Test drive Volvo V70 2000 - 2004 station wagon
Universal Soldier
A sharp surge of interest in all kinds of SUVs gave rise to real excitement in the mid -nineties among firms who want to stake a place in this sector of the market. But he, of course, was not enough for everyone, and then the remaining ones began to invent their variations on the topic of increased cross -country ability and passenger comfort. They had just begun their career growth of parquet SUVs began to be divided and divided into various subclasses and subgroups, depending on their purpose and design features. But even this seemed little to some. SUVs with load -bearing bodies and independent multi -leaf pendants in terms of comfort still lagged behind cars, and many customers preferred traditional models. Naturally, given the high degree of settlement of the sector of all -wheel drive cars, such a need could not remain unanswered, and the Japanese Subaru put its outback model, also classified as a high passage station wagons, but differed from the SUVs literally in everything - starting from appearance and ending with the structure. This was the first swallow to foreshadowing a real thunderstorm. The unit is incredibly liked by customers, and many purchased it instead of a SUV. Such a successful idea instantly found support in the ranks of competitors, and after a couple of years several firms at once offered their variants of the station wagon of increased capacity. Here is one of these followers - Volvo V70 XC Cross Country - we will tell you today.From ordinary parquet SUVs, universals of increased cross -country ability, which include the Volvo V70 CROSS COUNRY, differ at least in that they are initially not similar to off -road cars, with appropriate amendments in terms of controllability and comfort. In fact, this is a regular passenger car with a wagon body, and outwardly it is distinguished by only an enlarged clearance and a powerful plastic body kit in a circle. There are also few differences inside - no additional levers of transmission control, everything is very familiar, in light. Moreover, some passers of this subclass flaunt such chic interiors that inside they are practically in no way inferior to business class sedans, or even limousines. But if you touch the architecture of such a car, then sometimes, after familiarizing yourself with the design, you come to the conclusion that you have a completely different car with a similar design.
In this case, everything is not so complicated - the Cross Country was created on the basis of the usual all -wheel drive station wagon Volvo V70 and inherited all units and nodes from it. And this means that most of his life Cross Country is an ordinary front -wheel drive car - in normal modes, 95% of the torque is transmitted to the front wheels. This solution allows you to achieve, firstly, the low fuel consumption, and secondly, almost front-wheel drive habits when driving a car. However, the latter circumstance is purely conditional: with the slightest slip of the leading wheels, energy using a special coupling is transmitted to the rear wheels. But if you think that, like most SUVs, CROSS Country enters the case only temporarily, then you are mistaken: the branded system of all -wheel drive Volvo allows you to change the percentage ratio of the transmitted energy between the axes, and it does it much large limits than allows Ordinary WiSoft. Say, if necessary, the same 95% of the torque can be transferred to the rear wheels if their clutch coefficient with the road is much higher than that of the front axis wheels. Such an energy distribution scheme allows the Volvo V70 XC Cross Country to move where a car with a less advanced full -wheel drive system will come specifically and for a long time. However, it is possible to argue about who will go and who stuck at the wheel of such a Volvo for a long time, especially if the area is not very crossed. In the snow, spring thaw or beach sand, he has little equal, but riding along steep slope and deep ditches of Cross Country is simply contraindicated. And not because the car can’t stand it - on the contrary, looking at the powerful racks and a nose closed with a plastic lining, there is no doubt about the fitness of this car. From below, the engine and transmission are closed by a powerful metal shield, unpainted bumers are not afraid of scratches and chips. However, you must admit that not every owner will be scored by the bottom on the ground on its new Volvo - it is painful for a lot of expensive pleasure. We also reasoned in this way, and therefore our test took place mainly on public roads, and on less solid soil, and it was a former quarry, the car drove only once, for photography.
And photographing Volvo Cross Country is very pleasant: the car is beautiful and surprisingly statistical at almost any angle. True, the pale blue color in which this car was painted is not quite, as it seems to me, corresponds to its character. It is some very frivolous, this color, and from Volvo just blows reliability and endurance. Even without an additional body kit, the standard V70 looks massive, and even about the Cross Country version and there is nothing to say - huge wheels and powerful bumpers unobtrusively hint at the great potential of the car. A powerful, pronounced side line, called by the chief designer of the company, Peter Horbari Volvo, carries not only aesthetic load, allowing the Cross Country, and all Volvo in general, but also perfectly protects the sedecs from the consequences of side strikes during the accident. Speaking of security. By tradition, all Volvo models are favorably different from competitors in terms of security, and the beginner was no exception to this rule. The list of standard Volvo V70 XC CROSS Country equipment contains not only traditional frontal and side air airbags and ABS with electronic brake force distribution, but also the anti -circus system and the branded Volvian wireplit system called Whips. Protective inflatable curtains, on the windows, complement the picture.
