My attraction to the car was that it could fulfill several missions very well:

1. Haul kids
2. Haul outdoor activity stuff (canoe, etc.)
3. Provide comfort on long highway trips
4. Not be a minivan or SUV.

So far, so good.

Nice review, Alex.

In regards to the Nav system, Volvo’s navs are not connected to the dash. Volvo is (I think) the original Jack-In-The-Box nav system, the screen rises out of the top of the dash, and descends into the dash when the car is off. The controls are on the steering wheel, the electronics are in the trunk and there’s a wireless remote control so the rest of the car can have some fun with it as well. If someone broke into the car they might (after considerable fiddling) get the screen out, but it would really do no good at all without the rest of the stuff. Cars with double-din Nav systems that are one integrated unit are the most susceptible to this sort of theft.

About the going backwards on fuel economy. Maybe it has to do with the revision of the EPA mileage for 2008?

That’s a good point, and one that I didn’t consider when I wrote. However, when you consider that the size of the engine on the base model went from 2.4 to 3.2L, the HP was increased from 168 to 235 hp, and the torque from 166 to 236 ft/lb, it becomes somewhat clear that the decision was made to optimize for speed/power performance rather than efficiency. Reading the comments of others, it is clear that there is demand for that, but my opinion is that it is a poor decision to not offer a more fuel-economical engine as an alternative.

I had an editorial about the new EPA numbers, and I guess I didn’t get my point across. A “hyper-miler” driver can always achieve or maybe even exceed the EPA while the ol’ lead foot rest of us will never get the EPA numbers, no matter how many times they adjust the length of the first-down chains.

If it were up to me, I would keep the EPA numbers where they are at. The EPA numbers are for an arbitrary condition, but they are a highly standardized condition, and that the standards changed between 2007 and 2008 means no one knows whether car gas mileage is up or down.

And this is part what is wrong with the majority of modern automotive journalism. There are basically zero real world responsible driving situations where sub 10 second 0-60 times are in any way insufficient.

V70s are going to be used in the real world by real people, most of them decent responsible folks. Few of them will ever actually make a full throttle run from 0-60.

“OPEC-endorsed 16/24 mpg (down 20% from last year’s base model’s 22/29mpg).”

Now that is a big problem. Going significantly backwards on fuel economy with a new car introduced in 2008 is beyond stupid. Volvo had a good thing going with it’s unique 5 cylinder engine in both normal and turbocharged form. Switching to the straight 6 was a bad move.

The case of MINI’s success lies in both the product and marketing of the make, as both were rather strong. With Volvo, I highly doubt ANY kind of marketing would convince us Americans that wagons are chic and cool to ride around in. MINI had that part laid before it, offering numerous amounts of customization and marketing to the young and fashion conscious, which I believe Volvo is attempting to emulate with it’s own C30 line. These cars are 3 door hatchbacks. Sexy and attractive ones imo. The two words that people will be hard-pressed to say about wagons, excluding gearheads as we’ll love anything. Even with proper marketing. Maybe this’ll work out for one of their newest additions to their lineup but then theres the question of how to market the rest of it’s lineup, bar the C70.

Toyota, in an attempt to lower it’s target market age, attempted to employ a two pronged tactic, Project Genesis, with the introduction of the then new Celica, MR-S and Echo to garner a younger fan base which would then move on to other Toyota products and then onwards to Lexus. They failed of course, leading to the birth of Scion. Granted, the cars were marketed rather heavily during the time period as I recall and the products themselves weren’t terrible by any means, just… rather unattractive except for maybe the Celica. Mind you I’d have taken any of those cars quite simply cuz at heart, I’m most likely a Toyota enthusiast. Now that I think about it, I’m almost ashamed to think that the people of my generation are so easily sold on things that we deem cool and shiny and glittery. Yes the Xb was bought by a relative large number of baby boomers but the vast majority of them were purchased by the younger crowd all about “tricking” out their rides, evident by the fact that Scion has the youngest buyer age out of the entire industry. Somewhere, go has replaced been replaced by show. Frugality? hahahaha

So now back to the V70. With the cute butt C30 leading the charge of supposedly affordable and flashy Volvos, the brand portfolio is still as messy as it originally was when they were picked up by Ford. Either they continue to chisel at a luxury perception or they go for broke with the C30 game plan. Volvo simply doesn’t have the time nor money to play it out.

I loved the S80 when it first came out, but the look very quickly wore out for me. The new Volvos are OK, but not great, as if styling just isn’t a priority anymore. (They’re not as bad as your average Japanese or American car though.) The 940/740 is great, and the old Volvos, from the ’50s and ’60s, were great.

It’s time to get on with it.

