- More elegant and capable
- Dynamic driving protection in the right
places
- More sporty exterior - without compromising
functionality
- New, smart tailgate
- Interior with more premium touch and feel
The all-new Volvo XC70 has admittedly dressed up for a luxurious
night out in town, but its appetite for exciting adventure is as
large as ever.
"The dark-coloured plastic panels at the bottom are less obvious
than on the current model. But as with exclusive outdoor clothing,
the protection is placed exactly where it needs to be to withstand
the rough stuff," says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.
The large dark-coloured plastic panels on the current XC70 model
have now been mostly replaced with painted surfaces. This in
combination with refined lines and contours and a more dynamic rear
section give the all-new XC70 a more elegant, more luxurious
appearance.
But don't be fooled into thinking the XC70 is ready to abdicate
its position as the sportiest, most capable XC model. Quite the
contrary.
"Imagine you are driving comfortably on an open motorway. When
you look out the side window across the bleak landscape, you are
surprised to be overtaken by a car driving in the rough desert with
a trail a cloud of dust behind it. That was the vision and that was
the car we had in our minds when we started designing the all-new
XC70," explains Stefan Jansson, who is in charge of the exterior
design.
Larger painted area at the front
At the front the characteristic dark nose of the current XC70 has
been abandoned and replaced with a new, unique soft nose. The
headlamps and grille have grown and now have the same trapezoidal
shape that was first seen on the XC60 Concept in Detroit in early
2007.
To retain the rugged stance, the plastic panels at the corners
have been emphasized around the bumper air intakes, which are more
clearly pronounced.
"They look like "boxing-gloves", while the shape of the air
intakes is inspired by a jet engine's frontal profile. These lines
are echoed around the red reflectors at the rear, which accordingly
trace the shape of the extractors on a jet engine," explains
Jansson.
The silver-coloured protective skid-plate at the front has been
widened and integrated to take on a spoiler-like shape.
Tall and spacious with rippling muscles
Along the sides the contrasting, protective sections have been
supplemented with a chrome moulding at the bottom of the doors to
emphasise the required stance of a tall, spacious car with elegant
lines and rippling muscles. The roof-rail is integrated into the
A-pillar moulding.
"The framed side windows, the distinct shoulders and the clean
lines create harmony between the rounded, sporty front and the
spacious rear of a genuine estate car. The raised rear section is
also an important element in creating the well-balanced
impression," says Jansson.
The pronounced wheel housings are another important feature of
the XC70 model's confident statement that this is a highly capable
car. The all-new XC70 can be specified with a variety of wheels all
the way up to sporty six-spoke 18-inch alloys.
Intelligent overlapping tailgate
The rear of the all-new XC70 gives a more dynamic, more sculpted
impression with the hexagonal design language taken from the
remarkable glass tailgate of the new Volvo C30. The rear glass
window also extends further down than the side windows to give the
driver better rearward visibility.
"The shape of the outside is now more dynamic without
compromising the car's practical properties. With the help of the
intelligent overlapping tailgate, which takes the tail lamps up
with it when it is opened, the space inside the car is larger than
before and easy to load," says Mattin.
At the rear, the Volvo name on the tailgate features more
pronounced lettering with wider spacing than before. This new
feature was first shown on the XC60 Concept in Detroit this
year.
Luxurious and adventurous
The all-new XC70 model represents Scandinavian design at its best -
that is to say every little detail has been designed with 100
percent focus on clean lines and intelligent functionality.
Comfort in the front seat includes superb seats and
ergonomically designed instruments - naturally including an
elegant, super-slim centre stack and an audio system of absolute
world class.
"One could say that the XC70 has a dual personality. On weekdays
it's a sophisticated and elegant car for an active urban life. Come
the weekend and it transforms into a rugged partner for all kinds
of exciting adventures," says Jonathan Disley, who has designed the
interior of the all-new XC70.
Espresso Brown interior and royal
inspiration
In addition to Sandstone Beige and Anthracite Black there is an
Espresso Brown option where the warm dark colour of the seats, door
panels and instrument panel contrasts with the sand-coloured
detailing of the rest of the interior trim.
The special XC70 feeling inside the car has been inspired by one
of the best-known patterns of Swedish design history - "Virrvarr"
(Chaos or Confusion) by Swedish prince and later internationally
renowned designer Sigvard Bernadotte.
"The 'tangled' theme in "Virrvarr" served as the inspiration for
a number of details: the stitching of the leather, the
cross-brushed aluminium panels and the mesh pockets at the rear.
The idea is that the criss-crossing lines should be echoed
throughout the interior to make the car even more exciting," says
Boel Hermansson, head of colour and material design for the all-new
XC70.