2008 Volvo XC70 launch first steer
4 Dec, 2007
42 Comments 
2008 Volvo XC70 Launch
CarAdvice rating: 
Recommended Retail Price: $58,950 - $66,950.
- by Paul Maric
In my line of work I’m not really meant to get too excited or attached to a certain vehicle. It would make me biased – or something like that. But it’s hard not to become obsessed with Volvo’s latest iteration of the XC70. The previous generation sold in steady numbers, despite a relative lack of advertising. Therefore, the new one had to be pretty special to increase numbers and impress punters.
Although styling is subjective, I find the new design aggressive, stylish and capable. Defined wheel arches and front padding add an element of character to the car, hinting at its off-road ability. Head around to the rear and a redesigned light cluster integrates LED lights, allowing faster and brighter display of the brake lights. The EBL (Emergency Brake Light) feature allows the brake lights to flash if the braking force exceeds 0.7g, alerting other drivers of an emergency brake.
Inside the cabin, an instant feeling of familiarisation hits both driver and passenger. All the controls are easy to find and located centrally on Volvo’s trademark floating centre console. The LE model also receives elegant woodgrain – which surprisingly looks and feels like real wood. The rear seats are fitted with child booster seats also.
Two engines are available in the XC70 range, along with two model grades. The petrol engine on offer is Volvo’s 3.2-litre 6-cylinder motor, producing 175kW and 320Nm of torque, while consuming 11.4-litres/100km. The diesel engine on offer is a 2.5-litre, 5-cylinder unit producing 136kW and an impressive 400Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is rated at a meagre 8.3-litres/100km. Power is sent through a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Driving the XC70 both on an off-road returns a similar experience. On sealed roads the ride quality is very comforting. The suspension reacts well to holes in the road and the car remains balanced through corners. Driving on unsealed roads is a similar story. Dirt roads feel like smoothly paved bitumen, while pot holes and waves in the road are soaked up and remain out of mind. A Haldex AWD (All Wheel Drive) system electronically controls torque delivery around the vehicle.
Pricing begins at $58,950 for the XC70 3.2, while the XC70 D5 (diesel variant) is available from $60,950. The LE models are available for an additional $6,000 respectively. There is also a technology package available which integrates: Satellite navigation; active bi-xenon headlights; Bluetooth functionality; BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) and auto dimming rear vision mirror with inbuilt compass.
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December 4th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I may just buy one of these…
Not convinced about the silver foglight surrounds (and the similar bits on the rear bumper) but everything else looks fine.
I drive a lot out in the country with some gravel and access down farm tracks and so on. Should be good for me - more practical than a large 4WD or standard passenger car and the diesel option will give good economy…
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December 5th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Fabulous car!!!Awesome interior.
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December 5th, 2007 at 8:24 am
The Stig, can’t speak for the new XC70, but the old one had AWD traction problem towing a light load up a muddy slope where a Subaru Outback had no problem. The old one also uses a Haldex system whereas Subaru uses their own.
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December 5th, 2007 at 8:37 am
It certainly is a very handsome car, very nice.
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December 5th, 2007 at 9:15 am
The rear end looks ridiculous, and the stuck on plastic bits on the wheel arches and the doors look extremely cheap. The front is a confusion of designs which makes my astigmatism play up .
For $65000 you can buy a 2.5 litre diesel Touareg with no such styling shambles, and you get a low range as well, and a 4wd system that works properly.
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December 5th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Momo:
That was the old system - updated long ago…
Mind you, I doubt I will ever see a muddy slope !
Reckless1:
I don’t want a big 4WD. The 2.5D Touareg is underpowered and overpriced IMHO.
The plastic wheelarch extensions are actually quite practical.
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December 5th, 2007 at 10:14 am
The Stig, sure its updated but it’s still only second best.
They updated the XC70 with the torque preloading function from the XC90 to help decrease response time to wheel spins.
But is the XC90 AWD system as capable as the Subaru’s?
The answer is NO.
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:06 am
The thing is, does having a better 4WD system (that will get minimal use by the majority of owners) outweigh the fuel economy penalty of all the extra friction ? In my case, no… I hope you don’t suggest I pay more and get a Tribeca ? The Subaru system is inferior to the BMW X-Drive too…
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Read my first post, I wasn’t talking about fuel economy or which car you should buy. I don’t know you and I don’t care.
The question is, if you buy a cross over like the XC70, and if you do get stuck, can you get unstuck without getting your shoes and clothes and the interior all dirty?
Buy a BMW if you want, its a free country. I hope you don’t get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere.
As for the diesel requirement, didn’t you know Subaru is releasing the world’s first diesel boxer engine in 2008?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Read my first post, I wasn’t talking about fuel economy or which car you should buy. I don’t know you and I don’t care.
The question is, if you buy a cross over like the XC70, and if you do get stuck, can you get unstuck without getting your shoes and clothes and the interior all dirty?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Read my first post, I wasn’t talking about fuel economy or which car you should buy. I don’t care.
The question is, if you buy a softroader like the XC70, and if you do get stuck, can you get unstuck without getting your shoes and clothes and the interior dirty?
