The 2015 Volvo XC70

When was it that station wagons disappeared from the American roadways? Remember back in the Fifties when seemingly every family in America had a station wagon?  Today it’s minivans and crossovers and nary a station wagon we see.

However, did you know one automaker actually still makes station wagons?  Our friends in Sweden, Volvo, still make a luxury station wagon, the Volvo XC70, still going strong after all these years.  So take that, minivan-makers!  Take that, crossover-makers!  The station wagon is alive and well with the 2015 Volvo XC70.

The Volvo XC70 is a five-passenger wagon that comes in three trims, the T5, the 3.2 and the T6.  The last two are powered by six-cylinder engines, 3.2-liter inlines good for 240 horsepower, and the first by a four-cylinder turbocharged engine good for the same 240 horsepower.  The smaller engine gets a combined 27 mpg while the six gets 21 mpg.  There is also a turbocharged six-cylinder available that gets 300 horsepower and can go from 0-60 in a very quick 6.1 seconds.

Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, foglights, front and rear underbody skid plates, roof rails, heated side mirrors, cruise control,dual-zone automatic climate control, driver memory settings, leatherette upholstery, and an eight-speaker sound system.  Premium packages include a sunroof, rear privacy glass, leather upholstery, keyless ignition and entry, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, power liftgate, rearview camera and power folding head restraints.

Safety is what Volvo is known for and the XC70 does not disappoint in that category.  It has antilock disc brakes, hill descent control, stability and traction control, front airbags, side curtain airbags and active head restraints.  Also included is Volvo’s City Safety feature which will automatically apply the brakes when front-end collision is probable.  This model brakes, in testing, from 60-0 in 133 feet, about an average figure.

Here’s another question worth asking:  are Volvo replacement parts readily available in the United States?  The answer is most definitely yes! Volvo never disappeared in this country.  It’s always been here.  For whatever reason, Volvo has never appealed to the American mass market. That certainly doesn’t reflect on its quality because the XC70 is an excellent automobile, and replacement parts are everywhere that Volvo is sold and in the leading auto parts stores across the country.

But those parts are expensive.

So what to do if you need some Volvo replacement parts?

Find your local salvage yard and save big on all Volvo used parts.