Don’t act so surprised. Volvo has been excelling in the department of interior design for quite some time. Most notably, the S40 and V50 siblings brought ‘transparency’ to centre consoles. New-gen XC70s are significantly easier to use than the second-generation cars.
With laws preventing The Good Car Guy from holding and talking on a cellular phone and with the car in GoodCarBadCar.net’s care for a week, Bluetooth is set up. Cooled seats do the trick in 28C (82F) heat almost, if not better, than air conditioning. The roof rack doesn’t get in the way of a decently sized sunroof. And were it not for the availability of a comfortable leather sectional, surely six or seven of Volvo’s front seats would make for a wonderfully comfortable living room. Just try and find an uncomfortable position – you won’t succeed.
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Gauges are clean and clear. It’d be nice for the steering wheel to be either slightly thinner or larger in circumference. I know – it sounds like a mixed up route to the perfect steering wheel, but it seems as though the excessive thickness; mixed with an awkward perimeter, is the only thing keeping the Volvo XC70 from the perfect driving position.
Armrest cushioning is downright luxurious. Window switches sit where I want them to sit. The ‘key’ slot is too high and is gimmicky anyway. Car design seems to be heading to a point where one manufacturer will advertise the merits of a genuine key ignition in about 2018 and we’ll all say that’s gimmick-driven. Volvo is led by safety and under that belief, it’s not hard to see why they want the XC70’s fob to be in place with a foot on the brake before the car starts. But the best part of so many of these keyless systems is that the key never has to leave your jacket pocket. Not true in this case, and it makes for a momentary lapse almost every time the XC70 leaves a parking spot. As for the metallic finish (pictured below) that surrounds much of the cabin, it won’t be too everyone’s liking. Although it would remain were the XC70 to remain at GoodCarBadCar Towers, many customers switch it with wood.
Add it all up, and regardless of the number of pros and cons, Volvo accomplished something special inside the XC70. Functional classiness. Amen.
