2001 Volvo V70 Review

The practical nature becomes apparent from the adaptable arrangement of seats for as many as seven passengers and an expandable cargo compartment with tie-down hooks and various accessories available to manage on-board freight loads.

Its luxurious side comes from posh appointments in an insulated passenger compartment in the mode of elite European touring sedans.

Volvo's historical emphasis on safety lives on with innovations to safety cell structures and active seats rigged to thwart whiplash injuries. Occupants are shielded by airbags positioned ahead, beside and above. To avoid crashes in the first place, the driver is armed with active safety tools including responsive steering, anti-lock brakes and traction control to reduce skids.

The sports appeal comes from turbocharged power and an adaptable five-speed automatic transmission designed to propel the car quickly up a freeway on-ramp and allow it to keep pace at autobahn speeds when desired.

And its wild side comes into play from a rigid chassis with sporty suspension tuning and the choice of a manual five-speed shifter for the high-output turbo T5 edition.