Volvo V70

With its superior safety, quiet cabin and massive boot space, the Volvo estate is the ideal tourer. David Wilkins salutes a family car of substance

Specifications
Model: Volvo V70 2.4D SE Geartonic
Price: 28,345
Engine: 2.4-litre diesel
Performance: 0-60mph in 10.0secs, 38.2mpg
CO2: 195g/km
Worth considering: Audi A6 estate, BMW 5-Series estate, Mercedes E-Class estate

The Volvo V70 is, as our reader Paul Daunton suggests, hard to classify. It is, in many ways, a sort of "in-between" car. So what exactly is "in-between" about it? Let's start with the badge on its nose. Volvo can probably best be classified as a semi-premium badge this means that it's neither a mass-market name like Ford or Vauxhall, nor is it quite a prestige brand in the manner of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Like Alfa-Romeo and Saab, Volvo is somewhere in-between.

The V70 has an in-between status in Volvo's range, too. If you want a largish Volvo saloon, you can choose between the mid-sized S60 and the big S80 that's easy enough to understand. But the S60 and S80 have no direct estate counterparts; instead, there is the V70, which, as you've probably guessed, sort of slots in-between.

This makes it harder to compare the V70 directly with other manufacturers' cars, too. Is it a 3-Series competitor or a 5-Series rival? Is it an alternative to a C-Class or an E-Class? Another example: other manufacturers offer engines with four or six cylinders but, in most cases, including the diesel tested here, the V70 gives you five.

Thirty years ago, the term "Volvo estate" meant so much more than just a car; it conjured a whole way of liberal, British, middle-class life. Now, it's difficult to know what, if anything, a Volvo estate stands for any more. These days, the V70 is more likely to be driven by traffic policemen than Alpen-eating Guardian readers although if half of what you hear about our PCs going PC is accurate, the two groups may not be mutually exclusive.

Anyway, I'm sure that the V70's popularity with motorway patrolmen is no accident, because if you ignore the difficulty of pigeon-holing the thing and concentrate on what it has to offer, you're probably going to be impressed. Low noise levels, great ergonomics and superb seats mean that the V70 is a good car for long journeys. The large load area can fit an awful lot of traffic cones and paperwork.

Muddled rear aspect aside, the V70 is also a handsome car. Like all modern Volvos, it combines a rounded shape with a strong shoulder line, borrowed from the old 140. This produces a look that is stylish, but also conveys these Swedish cars' underlying substance.

In fact, a spell at the wheel of the V70 can sometimes have you thinking that, far from it being an in-between sort of machine, it does in fact squarely hit the mark and that all those other cars out there are ever so slightly off-target.

Paul Daunton, 35

IT consultant, Bristol

usual cars: BMW 335D, Seat Leon Cupra R

I struggle to place Volvo in the market they don't directly compete with the high-volume brands such as Ford, Vauxhall and Renault, nor with BMW, Mercedes and Audi. They trade on their practicality and safety. I prefer cars that have a more spirited drive and, for this reason, Volvo is a marque I have never considered. I was pleasantly surprised with the ride quality and felt that the automatic transmission complemented the diesel engine. The cross-country route would have been great fun in a Mitsubishi Evo, but the Volvo is about getting from A to B with your family and associated kit as safely and as effortlessly as possible, which it does perfectly.

Richard Holt, 34

Account controller, Bristol

Usual Cars: VW Golf GT, Ford Galaxy

My first impression was it did not look as big and cumbersome as the old V70 a good thing in terms of the perception of driving around in a small urban tank! The cabin felt quite enclosed compared to other, similar-sized cars. Doing 30K-plus miles a year, the seats are important; these were comfy and fairly supportive. The big thing for me given that I have just returned to petrol because I can't stand the rattle of a four-cylinder diesel engine was the power and refinement of the five. Very impressed I would be tempted to go auto based this! A good, solid drive. Not sure how it would stand up against the German rivals, given the cost of buying, running and residuals.

Nigel Woodford, 45

Company director, Cheltenham

usual car: BMW 3-series Touring

I am looking for a new family estate car with a larger load capacity. Having previously owned Volvos, I was interested in this one. The V70 was comfortable to drive, easy to manoeuvre and the automatic gearbox worked well with the diesel engine. The boot had many useful features and the drop-down dog/load guard did not restrict rear visibility when not in use. But the big boot came at a cost; the rear leg-room for my teenagers was surprisingly limited, and the rear seat was too upright to be comfortable on longer journeys. The CO2 emissions are also higher than its competitors. So as a large estate, family car it didn't quite meet the requirements.

THE VERDICT

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