The Volvo V70 is a 5-door Station wagon / estate / 5-door crossover (automobile) / crossover from Volvo, built from 1996 to 2016, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.
How it came about
The Volvo V70 is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2016 across three generations. The name V70 combines the letter V, standing for versatility, and 70, denoting relative platform size (i.e., a V70 is larger than a V40, but smaller than a V90). The first generation (1996–2000) debuted in November 1996. It was based on the P80 platform and was available with front and all-wheel drive (AWD), the latter marketed as the V70 AWD. In September 1997, a crossover version called the V70 XC or V70 Cross Country was introduced. The sedan model was called Volvo S70. The second generation (2000–2007) debuted in spring 2000.
It was based on the P2 platform and, as with its predecessor, was also offered as an all-wheel drive variant marketed as the V70 AWD and as a crossover version initially called V70 XC. For the 2003 model year, the crossover was renamed to XC70. The sedan model was called Volvo S60. The third generation (2007–2016) debuted in February 2007. It was based on the P3 platform and marketed as the V70 and the XC70. Production of the V70 ended on 25 April 2016, the XC70 continued until 13 May 2016. The sedan model was called Volvo S80.
Under the skin
The record carries the shape — a 5-door Station wagon / estate / 5-door crossover (automobile) / crossover. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.
Family and rivals
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Volvo 850 estate; its successor was the Volvo V60 / Volvo V90. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Škoda Auto Škoda Octavia, the Lotus Elise, the Alfa Romeo 156 — show what else the money bought that year. Its Volvo stablemates include the Volvo 144 and the Volvo 264 TE.