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2009 Volvo V70 Review

July 9, 2009

STYLING | 8 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

imbued with more of everything the Volvo faithful appreciate
Motor Trend

its character has been ironed out in the form of smoother, rounded sheetmetal.
Car and Driver

simple, clutter-free dashboard
Cars.com

  “unmistakable Swedish style
Edmunds

The 2009 Volvo V70 is more refined than the last version—in some opinions, too refined.

“In lieu of lusty emotional appeal,” says Motor Trend about the 2009 Volvo V70, “these all-new wagons are imbued with more of everything the Volvo faithful appreciate.”

The 2009 V70 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. Car and Driver feels that the 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.”

Several Consumer Guide testers find “the digital bar graph a poor substitute for a conventional fuel gauge.” Otherwise, 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.”

Conclusion

The 2009 Volvo V70 doesn’t set any new radical styling directions, but it is clean, coherent, and highly functional.

STYLING | 8 out of 10Expert Quotes:imbued with more of everything the Volvo faithful appreciateMotor Trendits character has been ironed out in the form of smoother, rounded sheetmetal.Car and Driversimple, clutter-free dashboardCars.com  “unmistakable Swedish styleEdmunds The 2009 Volvo V70 is more refined than the last version—in some opinions, too refined. “In lieu of lusty emotional appeal,” says Motor Trend about the 2009 Volvo V70, “these all-new wagons are imbued with more of everything the Volvo faithful appreciate.” The 2009 V70 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. Car and Driver feels that the 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.” Several Consumer Guide testers find “the digital bar graph a poor substitute for a conventional fuel gauge.” Otherwise, 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.” ConclusionThe 2009 Volvo V70 doesn’t set any new radical styling directions, but it is clean, coherent, and highly functional. 2009 VOLVO V70 STYLING | [8 out of 10] Motor Trend: “imbued with more of everything the Volvo faithful appreciate” Car and Driver: “its character has been ironed out in the form of smoother, rounded sheetmetal.” Cars.com: “simple, clutter-free dashboard” Edmunds:  “unmistakable ...

Read More of this Review:

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

Other Choices:

Almost all of the V70’s rivals come from Europe, and nearly all offer performance that’s livelier than that of the 2009 Volvo V70. 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. 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 Passat is substantially 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.

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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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