Alongside the tamer V70,Volvo will be pulling the wraps off of the new XC70, a chunky, all-road version of its mid-size wagon. As with the last generation, it shares its overall design with the V70, but rides three inches higher and has plastic body cladding "where it needs to be to withstand the rough stuff." Rough stuff in Volvo wagon? You mean, like shopping cart edges and flying soccer balls?
Torsional rigidity for the new generation XC70 is up fifteen percent, which will also help with that "rough stuff." Power comes from the same 3.2-liter straight six used in the S80 and V70, but we expect a V-8 to be offered at the time of the car's North American debut. As always, safety is a top issue on this Volvo, and electronically controlled dampers, blind spot warnings, adaptive cruise control, and a key-fob controlled security monitor (it can sense a heartbeat inside the car) are all among the car's optional features.