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Under the Hood

There’s a single engine choice for buyers of the 2008 Volvo V70, the same powerplant used in a number of the brand’s other vehicles. It’s a 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder with variable-valve timing that’s good for 235 horses at 6,400 rpm and 236 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,200 rpm. With fuel prices constantly escalating, drivers of the V70 will be happy to know that they can skip the cost of premium petrol and stick with the basic 87-octane juice while achieving up to 24 mpg on the highway in their ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV II). City mileage, rated at 16 mpg by the EPA, is more than a bit disappointing. Power from under the hood is directed to the road thanks to a six-speed automatic transmission with a sport shift mode that delivers output to the front wheels, which like the rear, are 16-inch alloys rolling on 225/55 rubber; 17-inchers with 225/50 tires are optional.

This 3,527-pound modern-day station wagon is built on the redesigned S80 sedan’s platform and rides on MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link setup with an aluminum subframe out back. Like most every other car on the road today, the V70 uses a power rack-and-pinion steering system. The brakes, on the other hand, are clearly borne from a company focused on safety and include discs front and rear, ABS, hydraulic brake assist, optimized hydraulic brakes, ready alert brakes, and fading brake support. Of all the hazards commuters may encounter while driving, engineers of the V70 aimed to ensure that wishy-washy stopping power wouldn’t be among them.

Put the whole package together and you’ve got a five-passenger family hauler that will tow up to 3,300 pounds, accommodate up to 72.1 cubic feet of cargo (with rear seats folded), and hit 60 mph in 7.8 seconds as it climbs to a top speed of 130 mph…but probably not with the family and WaveRunners in tow.