The interior space is plush, luxurious, and well thought out. The test vehicle had a unique chocolate-themed interior. The seats were dark chocolate, while the rest of the interior space was a combination of milk and white chocolate. The color scheme was very pleasing to the eyes. I was rather impressed to find a two-stage booster cushion integrated into the back seat. In a nutshell, the cushion of the rear seats can be raised to two different levels to accommodate children. It is a fine example of the attention to detail that was put into the design. The back seat is still equipped with all the standard child seat locking mechanisms, so you don't have to use the built-in booster seats if it does not suit your needs. The test vehicle was also equipped with a premium sound system that included a 6-CD changer, a 650W amp, and 12 DynAudio speakers.
The ride of the XC70 was so refined rolling down a nice straight section of the highway that it put a smile on my face. Many luxury vehicles isolate the passengers from the outside world so well that people feel like they are floating, with very little feedback from the road. Not the XC70. The suspension is not too stiff, so you have a very comfortable ride, but you can still feel the tires gripping the road. This would only make sense, as this car is designed to be a real off-road vehicle, and you would really want to know how well the tires are gripping when you go over tricky terrain like sand or mud. There are three buttons at the bottom of the centre console that allow you to select one of three chassis modes. The default setting is "comfort," which softens the suspension and shifts gears at lower rpms. The "sports" setting firms up the suspension and shifts up at higher rpms; and the "advanced" setting goes even further with the stiffness and upshifting. The suspension arrangement is MacPherson Strut with a stabilizer bar in the front, and independent multi-link with a stabilizer bar in the back.
Safety and sturdiness are two hallmarks of Volvo, which are also evident in the XC70. The body has a large deformation zone at the front and the back to absorb impacts, and the middle section is built like a sturdy safety cage to ensure the passengers' safety. There is also no shortage of air bags for protection inside the vehicle. Disc-brakes with Hydraulic Brake Assist provide firm and well-controlled deceleration, and ensure the vehicle can come to a quick stop when needed.
One good thing about the XC70 is that it's a big car. One bad thing about the XC70 is that it's a big car.
With its size comes a generous cargo carrying capacity. With the rear seats up, the cargo volume is rated at 20.3 cu. ft. The two rear seats and middle divider can be folded separately to add more capacity and provide very flexible people and cargo hauling arrangements. On the flip side, it's harder to maneuver a large vehicle like this. Parking, as you can imagine, is a bit more of a challenge for people who are not experienced with driving anything bigger than a sedan. Befitting its size, the XC70 weighs in at 4,260 pounds (minimum curb weight from the manufacturer's specs). The weight does provide stability and a feeling of assurance, but it comes at the expense of fuel economy. The T6 model is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. It is roughly on par with SUVs like the Lexus RX-350 (12.4 L/9.0 L) and the Acura MDX (13.8 L/10 L). The base price of $39,500 would also put the XC70 in the same price bracket as these SUVs. The test vehicle, with options added, bumped the price up to $44,480. The XC70 offers versatility on top of a unique level of refinement and sophistication from a Swedish company with a long-time reputation for safety and reliability. It's a gem of European engineering.
