Several manufacturers give the impression that there is one car that they enjoy building more than any other. I've believed for some time, to take three examples, that Jaguar is completely in its comfort zone with the XJ, that BMW is most at home with the 3-Series, and that nothing pleases Mazda more than the MX-5.With Volvo, it's the V70. Every time I drive any other Volvo I feel that the big estate was in some way the reference point - even the little C30 seems to be trying to be a V70 in some ways, with the result that it's not nearly as sporty as Volvo likes to stay it is.I can't believe that anybody buys a V70 for its sportiness (the irony of that comment will become apparent very soon). It's big, it's solid and it feels very safe. All the controls are chunky and fairly heavy to use (with the exception for the handbrake, which is operated via a dashboard-mounted switch that you have to lean forward to reach - not Volvo's best idea) and the result is that the V70 feels ponderous, but the fact that those controls are equally chunky and heavy means there's a pleasant overall balance to the driving process.This is all good, as long as you're not worried about sportiness, which you're probably not.So what have we here? Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the sporty Volvo V70. It's called the R-Design, and as you can see it looks subtly but distinctly different from other V70s. 18" alloy wheels are mostly responsible for those, but so are the lower ride height and one or two pieces of exterior treatment such as the matt silver front grille and door mirrors, the chrome exhaust tailpipes and the body-coloured spoiler above the tailgate.I must say I think the R-Design styling works well here, but there's more to this car than just the looks. This particular V70 also has stiffened suspension which, in conjunction with the wheels, the tyres that are fitted to them and the reduced ride height, provide what Volvo describes as "an enhanced, sportier drive" and "crisp driving pleasure".Mm-hmm. I don't quite buy this. Volvo is very keen to talk about sporty drives and the like, but it's very rarely justified, and certainly not here. The R-Design feels pretty much like a standard V70 to me. It may indeed handle slightly better than other cars in the range (I haven't driven two on the same day so I can't comment on this) but sporty it ain't.It's still big, it's still solid, it still feels very safe, and it looks better than other V70s. The benefits of choosing an R-Design over a (cheaper) SE or a (more expensive) SE Lux are no more, and no less, than this.If you clung to the belief that there is such a thing as a sporty V70, this particular model would not be the one to buy. It's the second least expensive R-Design version, and the least powerful thanks to its two-litre turbo diesel engine, which produces a maximum of 134bhp.Straightline performance is modest, the top speed being 121mph and the official 0-62mph time 11.4 seconds. Other versions, including the more powerful 2.5-litre turbo diesels, are faster than this, but I didn't feel that the 2.0D had anything missing. I didn't need or want to go at 121mph or anything like it, and there was no occasion when getting from 0-62mph in, say, 10 seconds seemed like a particularly good idea.What I did want, now and again, was a bit of squirt to complete an overtaking manoeuvre quickly and safely. The 2.0D engine is strong enough in the lower part of its rev range to provide that, so I was happy. Other V70s would have been quicker still, but to what purpose? And they would have used more fuel - nothing else in the range can beat the 2.0D's combined figure of nearly 50mpg, and if I didn't actually achieve that I can't have been far away from it.Volvo is wrong. This is not a sporty car by any important definition. It's a good car, though, the kind of thing Volvo does best and seems to be most comfortable with, and for a large, boxy estate it's really quite attractive. If I were personally in the market for a V70, that would be good enough for me. Engine 1997 cc, 4 cylinders Power 136 bhp @4000 rpm Torque 236 ib/ft @2000 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 47.9 mpg / 157 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 11.4sec Top speed 121 mph Price From £25826.00 approx Release date 22/04/2008
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