2001 Volvo V70 Road Test

'All show and no go' and 'beauty is only skin deep' are phrases that you probably have never heard associated with anything from Volvo. In fact the opposite would be more accurate. Volvo has a history of great cars in extremely conservative clothing. Well there is a new attitude in the frozen north, and this Swedish car company is finally producing cars that are as much about style as they are about safety, reliability and performance. The V70 wagon, introduced last summer as a 2001 model, builds on the radically styled S80 sedan theme, with a front end sporting a similar protruding grille. Its lines are fluid and its stance athletic. Large flush headlights precede a long front hood to its steeply raked windshield. A 240-series style ridge stretches along the beltline from front fender to the tall rear taillights. The roofline begins high and drops subtly as it approaches its tail - the best rear quarter view of a Volvo wagon yet. Overall the V70 looks sensational.