2008 Volvo V70 Review

Specifications

An all-new 2008 Volvo V70 wagon goes on sale early in 2008 offering improved safety for young children along with advancements in interior design and powertrain.

The next Volvo V70 will offer dual built-in child booster cushions that can be height adjusted in two stages to put young children in the proper position to be protected while also having a better view out the side windows. One setting is designed for children 42-55 inches in height and between 48 and 79 pounds in weight. The other is for children between 33 and 55 pounds and 37-47 inches.

The side-curtain airbags have been extended by more than two inches to provide enhanced protection in the event of a collision.

Collision protection will be enhanced in the 2008 V70 through the use of a stronger body structure, says Volvo. The V70 will come with the new side-impact airbags introduced on the latest generation of the company's S80 luxury sedan. These new airbags have two chambers: one for the hip area and the other for the chest.

The V70 will also benefit from the second generation of Volvo's WHIPS (WHIPlash Protection System) designed to diminish injuries when the vehicle is struck from behind.

The redesigned interior gets new seats, a larger rear seat, new instrumentation, Volvo's slim-line center console, and an upgraded audio system. A sliding rear cargo floor and a storage compartment under the luggage area that locks when the tailgate closes will be available, along with a power tailgate.

The 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine is rated at 235 horsepower and is also used in the Volvo S80 luxury sedan and XC90 sport utility vehicle.

Adaptive cruise control with a collision warning system will be available, as well as technology that will warn drivers when a vehicle is in the driver's blind spot. Hydraulic Brake Assist will be used to help the driver stop in the shortest possible distance.

The 2008 V70 features a new exterior design with vertical chrome bars on the black egg-crate grille, a climbing waistline that gives the car a more dynamic appearance in profile and a tailgate with a deeper backlight to give the driver better rearward visibility and with more pronounced VOLVO lettering and high-mounted vertical stoplights.

The exterior features a raised hood with a honeycomb internal structure designed to better protect pedestrians or bicycle riders who might collide with the vehicle.

Indeed, drivers who want a safe wagon should watch for the upcoming V70. Volvo notes that since launching its first station wagon, the PV 445, back in 1953, it has put in more than five decades of refinement and improvement in station wagon design and engineering. All that experience and expertise, it says, will be showcased in the 2008 Volvo V70.