Volvo makes one of those beautiful, elegant SUVs that you see driving along, happily, without a care in the world. It isn’t getting hell from the environmentalists like a Hummer would, and it isn’t anemic and underpowered like a Hyundai or other small SUV. Finally, it’s not “fancy” like a BMW X5 or an Mercedes-Benz R Class. It’s just right in that sweet zone, where all of its attention seems to be positive, and nobody really has anything but praise for it. Even in road tests it just keeps getting the thumbs up from those that review it.
And that’s pretty much exactly what driving it is like. People aren’t staring at you with a glare as you roll past in a mighty dominator, they smile and wave, and let you into traffic. You, in return, smile back as you turn up the radio from the steering wheel mounted controls. You use the extremely well designed dash controls to dial in that perfect temperature, and swing past slower motorists in the fast lane with a swiftness that would keep your grandmother from guessing you were driving faster than you should. The pedal is ready to take you into ‘ticket-land’, but it’ll do it so gently that you have to watch that creeping speedometer or you’ll be explaining to the officer how it’s really not your fault that Volvo makes such a smooth ride.
Everything is so dialed in it makes you sad you have to drive other cars. The rear cargo space is even elegant. It has a 3rd row of seating, which is the only place I wouldn’t want to end up, however, you’re never *really* driving with 7 tall passengers at a time, and you can always talk someone into getting back there instead of you. But those in the back are still treated to elegant cup holders, comfortable arm rests, movable head rests to set yourself into a nice warm nap. Also, one of my favorite features is the clamshell rear hatch. The little tailgate that lowers gives you a seat while you’re changing into your hiking shoes (and the top providing shade while you do it), or stays up allowing you to secure things into place in the back against the tailgate while still having the hatch open. Very well designed and very intelligent design.
While driving, it’s very quiet. Which just keeps on building up that trust that they’ve already established. Everything is in such a logical place, keeping you from having to reach or strain for anything. Even the mp3 “Aux” input is nicely placed in the center console, complete with a power plug, allowing you to store your iPod next to you and without having any wires dangling from the dash. It prevents you from messing up the aesthetic by thinking one step ahead of you. And for $45,000, very well loaded, this car is a steal compared to so many other similarly priced vehicles out there. I couldn’t recommend it enough, 5 stars.
