Overview & Reviews

For 2011, the Volvo XC70 gets more horsepower, an available front-wheel-drive version and a minor shuffling of standard and optional features. Volvo also drops the XC70's price by several thousand dollars to make it more attractive against more modern and efficient crossover rivals.

• Plentiful safety features
• Available integrated rear booster seats.
• Wonderfully supportive seats
• Ample cargo capacity

• Subpar fuel economy with turbo engine
• Unintuitive navigation system.
• Dull handling
• Lackluster base engine

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 12.00

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  I like this car - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By Albert Sokol - January 13 - 10:06 pm

  It has 70,000 miles on it. Otherwise it is great. It is perfect for sports (kayaking, hiking, skiing, biking). And for family and carrying stuff and it is very peppy. Good in even deep snow.

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  Looks good, feels great, but... - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By an0nym0us - April 21 - 8:22 am

  Comparing to 2002 V70XC I traded in for it, its a mixed bag. Interior feels much more luxurious and refined; also appears somewhat roomier. Exterior design mostly improved on the previous generation, except for those silvery things around fog lights. Actually on mine - painted Electric Silver - they look OK, but on darker cars theyre outright out of place. The engine - 3.2 inline 6 - is nominally more powerful than the T5 on previous generation, but feels not as peppy as the older one. Gas mileage is not as good, too. The transmission feels more smooth-shifting and refined. The suspension is tuned more towards ride comfort rather than spirited driving style.

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  Consider the T6 if youre looking for an XC70 - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By abmwfan - February 11 - 4:54 pm

  I traded a 2009 XC70 3.2 AWD for a 2011 XC70 T6. The turbo engine significantly improves this vehicle: quieter, smoother, more than adequate acceleration and no noticeable reduction in mpg. The 3.2 is slow, buzzy/noisy and it gets lousy mpg (worst of all worlds). Youre always aware of the engine working at the limits of its capacity to move this heavy vehicle. And, while the T6s base price is $6k higher, it comes standard with AWD and premium/leather package which are nearly always added to the 3.2, so the "base" sticker price of the T6 and 3.2 are essentially the same before other options. Why not get the bigger engine?

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  A beautiful wagon - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By jjf5 - May 10 - 10:50 pm

  We had wanted to buy one of these for over a year, and I had done extensive research. I initially wanted a V70, but wife wanted the AWD. I thought the base XC70 3.2 was too slow and inefficient, and wanted to see what happened after Ford sold Volvo to the Chinese. Im glad I waited. Not only were prices slashed, but quality and features improved. I picked up an XC70 T6 cheaper than last years base model. Volvo hired a good CEO, and the workers in Gothenburg are happier than they were under Ford. This combined with it being the 3rd production year should mean improved reliability, but well see. Ill post a long term update after 10000 miles.

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  Why I just purchased a second 2011 XC70 T6 - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By Robert Zamenhof - April 5 - 11:53 pm

  Overall this is a pretty good car. Having had only Volvo wagons since 1980, I have to say that this 2011 seems more solid and heavy (in a good way) than any of my previous models or later models I have driven as loaners. Generally reliability has been good--with a few exceptions: At 85,000 miles, the engine started to use a lot of oil. Volvo examined it and replaced the entire engine. They told me that it was a bad batch of piston rings that was responsible, so this wasnt really a "bad" feature of the car. Volvo has never been able to properly balance the wheels, so I have learned to live with a slight steering wheel vibration at around 60 mph. They said the rims were distorted and sent them for repair; but that didnt help. Tire Rack replaced all 4 tires TWICE, with no improvement. The design of the rims is such that mud stays put and makes the balance problem markedly worse. I have never been totally happy with the brakes, but a recent full brake replacement has fixed this problem. There is a really stupid feature of the software: when the fog lights are on, they go out when high beams are selected, but dont come back on when you return to low beams. Interestingly, the second identical model I just purchased doesnt do this! Finally, I am singularly unimpressed with the headlights, specially the high beams. Ive replaced the low-beam bulbs with high intensity "silver tip" bulbs, but see hardly any difference. There are no high intensity replacements for the high-beam bulbs, so when I drive at night plplllI envy the bright headlights of much cheaper cars. LlLL2nd Review 9/1/16: L having now owned my 2nd 2011 XC70 T6 for about 6 months, I can add a little to this review. The 2nd XC70 seems just as well built as my first one. I do, however, miss the folding rear-view mirrors and the front seats donr seem to be quite as comfortable; but since the car has less than 30,000 miles, it could just be a break-in phenomenon. The headlights are markedly superior to those on the first car (see above review), even with standard bulbs, and there are no problems with wheel balance or braking (see above review). The silly fog-light phenomenon I described for the first car is also absent. In summary, the 2nd car is just as good as the first, and just as robust and "heavy" in a good way. Id like to replace the first car with another 2011 (it has 130,000 miles); but I dont think I could find a low-mileage 2011 again. Since the first review (see above), the first car has had the following major repairs (all covered by an extended warranty policy): New A/C compressor, new motor for drivers side mirror (motor failed).

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  I LOVE my T6! - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By lindsayg - January 16 - 10:54 am

  Volvo has read my mind- all my "issues" with my 2008 standard XC70 have been completely corrected in the 2011 T6 model. It is absolutely worth the extra $ for the turbo version. I traded in my 2008 and a 2008 BMW M3 on this Volvo and I dont miss the BMW at all because the new Volvo is so much fun to drive. The best of both worlds. Way to go, Volvo!

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  More than expected - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By warren smith - March 23 - 2:00 am

  At 1,000 miles I am impressed with all aspects of my new XC70 T6. I am getting 21+ miles in suburban driving, the seats are very supportive and comfortable. I haul two boats and have had no problems with the ability to pull them. We use the more than ample space behind the front row seats to haul all our stuff home back from our summer place. The Bliss system works as promised but does do false readings in the rain. We have the ccomvenirnce group and climate group of add ons plus the personal communications feature and all work as promised. I find the control panel easy to use and the Bluetooth set up is easy to use.

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  Sleeper T6 - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By neilxc70 - November 27 - 2:42 pm

  A fine car. Comfy, functional, powerful, attractive, high quality, safe, and nearly a bargain compared with other "wagons". It replaced my wifes 1996 850 wagon- which I never liked-- and we bought it with European delivery for about $40k (with climate, convenience, incl taxes and license). We put about 3k mi on it in Europe and averaged, according to the display, 24.4 mi/gal. (But $140 fill ups are very painful). The mpg was a pleasant surprise considering the EPA rating (22 mpg hwy) and some of the reviews. Effortless cruising at 200 kph on the Autobahn. Overall, almost as impressive as my BMW 335i E92 but theyre much different beasts.

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  Great Ride - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By dronepro - June 16 - 5:06 pm

  You know when you really like a car and you wish you had it. But, you wish its as good as you expect it... This is, it blew me away. Probably the finest, most fun ride.

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  Very fun to dirve - 2011 Volvo XC70
  By hikerguy69 - November 26 - 4:10 am

  I had a 2005 Subaru Forrester XT with 94K miles, and decided it was time for a new vehicle . I wanted a car that was fun to drive, yet able to carry me, my friends and camping gear up Idaho forrest roads. I looked at 2010 Forrester and Outback, but settled on the XC 70 T6. It is very fun to drive. I love the comfortable seat and the relatively quiet AWD. The handling was excellent and the turbo had loads of pickup. Ive only had it a week, but I am very happy.