26 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 27, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com

2 0 0 8 P R E V I E W S P E C I A L E D I T I O N

■ By Bradley HornOAKVILLE BEAVER

otwithstanding Nordic languages ripe with multi-syllabic wordsand umlauts, Scandinavia is probably best known for its cleanand functional design philosophy (we’re far beyond Ikea’s fl at-

packed furniture here). Take, for example, Dane Arne Jacobsen’s perenni-al 3107 chair: the simple, steam-bent plywood seat is as chic, tidy andpopular today as it was when it originally debuted in 1955.

Though it’s been around a much more modest decade, the same canbe said for Volvo’s XC70 sport-ute. While other auto outfi ts havechopped and changed their SUV formula over the years, the Swedescrafted a capable “wagon on stilts” back in 1997 and have pretty muchleft the original concept intact through three generations because, well,the design is perpetually pertinent.

The Volvo folks on hand here in Germany were particularly proud ofthe decidedly upscale underpinnings of this new XC70, which come fromnone other than the fl agship S80 sedan — as do the engine, the newgeneration of safety systems, the majority of the interior, etc., etc. I’m sur-prised they didn’t rebadge it “XC80.”

As with all past XCs, the new generation starts life as a V70 wagon(also new and unveiled alongside the XC70 at March’s Geneva MotorShow).Thanks to four different grades of highstrength steel, their sharedbody structure is both lighter and stronger (torsional rigidity is up 15 per-cent). Not surprisingly, interior volumes grow too, but we’ll get to thecabin later... This being a Volvo, we must first talk safety. Believe me, thisis the Coles Notes version — the full press kit could squash a Yaris.

Of particular note are Volvo’s industry-exclusive, second-row inte-grated booster cushions. The optional two-position seats provide varyingsizes of kiddies with proper protection in a collision and allows them tosee out of the rear windows. The XC’s Side Impact Protection System(SIPS) has also been upgraded with stronger steel and a 60-mm exten-sion of the curtain airbags.

Aside from the expected nannies like Dynamic Stability and TractionControl (DSTC), radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), new ActiveBi-Xenon headlights and the Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS),there’s cool techery including BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) whichuses cameras in the door mirrors to warn the driver of a vehicle in theVolvo’s blind spot; Collision Warning with Brake Support, which usesradar to sense if the XC is approaching another vehicle too quickly, acti-vating a warning light and buzzer, while moving the brakes closer to thediscs and boosting brake pressure; and IDIS (Intelligent Driver

Information System), which monitors the driver’s actions and delays non-essential information (e.g. an incoming phone call), during “intenseactivity,” like overtaking, or lane changes.

Not surprisingly, Volvo says the XC70 should be the safest car in itssegment. The DSTC, fourchannel ABS, electronic brake-force distribution,emergency brake assist and IDIS are all standard.There’s even an option-al Personal Car Communicator (PCC), a high-tech key fob that can tell thedriver if the XC’s alarm has been triggered and, by way of a highly sen-sitive heartbeat monitor, if someone is hiding inside the vehicle!

The XC70’s rear view is perhaps most striking, with its wide-spaced“Volvo” badge and those characteristic tail lamps, which now rise aspart of the larger tailgate. Sixteen-inch alloys are standard — 17s areoptional. A six-cylinder engine fi nally replaces the inline fi ve in theXC70 for 2008. The same transversely mounted 3.2-litre that debuted inthe S80, the six fi nally slips in because of its extremely compact design,which moves ancillaries like the steering pump and A/C compressorbehind the engine, into the space above the gearbox.

The design also benefi ts frontal crash performance. The normally-aspirated all-alloy mill makes 235 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque through asixspeed automatic gearbox. That’s only 27 hp and exactly zero lb-ft oftorque more than last year’s turbocharged 2.5-litre.