IF and a big IF Volvo was still an independent company maybe this approach could work. But in reality Volvos biggest problem is that it is still sandwiched in the middle of Ford’s big brand fuck-up!

Everything postive you can suggest that Volvo do will only have a negative effect on the rest of the Ford auto Empire. Remember in Fords mind Volvo is an upmarket brand that is meant to have a full portfolio of car AND SUVs to compete with BMW and Audi.

Volvo can’t make less expensive producte because they might hurts sales of the other Ford brands like Mazda, and Ford. I guess Ford is reluctant to have Volvo move up market because that might hurt Range Rover sales (i’m sorry but does Ford still own RR?).

No matter what move they try to do to imprive Volvos standings it is still only a niche player that is very vulnerable to any countermoves by the big successful players. So even if Volvo was successful make the wagon mainstream in America it is a given that Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinti, and Honda/ Acura will eat their lunch on short order. All have excellent products that they can convert into wagons in a jiffy.

An Anti-SUV campaign in the USA would only hurt Volvo’s one successful product here, the XC90 as well as the many other SUVS and crossovers that the Ford Empire need to unload.

When all is said and done PAG will considered one of the biggest mistakes ever made by any company in any line of business.

Having a GPS on the dashboard is an invitation to get rob in a growing THEFT crimes for the GPS or navigation systems. (don’t leave them inside your car or hide them inside your car)

Connected to the dash?
Don’t worry it will just take 15 secs for them to take it out.

I know because my girlfriend’s GPS got stolen in her new Scion and it was built in.

On that note, if the C30 catches on with the younger crowd, Volvo could offer a V50R as a bridge to the rest of the brand.

Isn’t MINI getting ready to start making an SUV. Subaru had the anti SUV ads then jumped on the bandwagon and started selling one. Didn’t Volvo have ads warning about the rollover problems in SUV’s then they started selling one themselves. They should have stayed the wagon course and pushed the anti-SUV ad campaign you you suggested and they might be in a unique position right now. Ford probably had a hand in that not being an option though.

I would be all over a stripped Volvo wagon with a torque deisel, if the price was right. I could live without all the electronic doodads, just give me the safety, utility, light weight driving dynamics at a good price. Roll-up windows, cloth seats, 5-speed, manual climate control and plenty of room in the back for a nice fishing/hunting/camping trip with the whole family or friends.

Am I the only one surprised by the audacity of implying that a 7.8 second run to 60 is slow. In a Volvo station wagon?

No, I’m with you as well. My 240 Estate barely eeks out 60 at around 11 seconds, but I have never considered it unsafe or had any problems on road trips hauling odd-shaped-things.

As for the new V70, I am a bit confused as to what exactly Volvo is trying to accomplish with these very odd, disheartening trim packages. Doesn’t exactly make me want to hurry out and trade in my Volvo when I know Sven is getting all the stuff I can’t and want to have.

There is no reason why Volvo shouldn’t offer cheap stripper station wagons to station wagon rocket ships, and everything in between. In fact, offering JUST the in-between is the worst of all possible strategies.

The problem here is NOT product. It’s marketing. Could Volvo sell an $83k station wagon? Yes. Is it more likely they’d sell a whole bunch of $25k strippers? Yes. Either way, where is the anti-SUV ad campaign (a la MINI)?

It’s time to get on with it.

Remember we are talking about wagons here. Let stop refering to the 0 to 60 times and change the line of thiinking to power to load.

If this thing is only pulling a 7.8 to 60 with only a driver aboard I would hate to think about how this car would feel with a decent or heaven forbid a full load.

I could never pay $45,000 for anything that was just merely OK. For this amount of coin I expect to be handsomely compensated. This is a “luxury” price so who the hell wants a car that is going to pull like an 1980s Corolla when you have the wife, kids, and some luggage aboard.

A super fast wagon may make sense for you and your wife but I still maintain that it the difference between an 8 second 0-60 time and a 6 second 0-60 time is highly irrelevant for the majority of potential V70 customers.

The first 6 years I had my license I drove my mom’s 4cyl, automatic Camry that did 0-60 in around 10 seconds. There were probably no more than 20 or so times in those 6 years where I either pulled away from a red light and saw somebody pulling away faster, or when I was on the highway and saw somebody getting up to highway speed faster than myself

Not to say that I couldn’t have used more power, but I was still able to drive faster than 95% of the people on the road in a car that did 0-60 in 10 seconds. Sure I had to floor it occasionally, but the point is that very few people out there have ever done a 6 second flat 0-60, even those who drive cars that are capable of the feat.

While there are people like myself that happily drive cars that do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and average 11mpg in the city, I would say most of the people in the market for a V70 would never even do a 6 second 0-60 even if the car was capable of it

I couldn’t have said it better myself.