The formula for a XC70 is simple: take an ordinary V70, double its ground clearance, add some plastic inserts & covers, new grille and spice it up with active suspension and an intelligent 4x4 system. Oh, and add a nice aluminium handle for the passenger, while you're at it. Yes, I guess that would be all... A cross country estate, at your service.

Inside - it's a pure Volvo. A Volvo V70, to be precise - great ergonomics, great materials. The 'Summum' spec is the highest, which can be seen on the pics. Real wood, real 'Sovereign High' leather, all accompanied by superb quality of fit & finish. The seats... I could write a book about them - they're very comfortable. The multifunction woodden steering wheel - I always thought they weren't grippy enough, but... no ! They're even better - in my opinion, naturally - than an ordinary leather wheels, which eventually always get somewhat sticky, dirty, shabby and worn-out. There is a lot of buttons on the central console and at the first glance it all feels a bit messy, but eventually becomes extremely easy to master. Leccy folding mirrors, leccy suspension, DSTC traction, heated & ventilated seats - it's all there, just push the proper button.

The XC70 is comfy inside, with plenty of space for four big adults - it has the widest interior in its class and you can easily feel it. Great dual climate control with rear vents (located in B-pillars) and sophisticated Air Quality System will keep you calm or warm, and this time it really is a 'set & forget' thing, no matter what. No traffic jam with a lorry in front of you, no sandy dusty country road, no... nothing will stop it from delivering exact temperature you originally requested. Many manufacturers claim theirs AC systems are true 'autos', but in practice it just varies. In this case, the system works perfectly, even with fans turning on automatically for a short period of time when parked (engine off, no one inside), supposedly to dry the vents from inside, thus preventing moisture and bacteria build-up. Very clever - have you ever seen a car that takes care for itself ?

The boot may seem rather small when compared to the direct competition, but big enough at the same time if you look at it realistically - 485 litres and if that's not enough please feel free to fold the rear seats. That way the boot will become even bigger and flat as a German autobahn. No biggie, after all, it's a family estate, isn't it ? A lot of various holders, shelfs etc. Useful, handy and practical stuff - Scandinavian.

Volvo's Premium Sound System is a true masterpiece. Dolby Prologic II Surround, together with 6 CDs changer, 11 speakers & the subwoofer in the boot - the sound quality is simply amazing. Together with very low level of wind & road noise (partly thanks to laminated windows) it creates a concert hall on wheels. The word 'premium' here is really, really justified.

The FOUR-C electronic suspension reminds me of Citroen's hydro. In 'comfort' mode it wallows nicely just a little bit, being rather firm at the corners at the same time. On good quality roads it feels like almost flying, plus it maintains the same ground clearance level all the time. If you don't like magic carpet ride, just push the button to activate 'sport' mode and it becomes more firm and responsive. The smart 4x4 system works seamlessly, providing rock-steady traction - it's your privilege not to think about it all, for it's just there doing its job. Perfectly.

Apart from the Yamaha's V8 petrol in the XC90, Volvo currently uses only 5-cylinder engines - both petrol and diesels. Some say that 5 pots create more vibes, some say just the opposite. The one here - a D5 unit - creates no vibes at all plus it sounds great, just like hmm.... that would be rather hard to explain - something in between a R6 and a turbocharged 4-pot petrol. It growls nicely when pushed hard and is completely silent when cruising. With four occupants inside, full boot and at constant 100 km/h it's practically idling at 1900 RPMs and uses 6-6.5 litres of diesel. 185 horse, 400 Nm of torque co-operates with silky smooth 6-speed Geartronic autobox just perfectly. The whole thing is heavy - 1.7 tonne and the breaks could be better in my opinion. I bet they just took those anchors directly from an ordinary V70 without any modifications.

As we all know, Volvo cares about safety. A lot. This time it's no different - there's a full traction and stability system on board, together with the bags, curtains, SIPS, WHIPS, this & that. Good xenons, too (bi-xenons available in MY '07). You feel safe, sort of cocooned, with a pleasant peace of mind - all the materials inside were specifically tested for causing an allergy, they won't cause any harm. It feels like your car cares about you, in a way. And so does the manufacturer. An owner's manual really is an interesting lecture - for example it clearly states that 'driving with inflated airbags is not recommended'. Wow, I must remember that one...

The price is on the high side, and yes, you could buy a poverty spec diesel E-class or a 5 series for the same money. Or an A6, if you fancy, but no autobox, no leather, no xenons, no active suspension, even the cupholders = extra money spent. I've done exactly 4380 kms in that XC70 and don't think there any significant downsides to consider. OK, those anchors - they should be a bit better, plus rear leccy windows should have an 'auto' function (self-closing & self-opening at one touch of a button), but for some reason Volvo says it's for your own kids safety. Yeah, right... Oh, and the nice looking beige dash - its image reflects in the windscreen from time to time (that will be rectified in MY '07 with the upper fragment always remaining in black colour). What else... hmm.... ? The turning circle is bigger than in an ordinary V70, thanks to that intelligent 4x4 system, but generally, it's a really very, very nice car - highly recommended. And that's that.

P.S. About those possible 'downsides to consider' - if anyone knows anything, let me know cause I could have missed something, especially when it comes to reliability issues.

P.S. 2. Here are some pics, I hope they would speak for themselves. Oh, and please be patient, they?re on a free server.

2plus1.neostrada.pl/xc70.htm
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