2006 Volvo V70 AWD Wagon review from North America

Tail gate froze shut, but after a few hours driving it sorted itself out (interior heat melted ice around rear door).

I am writing this review after renting an 06 V70 AWD turbo wagon for 4 days and taking it up through some of the harshest mountain driving.

I have been a long time Volvo fan for several years, after my parents had owned several 145 and 245 wagons.

This car certainly did not disappoint in terms of comfort, performance, or overall capabilities.

The only area it did disappoint, was in regard to the fuel economy. but after taking into consideration the AWD and turbocharged engine, puts it all into perspective.

After driving for several hours in the Canadian Rockies, I had re-discovered the fun in driving a Volvo wagon. The last time I owned/driven one for any reasonable amount of time, was my 81 245DL wagon, that was given to me by my parents. That car was horribly underpowered, and lacked any options. On the other hand, this newer Volvo certainly made up for the complaints of older model Volvo owners.

We had taken this car through some of the worst driving conditions, and to no avail, it was impossible to get stuck! We even parked it in a skit resort lot where only trucks with 4x4 were parked, and still it didn't get stuck!

The heated seats and heated mirrors were another great feature, but I guess after building cars for Swedish climates for so many years, you should get better at it after some time.

The power of this car with a 5 speed tranny and the manual mode leaves nothing to be desired in regards to getting the most performance out of the turbo 5. Yet when frimly planting the pedal down, you easily get the red-lined shifts you'd go for in the manual mode... makin gthe manual mode obsolete, except for maybe trailer hauling.

Considering the purchase price of thse from new, and the accelerated depreciation in relation to other Euro autos makes me less sure of purchasing one new. Instead my partner and I have decided to rent one whenever we go out of town. Sure it can get costly over a year, but in comparison to purchasing a new car, and paying depreciation, taxes, insurance premiums, leaves our trusty Escort a far more economically feasible option over purchasing a newer, more comfortable car.

In terms of reliability, well I cannot comment on that, but I can say that if the chance arises to drive a larger Volvo (V70, S68, S80), in comparison to some of the other choices, (i.e. a buick, Taurus, etc.) You can bet that you'll really enjoy your time in the Volvo.

Disclaimer: These statements come from a 2 time BMW owner, who has owned and driver some of the very best vehicles on the market.