If you don’t do light duty offroad, why buy a softroader in the first place?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:37 am
Read my first post, I wasn’t talking about fuel economy or which car you should buy. I don’t care.
The question is, if you buy a softroader like this, and if you do get stuck, can you get un-stuck without getting your shoes and clothes and the interior dirty?
If you don’t do light duty offroad, why buy a softroader in the first place?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Read my first post, I wasn’t talking about fuel economy or which car you should buy. I don’t care.
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Hey, Stig, if you want an ugly car the same size as the Touareg, go for it, it’s your money.
The Volvo is the same size pretty much as the Touareg, just a little lower, and weighs 600kg less.
It makes 136kw at 4000rpm vs 128 at 3500rpm, and 400nm @ 2750 vs 400nm @ 2000, so the VW seems to have the better engine due to the torque coming in at a substantially lower rpm. It does have more weight to shift, though, and will use a bit more fuel.
For $10,000 extra you can solve the problem with a far better package than either the Volvo or the 2.5 Touareg, and get the V6 Touareg :)
I love it when the ugly plastics are dismissed as “Practical” haha, face it, they’re cheap and ugly and shouldn’t be seen on a $65000 car. They were poxy enough on the Adventra.
And the Volvo still has a crappy AWD system….
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:40 am
The question is, if you buy a soft roader like this, and if you do lose grip to all wheels, can you get out of the situation without getting your shoes and clothes and the interior dirty?
If you don’t do light duty offroad, why buy a softroader in the first place?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:40 am
The question is, if you buy a soft roader like this, and if you do lose grip to all wheels, can you get out of the situation without getting yourself and the interior dirty?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Well, Momo, what is the point then of even of bringing up traction issues on a old model XC70 with a long outdated AWD system ? Not relevent to this review at all is it ?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Well Stig, if you don’t even do light duty offroad, what’s the point of buying a softroader? Not relevent to this review at all is it?
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Reckless1:
As you confirm, the R5 IS underpowered. I won’t be buying a V6 Touareg though - may as well spend a extra $10k and get a far superior X5 (less off road capable I know but I wouldn’t use the heavy duty off road ability anyway…)
Momo:
I just want a comfy, well equipped car with high ground clearance and some AWD capability…
Maybe I will get a XC70 or a X5 - not sure still. No badge snobbery with the Volvo though…
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December 5th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Stig, good luck with your chose, no badge preference here either.
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December 5th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
A comfy, well equipped car with high clearance and some AWD capability -
This covers a very broad field nowadays, from Xtrail to RAV to Captiva to Subarus etc etc.
No wonder you’re confused :) I would be too.
You end up looking at too many cars and “trying them on” for fit.
Good luck making the final choice :)
And don’t forget that bloody LCT that gets added on when you go over $57123
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December 5th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
another overpriced volvo which would kill u on resale!!
OUTBACK 3.0R is a better car,just as safe,better resale
and a lot less money to purchase…
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December 5th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Chris Parr:
You have to buy the 3.0R to get Leather and that is $54+k.
I don’t think that makes the $58+k petrol Volvo expensive especially as it comes with some useful features like the dual stage booster seats.
My issue with the Outback is that the rear seat room and cargo area are too small. The fuel economy is also fairly poor..
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December 5th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
thats actually not true stig the standard 3.0r has leather in ivory or dk grey with alcantara/suede centres which are better than full leather because hold you in better and not so hot to sit in..fuel economy in a $50k luxury car is not so much an issue as in a cheap hatch..
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December 5th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Stig ………I guess it comes down to what your really going to be using this for most of the time! Too many people buy cars based on the thought they may do a little off road or a little bit of towing! The majority of the time your probably just driving around town,sure its good to have the advantages of a car doing it all but most cars lack some where!!! There a great car as I am sure you will agree when you have test drive! Extremely well built and a real feel of safety ,especially with the side bar protection system! !! Theres more good stuff going for it than bad,thats what you have to weigh up!
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December 5th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
I do a LOT of driving… Most of my kms are actually clocked up on long runs not around town. Fuel economy is a concern as I spend a minimum of $600/month now. Getting a diesel XC70 would work out the same basic price per month as a Outback 3.0 if I was to add the monthly lease plus fuel !
When you do as many kms as I do, nothing holds its value anyway !
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December 5th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Chris Parr:
Sorry, have been some rejigging of spec since I last looked. Anyway, the full leather is what you need for familyfriendliness (ie. spillages) as suede is not a good long term option for me…
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December 5th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Yep I know what your saying……….all claimable anyway!
My old V70 2.5T was $75,000 new ,after 110,000 ks in 5 years I sold it privately for $24,000! Was in real good condition too
The more you pay the more you loose
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December 5th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Looks like one of my comment awaiting moderation has filtered through at 11:40am, so it appeared I made my points twice.
The moderation system appears to have problem with words like “s h o e s” and “c l o t h e s” used in succession…how odd?!
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December 5th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
The problem with your theory stig is that the diesel version is even more money!! therefore it would take a lot longer to recoup the initial cost not to mention the residual value of the vehicles at the end, the outback will be worth more money than the volvo you paid more money for initially, and the extra servicing/parts cost for the volvo while you own it will be painful. besides the avg fuel figure of outback is less than petrol version of volvo.
