Wiping the Dust out of Station Wagons

Station wagons are cars with a body style similar to sedan but with a cargo area extended to the rear window (over the normal trunk area of the vehicle). The full height of the passenger cabin is all the way to the back; the rear glass is not sloped too far from vertical. Station wagons also have side windows over the cargo area.  These two descriptions distinguish it from the hatchbacks.

A station wagon is distinguished from a minivan or sport utility vehicle by still being a car, sharing its forward bodywork with other cars in a manufacturer's range. The popularity of the minivan in the 1980s and early 1990s is credited with the decline of the traditional station wagon.  But now wagons are coming out of the woodwork. Maybe it's because they are an economical option.  They have the functions of SUVs or minivans but have that muscle car edge. You can haul the pets, wood, kids, groceries or parts to and from swap meets without gas-guzzling big block power.

As a new generation of wagons rolls off the assembly lines of various auto manufacturers,

The Family Car remembers...

Ford Woody Wagon, 1926

Volvo’s Wagons Never Went Away

The mid-sized Volvo XC70 has plenty of company in the station wagon world these days. Let’s name a few...

There’s the big Lexus RX300 wagon, the Toyota Corolla hatchback, the Mercedes E20, the Volkswagen Passat, the Audi A6 and the Suzuki Forenza.

Let begin our review of the Volvo XC70 with what the XC designation stands for, cross country. This is a touring edition of the classic Volvo standard, the V70.

Far from the most important features of the XC70, are the linear speakers built across the dashboard. I’ve never seen an in-car speaker design like them. They’re an interesting design and I would vote yes if there was a ballot to be cast in their favor.

Moving right along, the XC70 has an Anti-lock Braking System, ABS that improves control when you slam your foot down on the XC70’s brake pedal in an emergency. Even those who know that anti-lock brakes prevent brakes from locking up and skidding, may not know that integrated into the XC70 is EBD.

Electronic Brake Force Distribution regulates the hydraulic pressure on the rear brakes during a panic stop, to give you optimal braking performance. You can feel the ABS/EBD combo at work when you stomp on the brake pedal...they pulsate! This feels pretty darn weird, as though your brakes are actually going out , but don’t let it throw you. This is the way emergency braking feels now.

   And speaking of emergency braking, the Emergency Brake Assistance, or EBA of the XC70, immediately provides maximum braking power when it senses you are in a panic stop. It doesn’t wait for your brake pedal to hit the metal of your undercarriage.

All together, these three braking features show that for Swedish auto engineers, safety on slippery, icy roads is a paramount concern.

   After you’ve gone through this long hard slog with me about ABS/EBD/EBA, I promise I will only throw one more Volvo XC70 acronym at you.

Shock!

Deal with it. The Volvo XC70 does. To absorb the shock of various road conditions and various driving styles, the XC70 has what Volvo calls a Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept, or FOUR-C. Okay, if you want to go off and read another article now, I won’t be offended. Especially since before I was even properly introduced to it, the FOUR-C system was making demands on me. But I’d rather not rehash the rocky start of our relationship.

FOUR-C gets input from sensors throughout the vehicle that constantly watch side-to-side and vertical movement, the speed you’re traveling and where your wheels are heading. Basically, it gathers all this info to adjust the stiffness of your shock absorbers 100 times each second.

The comfort mode of the FOUR-C system gives you the softest ride, while the sport mode makes the car’s shock absorption stiffer, reducing cornering sway.

After all these technical terms, best to end with a little detail for the young children. The XC70 comes with an integrated booster seat in the middle of the rear seat. It isn’t to be used with child safety seats, however. You pop it up from the normal seat height and lock it in place, allowing a child who is old enough to be out of a safety seat to be safely belted into a normal three-point safety belt.

 

Venting ... The bottom center of the steering wheel is largely filled in with a V-shaped structure that must have made good sense to the Volvo designers, as it references the company name, but because the bottom of the V utilizes the 6:00 position, I can’t rest an elbow on the door or center console armrest and rest my hand comfortably and in control at the bottom of the steering wheel. Yes, we really strive to give you important information here at “The Family Car.”

Now that I’ve revealed this shocking design flaw, what other points shall I share with you? Actually, this is a really cool vehicle, with seats that fold up easily and even a child booster seat, upon which a child safety seat can be securely placed, has been built into the middle passenger seat.