Volvo Station Wagon Delights Derek's Parents, Gives CAFE The Middle Finger
What you’re looking at here is
- A big “F U” to CAFE regulations
- Very likely the next vehicle my parents buy
When Volvo killed off the V70 wagon in 2010, it marked a turning point for the brand; how could Volvo continue on without its signature product, the station wagon? It seemed as absurd as the idea of a Caterham crossover.
Crossovers, even those like the XC70 which had a slightly higher ride height and some cladding, were much more advantageous to get around CAFE loopholes (and could be sold at a higher profit). In most cases, car makers are better off selling pseudo-crossovers to their customers for these reasons, as wagons tend to linger on showroom floors and then command a premium on the used market (for more on that see the 2005 Subaru Legacy GT).
Not so with Volvo. The much-rumored scuttlebutt was that many longtime Volvo customers were unhappy that the faux-crossover XC lineup was all that was available to replace their wagons. Enter the V60. It’s a compact station wagon with a couple of I6 powerplants (likely for North America) that are likely not terribly efficient. Volvo will pay dearly for this in terms of CAFE, but we should applaud their guile. We may get a diesel or a plug-in hybrid powertrain option, but I’m holding out for a Polestar-tuned T6 and AWD.
One can only imagine that dealers were screaming for this car, and now Volvo has sent out this tweet confirming its stateside launch. Although Volvo sales have been on the up-and-up, they’ve never really recovered from the best years when Volvo had some strong wagon offerings. My cynicism towards the commercial viability of this bodystyle may be well documented, but if any auto maker needs to offer one, it’s Volvo. Wagons are the heart and soul of the Volvo brand.
I suspect this product will have a wide open niche, now that Audi no longer offers an A4 Avant. There are enough buyers out there who will want to buy any premium wagon that is not a BMW 3-Series. My parents are a prime example, though they ended up buying a 2011 Volvo XC60 T6. They’ve had their eye on the European market V40 for some time, but the V60 T6 would be just the ticket to replace the XC.
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The V70 was never killed off. Only in America. Sedans are niche vehicles here in Europe. Most Chrysler 300 you see are wagons, most of them diesel. We have Accord Wagons, Toyota Avensis (similar size to a V70), BMW 5series Wagon, Mazda 6 wagons and on and on... A V70 can tow 4000lb and so can the rest of them. It has gone so far with the USA that we have better cars and more freedom and individual responsibility here in Europe!
Bravo Volvo. I'll have to start saving $ for my downpayment. While the AWD and mandatory auto are not really desirable, given that BMW is forcing me into the same configuration but with a 4 cylinder, I'll take the Volvo with the 6 any day.