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Volvo V70 wagon and S70 sedan revamped for tough situations
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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GRENSE JACOBSELV, Norway -- Crank up the heater and flick those headlights to their brightest because there's no telling when the next herd of reindeer may dash out of the noontime darkness to block forward progress as we plow fresh tracks on a desolate road flecked with polar ice.
Gravel beneath the frozen stuff crunches at each tire, setting up slippery driving conditions that call for careful attention to throttle and steering wheel.
This isn't a place to get stuck: The remote route, threaded through a narrow valley far north of the arctic circle, flanks a river that forms Norway's border with Russia at the Barents Sea. A slip to the right and you'll plunge into sovereign Russian soil -- or water -- without official documents, but dip wheels in the ditch to the left and the flat-faced bluff of a Norwegian mountain awaits.
The situation demands a serious vehicle capable of combating arctic darkness and cold with armaments of powerful muscle, sure-footed traction and sophisticated safety systems, plus a good heater and great headlamps.
To reach this particular beachhead, I needed a Volvo.
Sweden's definitive automaker builds sturdy sedans and station wagons designed to tackle Scandinavian snows and the darkness of arctic winter while still coddling passengers in comforts typical of deluxe European touring cars.
In this instance, though, the Volvo one tester steered through Norway's frozen winter reaches bore an unfamiliar alphanumeric name and wore curvy new sheetmetal up front.
Volvo's marketeers refer to the revised mid-size platform as the 70 Series now instead of the former 850 that it replaces. An alphabetical letter preceding the numeric class of vehicle indicates its style: S70 denotes the front-wheel-drive sedan, V70 defines Volvo's first all-wheel-drive wagon (with the V signifying "versatile"), while C70 will apply to Volvo's first coupe design when that car reaches our North American market later this year.
In a series of winter road and track tests conducted in Norway's far-north province of East Finnmark, I drove prototype editions of the S70 sedan and V70 wagon. Venues included snow-plowed two-lane highways wrapped across mountains along the Pasvikhelva River at Russia's border, that gravel road leading to Grense Jacobselv and the Arctic Ocean, plus a kilometer-long oval track cast on a frozen lake near Svanvik where I could slide the curves and race the straights to set up dicy maneuvers on ice.
With each successive challenge -- slippery mountain roads or icy tracks, piercing cold and polar darkness, even those elusive reindeer that suddenly emerge in front of your windshield -- the new Volvo sedan and wagon responded with uncanny agility and a quick throttle which combine with inherent safety features and cozy interior comforts to create a soothing sense of confidence for driver and riders.
The implication from this can-do kind of car is that it's a tough world we travel with pitfalls in our path but the going doesn't have to be dangerous or uncomfortable when you're steering the new Volvo.
To create it, Volvo's designers relied heavily on the former 850, which debuted in 1991 as the first front-wheel-drive car for the Swedish automaker -- and the first to exhibit an athletic, even sporty, attitude. The new 70 Series models use the 850's chassis, front suspension and brakes, as well as its various 5-cylinder engine options.
Where the new cars differ most apparently concerns the curvaceous new exterior treatment, particularly as applied to the front end of sedan and wagon, and a host of new interior appointments in the redesigned cockpit.
The new C70 coupe, when it arrives next summer, goes even further with curving lines to differentiate it from typical tank-like shapes of some previous Volvo designs.
Yet styling enhancements may seem subtle at first, as my initial impression on viewing the V70 wagon in a parking lot at the port city of Kirkenes was that with a boxy rear wagon compartment the new design looked like the former.
Scrutinize front corners of sedan and wagon, however, and you'll detect subtle curves in place of former square ends, and a severe cant to the front hood sets up a more pronounced wedge-like profile for these cars.
Bumpers, side moldings and mirrors match body color for the harmonious whole, but beyond B pillars both coupe and sedan recycle the rear ends except for softly sanded edges.
Inside, everything's new, from seats and instruments to heating system and wood and leather trimmings.
The front bucket seats, separated by center console, add new height adjustments. Instruments, in a new dash design lifted from the upcoming C70, consist of easy-to-see analog gauges, while fingertip power controls for seats and windows and doors have been moved from console to the driver's door for easier access.
Rear seats in the V70 wagon split and fold to vary cargo capacity in the cavernous rear bay, which is also accessed from a back gate.
Concealed safety assets surround the Volvo passenger compartment, including front and side airbags, steel added to side doors and reinforced B pillars, crumple zones installed fore and aft, plus active features of a lively vehicle capable of quickly maneuvering out from harm's way.
Both sedan and wagon rely on a front suspension borrowed from the front-wheel-drive 850, with anti-roll bar to stem lateral sway, but in the rear the wagon uses a multi-link system of the 960 rear-drive wagon, then applies a viscous clutch in front of rear differential to set up Volvo's new all-wheel-drive system.
Normally, 95 percent of engine torque channels to front wheels, but when sensors detect wheel spin this mechanism redirects power to the set of wheels with better grip.
Speeding around that ice track showed off the V70's ability to redistribute traction on slippery surfaces, as I could power through oversteer and keep it headed straight.
Regarding engines, the 70 Series has three 5-cylinder choices, each linked to a smooth automatic 4-speed shifter.
The S70 carries a naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter five producing 168 horsepower or a light-pressure turbo 2.3-liter five scored to a muscular 236 hp.
The AWD V70 relies strictly on a light-pressure turbo version of the sedan's 2.4-liter plant to reach 193 hp. With high torque achieved at relatively low engine speed and typical turbo lag minimized, this powertrain impresses with its quick surges for passing and quiet demeanor.
Pricing for the new series rises only 2 percent over figures for last year's 850, despite so many improvements.
1998 VOLVO 70 SERIES
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1998 VOLVO 70 SERIES Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size sedan, wagon |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size sedan, wagon |
| Wheelbase: |
Sedan: 103.7 inches
Wagon: 103.4 inches |
| Overall Length: |
Sedan: 184.1 inches
Wagon: 184.1 inches
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| Engine Size: |
Sedan: DOHC 2.4-L I5
DOHC 2.3-L I5 Turbo
Wagon: DOHC 2.4-L I5 Turbo
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Sedan: Front
Wagon: AWD |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
2.4-L I5: 20/29 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 28,000 to $ 40,000 |
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