On Germany’s ’bahns and back roads this translated into suffi cient,if uneventful performance. Don’t get me wrong, the engine’s butterysmooth and the gearbox, with its Geartronic manual mode, is a whiz atputting the limited grunt down, but the XC70’s curb weight is up 221 kg(489 lb.) over last year, probably due to all that new safety goodness.Volvo says 0-100 km/h takes 8.6 seconds, but I fear an XC loaded withkin and kit would be somewhat unhurried. It didn’t help that earlier thatday, we’d also piloted the new V70 wagon, with a brilliant 285-hp tur-bocharged inline six under the hood. That mill, or even Europe’s turbod-iesel fi ve-cylinder, would be welcome additions. What the XC70 loses ingrunt it makes back in handling, thanks chiefly to the standard Haldexall-wheel drive system and the optional Four-C active chassis.

Note a small triumph for us, as only Canuck drivers, and not Yanks,can order the self-regulating Four-C active chassis system, which contin-uously adjusts the XC70’s suspension to suit driving conditions.

Volvo says its Comfort, Sport and Advanced settings “reduce the car’stendency to squat, dip or yaw under hard acceleration,” firms up brakingand quickens steering response. There’s also a new optional speed-dependent power steering feature, with three levels of servo assistance.Dial the lowest assist into the latter and set the Four-C system toAdvanced and the XC70 is pretty agile for a wilderness wagon, though

admittedly a bit more “sport” in the highest setting would be welcome.New for the ’08 XC70 is standard Hill Descent Control. Borrowed

from Land Rover, it uses the car’s brakes and engine compression, insteadof a crawling gear, to creep the vehicle downhill at about 10 km/h.

Volvo says it’s also practical for smooth starts when pulling a traileror launching a boat. Finally, we get to XC’s interior, which as mentioned,is straight out of the S80 save for some colour variants. It’s a good thing,as that clean, functional Scandinavian design philosophy is applied inspades. Highlights include Volvo’s super-slim centre stack, an electricparking brake, optional pop-up DVD navigation, and leather seats thatare still best in the biz.

Rear-seat legroom grows by 48 mm (1.9 in) and knee room by 21 mm(0.8 in.). The XC70’s back bench splits 40/20/40 and lays entirely flat.

Some highlights of the cargo area: load length with the rear seat fold-ed, 1,878 mm (73.9 in.); height, 801 mm (31.5 in); and rear openingwidth, 1,223 mm (48.1 in.). Aluminum rails with movable cargo anchorsare standard in luggage land and can be expanded with a plethora ofoptional storage solutions (baskets, dividers, etc.).

As is the trend with Volvo of late, the XC70 offers a wicked, optionalpremium sound system, encompassing a 650-watt digital amplifier fromAlpine, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround sound processing, and 12 speakersfrom Denmark’s Dynaudio. An auxiliary input for iPods is now standard.

Base price for the XC70 is $46,495.Three option packages (Premium,Luxury and Convenience) add equipment like cooled seats, rain sensingwipers, a power tailgate and a mass movement and level sensor. Stand-alone options include said premium stereo and a dualscreen rear enter-tainment system. Loaded, an XC70 could run near $65,000— it’s a pre-mium sport-ute after all.

Volvo’s new XC70 is more of the same, only better

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■ By Jim RobinsonOAKVILLE BEAVER

We came over the crest on the trail and my co-driver andI both gasped.

There, 20 metres straight down, was the forest floor ofthe hill we had just driven up. There was no turning

around and going back, only forward.With trees so close together we had to pull in the mirrors to

make it, we edged over the brow, and with feet off the brakes andgas, nosed over on Hill Descent Control (HDC).

With the HDC making grunting braking and engine noises, thebottom was about as wide as the wheelbase with the next chal-lenge being another seemingly vertical climb up through ruts asdeep as the axles.

My knuckles on the grab handle were white on what was eas-ily the most demanding off-road course I've ever been on, and I'vebeen on a lot.

We were driving a 2008 Jeep Liberty and you can count on thefingers of one hand how many showroom stock competitors wouldhave made it through.

"Jeepness" is a word used inside Chrysler's Jeep Division andit means having all the legendary, go-anywhere ability consumersexpect to find in the name. Cutting corners would have been easyon the Liberty. It would have made it a whole lot less expensive toproduce, but it wouldn't have been a "real" Jeep.

The second generation Liberty is part of a seven-model lineupthat has blossomed over the past five years from just three. TheLiberty shares the same, rugged flat-sided look as the big Hemi-powered Commander. All the Jeep styling cues are there like theseven-slot grille and large headlights.