The interior of Volvo, as always, is simply incomparable. Starting with the S80 model, all the new products of this Swedish company are unsubscribing to the highest assessment in the design column and the quality of the interior. I have already written and, probably, I will repeat more than once that the dashboard and the central console in the V70, S80, S60 and actually in CROSS COUNRY are the most striking example of how, if desired, you can get a completely new, stylish one in just one generation of models. , a unique, recognizable and convenient interior. To date, the design of the large Volvo salon is the most vivid and memorable, the originality of which can envy all Japanese and American models without exception, and even, perhaps, limousines of the Mercedes-Benz brand. However, without the proper quality of manufacture, even the most fashionable interior would not look at all. But Volvo has never had problems with quality. In this case, Cross Country is no exception - all the elements are fitted with perfect accuracy, and the sitting inside will not immediately be able to understand what is in a car that can move not only through an autobahn. And although the Cross Counry salon is almost the same as that of the S80 and V70, on a single platform with which it was actually built, there are still several original features in it. Take at least a three -section rear sofa. Given the more universal nature of an all -wheel drive car, the creators made sure that the car’s interior also became more functional. Unlike most station wagons, not even all -wheel drive, the rear seat in the Volvo Cross Country can be laid out into three parts, in a proportion of 40:20:40. And this means that if you carry only two passengers, then the middle part of the rear sofa can be folded by forming, thus, a choice of either an additional luggage compartment, or a place for installing a special portable refrigerator, offered as additional equipment.
In the movement, the car remains true Volvo, even despite its off -road training. All noises and other stimuli remain somewhere overboard, the suspension is absolutely abnormal to the irregularities of the road, and off-road tires do not please the rumble. And even when the speedometer arrow came close to the mark of 200 km/h, little changed inside the car - three -layer (!) Side glasses and excellent sound insulation are extinguished absolutely all sounds. You can simply choose a speed mode, turn on the cruise control and enjoy the trip. Although, you can solve business issues - a cell phone is built into the central console, and a microphone is fixed on the headrest, which allows you to talk without raising the voice. However, even the longest track someday ends, and not comfort and smoothness come to the fore, but maneuverability and visibility. Of course, a large car, and even a station wagon, is not the most successful option for the city’s clogged with transport, but I know at least a dozen cars, even smaller, which are less convenient in this regard than in theLVO CROSS Country. Firstly, this car just has excellent visibility-massive in appearance of the racks are turned to the driver in such a way that they do not block the review, and secondly, huge side mirrors help in the city a lot. It seems that half the world is reflected in them.
In general, this big car has no problems with maneuverability. But the 200-horsepower turbocharged engine was simply obliged to have a more temperamental character. Indeed, at the front -wheel drive Volvo, these engines with low -pressure turbocharges give heavy cars dynamics worthy of models with a six -cylinder engine. And here - the car is quite energetic, but it definitely lacks sharpness. And even though the passport accelerates from a place to 100 km/h takes 9 seconds, in reality they are felt completely different. And most likely, the machine is to blame for this: his reactions to the addition and discharge of gas definitely make it clear that you should not count on a good result on a highway abundant turning. If you just push the pedal to the floor, then nothing, but the movement in gas-carrier mode, with constant switching and the search for optimal transmission, leads to a completely different result than could be presented by looking at the technical data. But there is a way out: by order Cross Country is equipped with an automatic five -speed GEARTRONIC checkpoint, which allows the driver to choose the programs and the moment of their switching. It was then that a turbocharged power unit will show itself in all its glory. Given the fact that the maximum indicator of the torque is achieved in the range of 1800-5000 rpm, timely switching can be achieved by completely different dynamics and the desired sharpness.
Suspension and steering in CROSS Country seem to easily cope with a much higher -power unit. What is on acceleration, in a bend - the machine behaves very reliably and predictably, and only a completely empty steering wheel and strong fares with a universal tread pattern and a 65 percent profile do not make it possible to feel the car completely. But this is not even a hindrance, but rather a kind of limiter - nevertheless, the center of gravity of Cross Country is located higher than in ordinary cars, and you still do not should be greedy at speeds in corners. In extreme cases, the car begins to simply slowly fall out of the entire body outward, with a juicy rustling with tires and languidly reacting to steering to steering. After the speed drops to an acceptable level, the car also returns to the original trajectory, while not at all disturbing its passengers. Such behavior will probably be appreciated by female drivers, especially if you take into account that in the entire civilized world they are the main buyers of Volvo station wagons.
If you set the goal of determining a portrait of a potential buyer of a VOLVO V70 XC CROSS Country car with us, then the most successful choice is this car for a young, energetic businessman who does not want to burden himself with the content of the second car, but at the same time often a need for the advantages of a full -wheel drive transmission . And even if this car is simply not able to initially not be able for serious off -road renders, it may turn out to be a good alternative to a light car and an SUV at the same time. High -speed indicators, comfort and controllability - as in a passenger car, and in terms of the level of all -pleasing Cross Country, is not much different from an inexpensive SUV. The only but inexpensive Volvo can not be called inexpensively, but he is Volvo. The prestige of a well -known brand, multiplied by outstanding running qualities, was always expensive, especially when it comes to cars whose competitors are practically no.
(+) Pleasant design, high quality interior decoration, good visibility, high degree of functionality.
(-) Strong lateral divers when the snakes or in a steep turn, empty steering wheel, untimely and sharp switching of the automatic transmission.
Text: Pavel Kozlovsky
