The Volvo XC70 Is Back, But It’s Not How You Remember It

Ah, the Volvo XC70. It’s been a while since it went off sale, to be replaced by the V90 Cross Country. We still have a real fondness for the first two generations, though – there’s something inexplicably charming about the jacked-up, plastic-clad estate, and we still spend a worrying amount of time browsing the classifieds for it as well as the Subaru Outback and Audi Allroad.

Now, though, it’s back, but in name only. The new XC70 is another member of Volvo’s ever-growing stable of SUVs, and though it’s hard to get a sense of its scale, its name suggests it should slot in between the XC60 and seven-seater XC90.

It’s the first Volvo to be based on the company’s Scalable Modular Architecture, which it shares with a couple of cars made by fellow Geely-owned company, Lynk & Co. It features a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and while Volvo hasn’t gone into specifics, the company’s Chinese website (where the XC70’s being launched first), outlines both front- and all-wheel drive versions with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. 

The all-wheel drive version, with its 39.6kWh battery, makes a peak of 456bhp, and will hit 62mph in a spritely 5.3 seconds. It'll also do a quoted electric-only range of 112 miles, per the worldwide WLTC test cycle. Volvo reckons that, with everything operating as efficiently as possible, the longer-range car will manage over 745 miles of driving without the need to charge or refuel.

The front-driver, meanwhile, has a smaller 21.2kWh battery, and produces a max system output of 314bhp. It'll do 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds, and gets a quoted EV range of 72 miles.

It’s standard modern Volvo minimalism inside, with a 12.3-inch digital driver display, 15.4-inch central infotainment screen, and almost nothing in the way of physical controls. It gets the very 2025 function of an AI-powered voice assistant, too.

The XC70’s already available to order in China, where it costs from ¥446,900 (around £46,500). It’ll be coming to Europe at an unspecified later date too – until then, you’ll find us on Gumtree eyeing up cheap old XC70 D5s.