Station wagons may not get everyone's heart racing, but when there's a Volvo badge on the grille, it's definitely worth a second look. The new Volvo V70 R AWD is the latest in a long line of fun-to-drive Volvo haulers, a family that includes some memorable wagons like the 122S, 145, 740 and 850. Even the hip 1800ES was kind of a wagon.
In creating the V70 R AWD, Volvo engineers took the recently-released 70-series station wagon and slipped their high-output, high-pressure, turbocharged, 2.3-liter inline five-cylinder engine under the hood. This 246-horsepower engine gets the power to the ground through a viscous-clutch-type AWD system that can transfer torque between the front and rear axles in milliseconds.
However, the Volvo is more than a super-rigid structure holding an excellent engine and suspension. All of the switches and controls have a very deliberate feel about them, and the whole car just oozes quality. Lots of manufacturers are dressing up their wares with fancy accents and lots of power accessories in a vain effort to make them feel like a luxury car--without the pretentiousness, the Volvo is that luxury car. The fact that it's fast and can carry a lot of stuff is only a bonus.
