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2008 Volvo V70 Review

July 22, 2008

STYLING | 8 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

the V70’s looks are underwhelmingly pleasant
Car and Driver

a more contemporary appearance
Kelley Blue Book

  “unmistakable Swedish style
Edmunds

simple, clutter-free dashboard
Cars.com

Gauges are large, clearly marked, and easy to read
ConsumerGuide

inherent motion in the taut lines
Autoblog

The 2008 Volvo V70 gets an 8 for styling not because it sets any new radical styling directions for the genre, but because it represents a clean, coherent, and highly functional take on the beloved and functional Volvo wagon.

“In lieu of lusty emotional appeal,” says Motor Trend about the 2008 Volvo V70, “these all-new wagons are imbued with more of everything the Volvo faithful appreciate.”

Car and Driver feels that the ’08 V70 is a “step backward” from the boldness of the last-generation vehicle, stating that “its character has been ironed out in the form of smoother, rounded sheetmetal.” It retains some modern Volvo wagon cues such as bumper-to-roof taillights, part of what Edmunds calls the vehicle’s “new, evolutionary exterior styling” that wraps a car slightly longer and wider than the one it replaces. Claiming that the “all-new sheetmetal imparts a more athletic flair, with bolder character lines that rise from its chiseled front fascia and carry through a power-bulged hood and onto prominent shoulder ridges,” it seems that Kelley Blue Book finds the new styling more daring than before.

The interior isn’t quite as polarizing, with near universal praise for its luxurious trimmings and clean, modern design. Calling it “a Swedish-modern motif,” Kelley Blue Book likes the V70's “legible analog gauges with supplemental driver-info readouts to Volvo's distinctive slim-line center stack with intuitively arrayed audio and climate controls.” Several of ConsumerGuide’s testers, however, find “the digital bar graph a poor substitute for a conventional fuel gauge.”

Conclusion

The 2008 Volvo V70 is more refined than the last version—in some opinions, too refined.

STYLING | 8 out of 10Expert Quotes:the V70’s looks are underwhelmingly pleasantCar and Drivera more contemporary appearanceKelley Blue Book  “unmistakable Swedish styleEdmundssimple, clutter-free dashboardCars.comGauges are large, clearly marked, and easy to readConsumerGuideinherent motion in the taut linesAutoblog The 2008 Volvo V70 gets an 8 for styling not because it sets any new radical styling directions for the genre, but because it represents a clean, coherent, and highly functional take on the beloved and functional Volvo wagon. “In lieu of lusty emotional appeal,” says Motor Trend about the 2008 Volvo V70, “these all-new wagons are imbued with more of everything the Volvo faithful appreciate.” Car and Driver feels that the ’08 V70 is a “step backward” from the boldness of the last-generation vehicle, stating that “its character has been ironed out in the form of smoother, rounded sheetmetal.” It retains some modern Volvo wagon cues such as bumper-to-roof taillights, part of what Edmunds calls the vehicle’s “new, evolutionary exterior styling” that wraps a car slightly longer and wider than the one it replaces. Claiming that the “all-new sheetmetal imparts a more athletic flair, with bolder character lines that rise from its chiseled front fascia and carry through a power-bulged hood and onto prominent shoulder ridges,” it seems that Kelley Blue Book finds the new styling more daring than before. The interior isn’t quite as polarizing, with near universal praise for its luxurious trimmings and clean, modern design. Calling it “a Swedish-modern motif,” Kelley Blue Book likes the V70's “legible analog gauges with supplemental driver-info readouts to Volvo's distinctive slim-line center stack with intuitively arrayed audio and climate controls.” Several of ConsumerGuide’s testers, however, find “the digital bar graph a poor substitute for a conventional fuel gauge.” ConclusionThe 2008 Volvo V70 is more refined than the last version—in some opinions, too refined.  2008 VOLVO V70 STYLING | [8 out of 10] Car and Driver: “the V70’s looks are underwhelmingly pleasant” Kelley Blue Book: “a more contemporary appearance” Edmunds:  “unmistakable Swedish style” Cars.com: “simple, clutter-free dashboard” ConsumerGuide: “Gauges are large, clearly marked, ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

Nearly all of the V70’s wagon rivals come from other European automakers, and nearly all offer performance that’s livelier than that of the 2008 Volvo V70. The Passat is considerably more affordable than the V70, and very fuel efficient when equipped with the standard 2.0T engine, while the A6 Avant and 9-5 SportCombi both have a sportier feel behind the wheel than the V70 without being much worse in ride comfort. At the far end of the comparison is the larger Mercedes E-Class, which as a wagon only comes in all-wheel-drive E350 4Matic form or as the high-performance E63 AMG. Both models are considerably more expensive than the V70 without being much roomier inside. The V70’s interior is the real differentiator versus its rivals; its look and feel is refreshingly different, and the backseat design is easier to fold down than in most other wagons.

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See the Volvo V70 in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998

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