The Volvo V70/XC70 Story

I’ve very fond memories of the Volvo XC70 that we owned, and if I was to get a new car today it would have to be its successor, a plug-in hybrid version of the V60 which are as rare as hen’s teeth at the dealerships around here. The V70 was a continuation of Volvo’s rejuvenation in the 1990s, but successive versions would be subject to the various foreign owners as the company got passed from pillar to post. It’s a car that spanned an important part of Volvo’s history, from success as an independent company to lacklustre sales, back to success under foreign ownership.

Sources:
Volvo V70 & XC70 brochures

#bigcar

[dubster]

You must feel very privileged to be one of the last people to interview the late Peter Horbury, a designer who came across as a very humble man, despite being the man who reinvented the Volvo brand. A great man and some great cars

[WheresJimbo]

Bought a new XC70 in 2006. Still have it, still love it.

[DROPTUNED]

Proud owner of a 2003 built like a tank.... Will keep it running many years to come...

[detonator]

My mechanic had a Volvo V70 model year 2009 with 2.4D engine in it on service. It had 1.3 million kilometers on the clock. Yes, 1.3 million. It got 600.000 kilometers as a taxi. These old V70's are crazy solid cars.

[SimonWallwork]

Great video. I was a Volvo salesman for 8 years (Linn Glasgow) and was on the 850 launch in 1991 (?). Could I add a few things to your video?
1. The 850/ S70 had four chassis rails- two down low in the normal place, and two more that ran from the lower corners of the windshield forward. These gave the car tremendous stiffness at the front and extra strength in an accident.
2. Your 4 WD 'AWD' car used the normal 850 fwd for the front wheels, and the IRS setup from the 960 for the back wheels. Fitting this to the 850, which hadn't been designed for it pushed it up- thus the extra ground clearance.
3. The ABB thing is true- and very hard for Volvo to break into- it wasn't really about the actual quality of the car. We had many Jewish customers, at our dealership who just wouldn't buy German. They seemed very happy with their Volvo cars.
4. The engines were not just assembled automatically, but the parts for each engine were selected by computer too. The engines were planned to go 100, 000 miles without being touched.

[robertwestinghouse]

I would go to an older model – 240GL Wagon. I had a 960 Wagon/Estate – brilliant engine, but far to complex. So, I moved the other way and never looked back. Long Live the BRICK. It is rear wheel drive and is a real Volvo.

[alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

An iconic car from the 1990s. I famously remember it being reviewed(twice) on the old style Top Gear by Jeremy Clarkson - he even dressed up as a punk to review the R version! It also had the novelty of the estate version being raced in British Touring Cars during the 1990s - and they on occasions won a few races. It was I believe - Volvo's first attempt at a front wheel drive car(although there was 4 wheel drive version later on). Some unique features of this car include the inbuilt child seat in the back middle row(now probably not legal) and the front passenger seat being able to be folded flat to allow really long items to be placed in the car. The saloon version tends to get forgotten about compared to the estate.

[zamlatuljko]

XC 70 owner here. 2014 D5. Yes family practical car!

[Spoolingturbski]

My dad was the field technical specialist for Volvo in the 90s. We brought the first Volvo S70 to California from the Arizona proving grounds back in 95. I remember walking out to the driveway when he arrived and seeing the materials used in the interior. So upscale and tight. Still to this day the 70 series is one of my favorites.

[flemmingsorensen]

My favourite car👍🇸🇪🇩🇰 Owned multiple Volvos, currently 2 x V60 2023 Hybrids in the household, super comfy, fast and elegant cars. But my dream Volvo is the older XC70s. GREAT video as always!

[MalcolmCrabbe]

Purchased a 1999 V70 in 2007 and its still running today. Just run in at 170K miles on the clock.. will be a sad day when I finally have to take it to the scrap yard in the sky... It still drives well, and I love driving it.

[nadeemchaudhry]

Another brilliant video
V70 was a true modern day tank in its time.

[hammon]

As a Volvo xc70 owner I got really excited to see this vid!

[TheUffeess]

I spoke to a technician at Volvo's development unit, and he said that the years under Ford's ownership were a disaster. Under Chinese ownership, the Swedes have had free rein and it shows in the sales figures. A great video as usual! 😀❤

[neilmckay]

Owned a '97 V70XC, best car ever. Took it off road, got it stuck and broke it too. Converted to LPG, tank in spare wheel well. I recall that the V70XC model in the USA equalled or exceeded sales of the equivalent V70.

[chrismartin]

Owned my XC70 with 2.5L turbo petrol for 13 years and it was a Swiss Army knife for me. I did everything I asked of it and more.
My wife has owned V40 XC for 10 years from new and its delivering the same experiences for her.
Geely have been fantastic for Volvo nurturing and extending the brand and its values into the future.
I can't wait to drive the new EX30 and imagine what an EX70 would be like - an electric station wagon, not an SUV.
Thanks for another great story.

[DrLoverLover]

The Duett is still Volvos most practical model to date

[stillwaterwoodworks]

I love my '98 V70 T5M more than any other vehicle I've ever owned. 218k miles and still going strong in style

[enessou]

My first ever car was a 1999 V70R in laser blue with 265hp. I had a bunch of expensive repairs on the AWD system, but bloody hell did that thing look great and sound amazing and feel special. And I love the boxy shape. It's not a negative, it's a feature! Still miss that car. The next one was a 2014 V70, which was not quite as special as the R, but still lovely.

[igorwarszawa]

For about two years, I have been using the second generation Volvo V70 from 2004 on a daily basis (2.4 D5, about two hundred horsepower, 400 newton meters (software modification), automatic transmission after major renovation about 20, 000 kilometers ago, leather upholstery, automatic air conditioning, full electrics, black metallic, no corrosion and only 498, 000 miles). The car has been in the hands of our family since 2011. Unfortunately, my beloved uncle died and I inherited this phenomenal car from him. I live in Warsaw, where this year an idiotic clean transport zone is to be introduced in the city center, to which theoretically diesel cars from 2004 will not be allowed to enter. My late uncle lived in the very center of the city, which theoretically gives me 4 more years of access to the center without any problems (I did not re-register the car in my name, so it is still there in the Volvo system) Sick, left-wing inventions force me to think in all possible ways .