But perhaps the greatest single design cue is the squared-offfender flares, that are now in body color. Jeep said they could havemade the vehicle less costly without the detachable flared fenders.But owners said loud and clear that when they go bashing throughthe bush, which many do, they want to just tear off the old fenderand bolt on a new one instead of always going to a body shop forrepairs.

Doors feel solid and close with a "thunk". Inside, the Liberty isnot festooned with faux wood and brushed aluminum trim. It isprimarily hard-edged, soft-touch plastics but without the bargainbasement look and feel of the first generation Liberty.

In fact, my co-driver and I agreed that the Liberty shows youcan have a quality interior look and feel as long as you don't cutcosts here to spend it on things you don't need like gaudy interiortrim. The biggest improvement was with the seats that now haveimproved bolstering to hold your tush securely in place.

The most noticeable improvement was in the quality of the rideon highways. The last Liberty I drove felt heavy (which it was) andslow. The 2008 Liberty still has a feeling of solidity but with the3.7-litre V6, it has the punch to keep up with the flow of traffic.

Coming up to an off-ramp, the Liberty did not lurch over to theright as some bigger 4X4's do because of their high centre of grav-ity. In fact the Liberty was more like a CUV than a dedicated SUV.

Jeep officials said at the press briefing the Liberty's 3.7-litreSOHC V6 was seen as offering the best balance of power and econ-omy producing 210 hp and 235 lb/ft of torque with a choice of asix-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Fuel num-bers for the manual are 13.4L/100 km (21 mpg city) and 9.2L/100km (31 mpg) highway. The automatic gets 14.0L/100 km (20 mpg)city and 9.7L/100 km (29 mpg) highway.

It wouldn't be a Jeep without industry leading four-wheel-drive. All Liberty models come with a standard Command-Trac IIfour-wheel-drive system. Optional on all three models is Selec-Trac

II, arguably the most advanced four-wheel-drive system availablein the industry.

Command-Trac II is a part-time fully electronic system with ashift-on-the-fly that provides peace of mind with available four-wheel-drive capability delivered through a two-speed transfer casefor use on slippery or loose surfaces such as snow, mud or sand.

The all-new Selec-Trac II full-time active on-demand systemactually anticipates and prevents wheel slip before it occurs. It isideal for a range of road settings, including dry pavement condi-tions not typically suited for conventional part-time four-wheel-drive systems typically seen on competitors.

All Liberty models come with front and side curtain airbags, tirepressure warning monitor, a flip-up rear glass on the tailgate, anifty reversible rear cargo tray that can take up to 400 lbs and thefour-wheel disc brakes come with a full battery of anti-lock brakes,electronic stability program (ESP) and electronic rollover mitiga-tion.

Options are few but significant, like the premium sound systemwith Sirius satellite radio, a trailer towing group and the MyGIGmultimedia information system with internal 20 gigabyte harddrive. But the kicker is the Sky Slider Roof that opens either to thefront or the rear from just behind the A-pillar all the way back tobehind the back seat. The fabric top is about the size of six-placedinner table. You have to see it!

While our American friends get two versions of the Liberty, ashas become fashion at Jeep Canada, we get three models. The baseLiberty Sport starts at $27,695 with the range topping Limitedcoming in at $32,795. In the middle is the $28,545 Canada-onlyNorth Edition which is similar to the Sport but adds some of theamenities Canadians like such as fold-flat front passenger seat,cruise control, roof rack with side rails, compass and temperaturereadouts, fog lamps and a 115-volt AC outlet.

Interestingly, Jeep officials said that while more content hasbeen added, the Liberty Sport is $2,695 less than the 2007 modeland that price reduction holds true across the range.

But by far, the biggest feature, and it's standard, is that allLiberty models are "Trail Rated" and that means they have beentested to meet and/or exceed all the off-road capability that peo-ple expect in a Jeep.

Chrysler knows it's "Jeepness" that people want and it's"Jeepness" they are going to find in abundance in the 2008Liberty.

The rugged 2008 Liberty loses none of its "Jeepness"

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