![]() ![]() It's an all-wheel-drive wagon, plain and simple. The higher ground clearance it gained when it became a crossover will be useful on rutted roads or rocky tracks, but this isn't an off-road car like a Jeep. The 2015 XC70 has a nice blend of strong and sporty lines from a distance, with prominent body armor and skid plates that make this wagon look like it's ready for dirt roads. Volvo offers some of the world's most advanced accident-avoidance and active-safety technology as standard equipment in the XC70, however. Volvo has always had an excellent record of safety ratings, but the XC70 hasn't been tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)-so data is a bit lacking. It was launched as the old V70 wagon, acquired a higher ride height and all-wheel drive in its alternative persona as the XC70 crossover-and eventually the XC70 bumped the wagon out of the picture altogether. Under the skin, the 2015 XC70 uses beefed-up versions of much of the large S80 sedan's architecture. Smaller than the big XC90-about to be replaced by an all-new 2016 model-the XC70 is larger than the high-volume and considerably more stylish XC60 crossover. If you want all-wheel-drive, you'll have to stick with older and far less efficient running gear. ![]() The new Drive-E powertrain is only offered in the front-wheel-drive XC70 models. Regrettably, though, due to packaging constraints in a vehicle launched almost 10 years ago, you'll only be able to get the higher gas mileage if you forgo all-wheel drive. It remains a demonstration of what old-school Volvo wagons once were: comfortable, practical, and always the bearers of new and advanced safety technology.įor 2015, however, Volvo has given the XC70 some new motivation by fitting a far more fuel-efficient Drive-E four-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission to the large wagon. ![]() It's the last of the upright, boxy, square-tailed station wagons the brand offers-and it wasn't conceived as a crossover, although that's what it's become for all intents and purposes. With the imminent replacement of its largest sport-utility vehicle, the 2015 Volvo XC70 becomes the oldest car in the Swedish maker's lineup. ![]()
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