2001 Volvo V70 T5
Review by RON DRYSDALE

I really wanted to be hiking by noon but the trailhead was 270 km away and the sun had already been up for a couple of hours.

“I can do this,” I thought. That first Sunday of Spring Break had dawned clear, cold and dry, and more than half of the drive would be on all-but-deserted rural highways.

The drive-of-the-week was certainly up to the task. Offering the right mix of stealth and speed, Volvo’s T5 wagon is powered with the company’s 2.3 litre high-pressure (and intercooled) turbocharged five-cylinder engine and would be just-about-perfect for a safe, low-profile run up to Riding Mountain National Park.

It turned out to be a great day, with the time on the highway and backcountry roads almost as satisfying as the four-hour round-trip hike in to Grey Owl’s cabin.

Points noted during our time in the V70:

• This particular wagon did not have the optional roof rack, which meant that the vehicle was surprisingly quiet at highway speeds.
  
  
• The T5’s engine produces 247 horsepower with very little turbo lag. The passing rush is almost instantaneous and the engine continues to pull strongly at triple-digit speeds … just the ticket for a serene transit of Montana.
  
  
• The T5 is front-wheel-drive only. Buyers looking for AWD will be disappointed to learn that it’s only available in the gussied-up Cross Country model. Too bad.
  
  
• There’s a lot to be said for stars o’erhead, and the V70 remained comfortably calm and warm with its moonroof wide open at legal cruising speeds … at -18 degrees. Awesome airflow management.
  
  
• The T5 is available with a five-speed manual transmission (hooray), but the press car was equipped with Volvo’s five-speed automatic with the “geartronic” feature that provides drivers with the option of (clutchless) shifting for themselves. All automatic shift levers should be so simple … straight back all the way for Drive, and straight forward all the way for Park.
  
  
• The optional nine-speaker 200 watt Dolby stereo was supplemented by an optional 150-watt 12-inch subwoofer partially tucked into the spare-tire well. Volvos are sturdy, solidly-built cars, but this stereo could make the rear-view mirror tremble in concert with the bass line. The overall quality of the sound was extraordinary.
  
  
• The brakes were powerful but a bit grabby, unlike any Volvo I’ve ever driven and undoubtedly due to the fact that this was a well-flogged press vehicle.
  
  
• The heated leather thrones in the front were equipped with Volvo’s Whiplash Protection System (Whips) and even the roomy rear seats were equipped with seatback tilt adjustment.
  
  
• The front passenger seat folds flat to accommodate long objects.
  
  
• The T5 is front-wheel-drive but was equipped with DSTC, Volvo’s stability control system. On the five kilometres of winding wet gravel and snow that ascended the park’s eastern escarpment I was unable to provoke any kind of oops.

The T5 starts at $46,500 and the tester’s stereo, leather and autotrans added another $5,700. That kind of money buys a fast, roomy and very comfortable car with a reputation for safety and durability.

Home, James