|
The engine’s a light-pressure turbo with 2.6-liters of displacement. Despite what others say that LPT is just a marketing gimmick, I say it gives bags loads of useable urge without the Jack Nicholson unpredictability. Then, there’s the 5-speed automatic, that works so well its simply unbelievable. There’s no hesitation, no delay—the inline-5 powers on when you need it. A small note though: better leave the computer to do all the shifting as some work is still needed to make the manual over ride smoother and less obtrusive. The excellent performance does have one major trade-off: high-octane fuel. A brief look into the colored owners manual reveals that a 97-octane diet is required, with a 95 minimum and 93 only to be used in emergencies. Loading it to the brim, our XC70 managed a distance of 502 kilometers—that’s 9.0 km/L despite its rather high displacement engine. With the lack of competition from the likes of Audi’s A6 All-Road and VW Passat 4Motion, the only one with a similar layout is the Subaru Forester—and that one pales in comparison. So, what Volvo has, at least in the Philippines is a vehicle that’s quite unique: the first and only crossover. Personally, although I would have preferred the design of the BMW X5 or the sophistication of the Range Rover, the XC70’s 2.9M price tag is certainly hard to ignore. Call it a crossover or a wagon on stilts, but if it had a veil I’d marry the XC70 and call her my wife—well, at least my concubine. |
|
||||
