for buying this car instead of a regular V70 wagon with AWD. Save yourself the money and buy your wife some diamond earrings to match her new car. Nice fit and finish though.