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December 5th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Just using base Volvo figures…
$2000 extra = 1428 litres of fuel @ $1.40
Diesel saving over Petrol - 3.1l/100kms
Distance to save 1428l - 46000kms or one years driving.
Plus the diesel will have better resale…
The Outback is a good car, just not big enough for me so it isn\’t a valid comparison sorry. Also, the seats are fairly average (Especially compared to those in a Volvo) and when you spend a full day driving I would be spending any savings at the physio !!!
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December 5th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I wouldn’t worry about the cost of serving and parts ,doesn’t matter what you drive these days all models have some cheap and some expensive stuff!
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December 6th, 2007 at 9:40 am
To reckless 1 the price of the Volvo is inclusive of LCT, To Chris Parr Subaru design their cars to rate well in testing but do not design them for real world accidents as Volvo do,also Subaru only get 5 stars in Australian NCAP tests and do not in the more stringent & thorough Euro NCAP of which is by far the most demanding
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December 6th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Boggy that is actually not true with the introduction
of MY08 outbacks in sep, all outbacks get curtain abags
and VDC,and equiped in this way do get a 5 star euro rating!!!! Also current liberty/outback range is the highest scoring car in australian ancap testing ever!!
and you cant design a car to do well in testing and not real life considering a crash into any object is a crash!!
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December 6th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Hey Stig your right when you say the Volvo is bigger….When you fold the seats down in the back I could fit 2 1920 carver chairs and 4 dinning chairs….without damaging roof lining ect!I had looked at either a 5 series wagon or the Volvo and went the Volvo cause it had more space and height!
You can get a cargo curtain too for them that rolls out from the protection bar and clips in near the tailgate! Stops eyes looking in the back to see what your carrying….they have some great options…I especially loved the booster seat for my 3 year old at the time! Sound systems is the best you can get!
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December 6th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Condidering safety is their core design philosophy and the guiding principle behind everything they make, and have their own accident research team that have studied over 34,000 accidents that a Volvo has been involved in since 1970 and they built the largest and most technically crash test facility in the world at a cost of US $86 million dollars in 2000 its stands as an example to their focus in this area.
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December 6th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Chris Parr- you need to research a bit more. You are delusional if you think a Subaru and Volvo are equally as safe. Test are nothing. I was an intensive care paramedic for 10 years in the US before becoming an Emergency Physician here in Australia- I have seen Volvos go to hell and everyone has walked away. Rollovers, head-ons, T-bones- you name it I’ve seen it. There is nothing that tops a Volvo in safety, including BMW or Mercedes. Subarus are great cars, very reliable and safe. Great resales with pretty good performance; but make no mistake, Volvo rules in safety.
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December 8th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Well said DingoD.
If anything Volvos have to be one of the safest cars in the world, they are just stellar when it comes to protecting occupants.
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June 7th, 2008 at 2:22 am
DingoD, thanks for sharing the opinion.
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June 7th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Well, I have mine now. It feels a quality machine. Love the features. Nice discrete luxury AWD wagon. Very happy so far.
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July 5th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Hi.
This is my first visit to your site, it’s very good and informative. However, one thing Volvo don’t mention is the number of four wheel drive failures suffered on the XC70. In the UK there are a significant number of us who have had failure of the drive to the rear wheels via the haldex system. Mine was picked up by the main stealer at the last service. I enquired about the cost of replacing the system, (about £1500…perhaps $3000 Aus?), and the service manager said if I didn’t really need the 4 wheel drive just forget it and don’t bother. he wemt on to say he had “several customers” who had suffered similar failures who were driving around on front wheel drive only. It’s hard to detect that you haven’t got 4 wheel drive…..except of course being stuck in the sh1t went you need it most; or on a rolling road. So, rather than reviews commenting on fuel injector problems, (old news, by 9 years or so), soft front suspension….please reviewers read the literature…it’s cobblers, I’d like to see real weaknesses like the 4 wheel drive, seat electrics, oil and coolant problems, (nice to see you do those), etc. Overall it’s a great vehicle, but like us all it has it’s moments.
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July 5th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
JohnM - you think this is a good website …. It used to be even better…. What I’m saying is that you obvioulsy haven’t encountered Dingo [or one of his aliases]
There are a number of us who have been on here for over a year [including Bavarian Missile Andrew M Naughtius Maximus Golfschwein and myself] back then we were able to discuss the good and bad points about a particular car - [even if it was one of our preferred make] in a civilised manner and we managed to stay on topic.
Then one dark day [back in January I think it was] Dingo appeared who repeatedly hijacks blogs in an attempt to try and convince us that his beloved Toyota is far superior to anything else [like a Yaris is better than a Koenigsiegg]
and should anyone have a different opinion he launches a tirade of personal insults
Since then visiting this site has been almost unbearable.
You’ll see what I mean if you look at any of the previous blogs…. the first 10 or so comments are relate to the car/topic. Yet once Dingo [or one of his aliases] makes an apearance its all down hill from then on
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