Volvo V70 Range : ESTATE MANAGEMENT

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If you're looking for the definitive estate car, look no further. Andy Enright reports on the all-new Volvo V70

What do the Volvo V70 and the Porsche 911 have in common? On the face of it, not too much but you might be surprised. Both cars are the product line around which the respective companies hinge, the very embodiment of their corporate philosophies. Without a successful V70 range, Volvo is unable to finance more adventurous models like the C30 and the C70 so this model has got to perform. Volvo without a big estate car would be completely unthinkable and the latest generation V70 benefits from this heritage but also treads carefully when dealing with its huge responsibility.

Getting too radical in terms of design would alienate existing Volvo buyers without attracting the sort of aesthetes who would normally shop for an Audi or a BMW, so Volvo has wisely played it rather safe with the latest V70, grafting an S80 style front end and a slicker looking posterior onto a very practical basic silhouette. The latest cars also have a redesigned grille with a larger Volvo badge. Those with longer memories may well remember the time when Volvo first started slipping rather potent engines into their big estates. The old 850 T5 became something of a cult car that spawned the V70R models and this generation V70 countered with a fire-breathing engine that had never been seen in a Volvo estate before. The T6 six-cylinder petrol engine is a compact and lightweight 3.0-litre unit boosted by a twin-scroll turbocharger. This takes in exhaust gases in two distinct stages with the inflow split in two, each flow feeding three cylinders for an immediate, low lag throttle response. Good for a lusty 283bhp and 400Nm of torque, this flagship V70 model will accelerate to 60mph in 6.7 seconds and keep going until the needle nudges 152mph. There's also a 228bhp 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and the latest D5 diesel with 202bhp and twin turbocharging technology. Some rather less exciting 1.6, 2.0 and 2.4-litre diesels complete the set although there is a 2.0-litre Flexifuel petrol engine that can run on E85 bioethanol.

"â€¦the omens look very good for the V70"

The rear end looks a little svelter than before but Volvo hasn't been diverted from this car's raison d'etre - lugging gear. Lots of it. The clever trick is that Volvo has disguised the car's inherent boxiness with neat detailing like the split high-level tail lights. There's a class-competitive 540-litres of virgin space back there and a massive space can be liberated if you fold the rear seats down and stack your cargo to the roofline. The 40-20-40 three part split/fold rear seat offers 16 different combinations and the loadbay floor itself features aluminium rails and movable anchoring points. A sliding load floor is also offered as an option, as is a powered tailgate. The V70's front is pleasantly curvy in-keeping with models like the S80, C70 and V50 which have reinvigorated Volvo's reputation for stylish design. The car's designer cleverly decreased the amount the side glass curves from front to rear, for maximum style at the driving end and maximum carrying ability at the business end. It's unmistakably a Volvo and the look is a long way removed from the lithe, purposeful lines of some Germanic rivals. The blacked out side pillars, C30-inspired tail lights and a slightly more raked tailgate angle nevertheless mean that it has enough about it to hold its own from a design perspective. The V70's prospects will be helped by a very competitive list of standard equipment. DSTC dynamic stability and traction control is standard on all cars while the T6 model features Instant Traction all-wheel drive, a system that is available with the D5 diesel. As well as speed-sensitive power steering with three settings, the V70 also features an intelligent power parking brake that automatically disengages when the accelerator is pressed. There's also an innovative dual-stage integrated rear child booster seat that works in tandem with the V70's extended curtain airbags to provide unparalleled child safety. Fuel consumption is OK is you avoid the powerful petrol engines, this being a very big and heavy vehicle. The diesels are the best bet if you want to reduce your fuel bills a little, the 136bhp 2.0-litre returns 48mpg and the 2.4-litre variants are only fractionally behind. The 202bhp D5 returns closer to 44mpg but the most economical oil-burner is the 1.6 which gets Volvo's DRIVe branding to indicate its various fuel saving modifications. In the 2.5-litre petrol model, you can count yourself very fortunate to see 30mpg averaged over the course of a week. The omens look very good for the V70. Ask owners of older V70 models what they would like changed about the car and most will want next to nothing altered but in order to attract new customers to the fold, the V70 needed to adapt. Fortunately, the changes have been mellow on the outside but with a keener chassis, a cleaner range of engines and better safety provision, the V70 is unquestionably a more capable car than before. It's hard to see how it can fail and Volvo's bullish sales projections reflect the fact that little can touch it when it comes to doing what big estates need to do. The nearest rival is probably Audi's massive A6 Avant but the Volvo offers more engine for your money and a less brash look and feel than the big German. Expect it to retain its position at the top of the sales charts.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Volvo V70 range
PRICES: £22,745-£35,295 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 12-18 [est]
CO2 EMISSIONS: 129-270g/km
PERFORMANCE: [T6] 0-60mph 6.7s /Max Speed 152mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [D5] (combined) 44.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's airbag, side airbags and curtain, ABS, whiplash protection, Isofix child seat mounts, DSTC stability control, rear child booster seat
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length/width/height) 4823/1861/1547mm