2008 Volvo XC70 Exterior Review
Based on analysis of 41 XC70 reviews and test drives.
Exterior - What the Auto Press Says
The 2008 Volvo XC70's exterior style is an improvement over the previos model's look. Motor Trend says that "perhaps the most welcome improvement is aesthetic, especially in the case of the XC70, which swaps its homely matte gray facade for a sleeker, mostly body-colored prow that incorporates the latest Volvo cues."
While Consumer Guide likes the styling, they think "sport/utility cues have displaced Volvo's traditional design minimalism." The Auto Channel notes, "While Volvo vehicles have been maligned at times in the past for paying more attention to safety than to style, the XC70 has grown downright handsome in its revision. Body work is sleeker with just the right amount of supple lines to keep it from being boring."
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says, "The cool thing about the XC70 is that it doesn't have the tall, ungainly look of many crossovers. It rides lower to the pavement, which gives it a stylish presence." Edmunds finds the changes both pleasing and practical: "Familiar yet fresh, the revamped exterior styling continues to reflect the outdoorsy character of previous XC70s. A reduction in the amount of pavement-gray plastic bodywork adds more class, and incremental increases in the crossover's approach, departure and breakover angles improve its go-anywhere driving utility." However, a different Motor Trend review says that the "SUV craze rears its ugly brushguards on the exterior styling, too. The exterior looks downright busy."