On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, December 2, 2000

Volvo's Cross Country wagon is elegant alternative

If you've been following the rants in this space conscientiously, you'll be aware that the management (that, uh, would be me) has to date succeeded in resisting the effects of the all-conquering Sport Ute Mania.
   That, of course, is the contagion that compels otherwise people to spend tons of bucks on huge, unwieldy, fuel-slurping vehicles whose off-road capabilities they have no occasion to use.
   To be sure, there are people out there who actually do go crashing around in the boonies and/or may find themselves in weather situations so foul as to demand the grippy qualities of four-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive or what have you. More power to 'em. As for the rest . . .
   Well, we're Americans, and we can - and, with great regularity, do - make choices that others would not make. Hey, it's our dough, right?
   However, I suspect that more than a few of the sport ute faithful, weary of trauma at the gas pump and parking-space horrors, occasionally yearn for a vehicle that could maintain a decent level of go-anywhere prowess while trimming the bulk, sharpening the handling and gentling down the ride.

Volvo V70_Cross Country Five-passenger all-wheel-drive wagon Base price: $34,900 Price as tested: $43,480 Drivetrain: Dual-overhead-cam turbocharged fuel-injected 2.4-liter five, 197 hp; five-speed automatic-overdrive transmission Brakes: Front and rear discs, power-assisted, with standard anti-lock (ABS) EPA mileage: 17 city/22 highway Web site: new.volvocars.com

   And what do you know? A few manufacturers have indeed picked up on these vibrations. The first of course was Subaru, with its Outback - essentially a muscled-up version of the Legacy wagon, with increased ground clearance and some gnarly cosmetic touches.
   Not far behind was Volvo, which applied the same treatment to its mid-size V70 wagon, turning it into the Cross Country.
   (Irritating parenthetical aside: Didn't Nash use that handle for its line of station wagons in the mid-'50s? Is Volvo trying to cash in on that ol' Rambler charisma?)
   In fact, Volvo had considerable success in winning itself an audience - a more well-heeled audience than the Outback's, but one with essentially the same mindset.
   It followed naturally, then, that when Volvo revisited the V70 - at once making it larger and more svelte - it would again cobble up an all-wheel-drive almost-ute. Hence: the 2001 V70 XC (Cross Country - get it?)
   The Volvo faithful may lament the passing of the old V70 and its sibling, the S70 sedan: As the last of the perpendicular Volvos, they represented a precious link to an honorable, if dowdy, tradition.
   In every other respect, though the new V70, Cross Country or otherwise, represents a big step in the right direction: roomier, more accommodating and whisper-quiet in most driving situations.
   Differentiating the Cross Country from the civilian V70 are the usual things: the all-wheel drive, of course, plus a cranked-up suspension ("amazing 8.2-inch ground clearance," Volvo exults) and the usual Jeremiah Johnson cosmetic touches: aggressive rubber, fender flares and "attractive body cladding."
   Performance
   No serious objection on any of those points, save for the blacked-out effect around the grille and headlights that confers a slightly raccoon-like look to the front. Not off-putting, you understand, but . . . As always, however, the question boils down to this: Wottle she do?
   Obviously, she won't do the stuff a full-bull SUV will do - but she'll accommodate the occasional expedition into terra incognita so long as boulders, raging torrents and such aren't on the agenda. And for someone living in the Rust Belt, where snow and ice on the roads are routine, your Cross Country will make you very glad indeed that you coughed up the extra dough for the ride.
   17 city/22 highway
   You'll also be entitled to feel just the least bit smug at the gasoline pump. True, you'll be filling up with premium petrol - but you won't be filling up as often, or pumping as much, as your next-door neighbor with his/her brush-busting brontosaurus. OK: 17 city/22 highway readings aren't the stuff of which econocars are made, but in this market segment it's downright miserly.
   Motivated by 197 turbocharged horses, the Cross Country is more than capable of pulling the skin off a pudding. However, this is a vehicle of some bulk, so your progress will be brisk rather than breakneck. (And so what? Volvo may hot-rod this version of the S70 as it did the last one.)
   Living luxurious
   Some months having intervened between the time I drove a stock S70 and the Cross Country, it's tough to contrast the handling of the two. Almost certainly, the standard vehicle will nip through the turns with a shade more precision, but the Cross Country is light-years removed from the yawing and swaying that makes the captains and crews of some traditional SUVs reach for the Dramamine.
   And out there on the ragged edge (not that you should spend much time in that territory), the slight additional lean might be offset by the extra grip provided by the AWD.
   Should you go the Cross Country route, you may not exactly be living large, but you'll definitely be living luxurious. The beautifully contoured seats (with optional and highly aromatic leather in our tester) are enough to bring tears to the eyes of someone who's grown accustomed to accepting mere adequacy when it comes to seating.
   The price of comfort
   These seats are in fact as comfortable as anything Volvo has ever put into a vehicle, and represent a heartening signal that the firm clings to its ancient, honorable tradition of looking after the customers' derrieres and lumbar regions with unstinting devotion. Nice to know some things don't change.
   Yes, all of this comes at a price. Our ultra-loaded tester, with everything from the navigational system (one of the most intelligible out there, in case you're interested) to the killer stereo to the optional third seat in back, boosted our tester to near-stratospheric levels.
   That's unfortunate, particularly at a time when Subaru is (finally) offering a six-cylinder version of the Outback in the upper 20s to mid-30s - but a little restraint on the order form could win you entrée to the Volvo smorgasbord with considerably less bruising. Your call, Sven.
  
  

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