Weekend Athlete: 2008 Volvo XC70

“Friends don’t let friends buy sedans” is how the best bike racer I know sums up his car-shopping approach. He owns a station wagon, so when the 2008 Volvo XC70 came into the fleet, I had to see if he was on to something.

Review: 2008 Volvo XC70

The new Volvo XC70 includes some significant changes and improvements that certainly didn’t escape reviewer David Thomas’ attention. The 2008 model combines the functionality of a family station wagon meant for schlepping the kids from place to place with the upscale aura of the Volvo brand. Even better, it manages to do so without having the price soar into the stratosphere. Still, based on our test vehicle, Volvo may still have some small kinks to work out.

2008 Volvo XC70 Expert Review (Cars.com)

Volvo Is Upscale Enough

Sometimes we sit around the Cars.com office and just scratch our heads when we hear what car companies are doing. In yesterday’s Detroit News came word that Ford is looking to make Volvo — Ford owns the Swedish automaker — more of an upscale luxury brand to better compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. If you thought Volvo was already a luxury car company, it’s technically considered a near-premium brand. The differences are hard to explain, but recent Volvos I’ve reviewed were roughly $10,000 less than their BMW and Audi counterparts despite having similar features and engines. Other near-premium brands are Saab, Cadillac, Lexus and Infiniti.

Now, Ford has the best of intentions … for it. The company needs to make more money off Volvo, which continues to be unprofitable despite an improved lineup. However, with Audi already making inroads into BMW and Mercedes-Benz territory, is there room for another company to do the same?

Volvo to Make HD Radio Standard for 2009 Models

In manufacturers’ constant arms race to include better perks for drivers, Volvo will make HD radio receivers standard in almost all of its models beginning in the second half of 2008.

Still in relative infancy, HD radio promises better sound quality than standard radio and offers vastly expanded programming. This includes access to news, weather, school closings and other emergency information right on the display screen.

Far from a monolithic set of stations with the same programming whether you’re driving in Seattle, Kansas City or New York, HD radio varies geographically, offering different stations in different locations that will remind listeners of the quaint ways of old-fashioned AM/FM radio. Across the country, radio stations are making the switch to HD broadcasting. Nearly 2,000 stations either broadcast in HD or offer HD2 multicasts on the FM dial with no subscription fee.

While reception may be spotty in certain areas, that won’t be so different from driving through west Texas trying to find a decent classic rock station.

Interestingly, there are a few exclusions in Volvo’s list of models that will have HD radio. Not listed are the base S40 or V50, nor is the S60. That makes us wonder whether the S60 will be around in 2009.

2007 Geneva Motor Show: 2008 Volvo XC70 Debuts

A month after we got our first glimpse of the all-new V70 wagon, Volvo delivers the first batch of information and images about the cross-country version of its family-hauler. It shares most of its design with the V70, and all of the same safety features are found here as well, including integrated child booster seats, extended side curtain airbags to protect smaller passengers, stronger side structure and new side-impact airbags that protect the hips as well as the torso.

Only one gasoline engine is offered, a 238-hp inline-six, along with a six-speed automatic with a manual shift mode. Of course, you can’t call a wagon a cross-country without standard all-wheel drive. There’s also standard hill descent control and stability control. We’re still waiting on word about when the 2008 XC70 and V70 will be available and how much they’ll cost, but for now check out the photo gallery below.

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