Rock-solid family tour ... Swede as

Photo / Supplied

Volvo's S80 may have introduced sexy to the brand, courtesy of its stonking Yamaha-developed V8, but the rest of the breed still reeks of sensible.

Mind you, "sensible" is almost a compliment when it comes to family wagons. Trouble is, it's often allied to dull.

There's not a lot of sparkle to this $84,990 Volvo XC70. It's basically a high-riding version of the plain V70 wagon - albeit at a greater cost, and with hill descent control. Think Legacy/Outback Swedish-style; it's not for everyone, but does have its place.

This year's car is all but identical to its predecessor, bar the larger grille badge - and the five-cylinder diesel under the bonnet which imparts such a pleasantly growly soundtrack.

It's a 2.4 with plentiful torque, the 420Nm peak on tap anywhere from 1500 to 3250rpm. That makes for plenty of poke from super-low speeds, albeit with a touch of turbo-lag.

It also makes for more frugal fuel use than this car's petrol sibling, with 7.5l/100km the claim. My hilly, semi-rural and urban running netted 8.3, still considerably less than the 3.2-litre petrol's 11.2l/100km.

But you don't spend this much on a wagon to save money on diesel. You buy it because it does the job.

This car's comfy seats are clad in nicely finished leather, while the dash with its restrained brushed metallic trim looks handsome and works well in a definitely Volvo way. The second-row pews feature two inbuilt kiddy booster seats, you can tuck the rear headrests down if they're blocking your view, and the seats fold to deliver a high, flat load floor. Luggage rails let you tie your stuff down, and there's a beautifully finished 28-litre under-boot tray to hide valuables. So, lots of t's crossed and in every functional way, this car works very well. Yes, I tried it on gravel, uneven farm-land terrain and steep slopes - everything but wet boat ramps; the worst it's likely to encounter. The Haldex all-wheel-drive system never put a foot wrong, responding apparently instantly to wheelslip.

But I also punted it along winding, country roads with typically lumpy, bumpy rural surfaces. The XC70's suspension tuning is definitely aimed at comfort - and if you drive like a careful mum with a car full of littlies, you'll be happy. Lift the pace a tad and you'll find tyre-whining understeer, though this car remains a predictable handler, if a tad prone to bounce over the more lurid potholes I encountered.

To be fair, the XC70 clearly isn't designed as a beat-the-stopwatch type of car. It's set-and-forget family motoring with the rock-solid feel of a Volvo - underlined by its rock-solid safety rep.

Volvo XC70 D5

We like

Family-friendly features such as in-built booster seats; feels rock-solid, pared-back Swedish style

We don't like

Suspension-handling a tad too comfort-focused

Powertrain

2.4-litre five-cylinder twin-turbo diesel, 151kW, 420Nm at 1500-3250rpm, six-speed auto drives all four wheels

Performance

0-100km/h 8.9 second, 7.5l/100km (claimed)

Safety

Six airbags, whiplash protection, stability and traction control

What it's got

Leather heated seats, climate control air, park assist, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, auto dimming rear-view mirror

Vital stats

4838mm long, 555/1580-litre boot (to top of seat), 70-litre tank.