Mother Proof's view

We’re all paranoid about something in our parenting lives. Safety is a primary concern for many parents, but it’s not enough to have the right child-safety seat or have it positioned in the best spot in your car. What you really need is to have the right car – the 2009 Volvo XC70.

The XC70 oozes reassurance with its Volvo-ness. You don’t have to wonder whether you have the latest and greatest safety gadgets in this car (no wasted brainpower there). It also wraps that safety up in a very comfortable, accommodating wagon. Its soothing interior is calming even on the craziest of days. With your sanity intact, you can spend more time keeping your kids away from that tasty-looking puddle of mud over there.

Most important to this mom is the way the XC70 drives. It was such a pleasure to drive with its nice, smooth ride. With a six-cylinder engine, it wasn’t too mushy, like most mom-mobiles (read: minivans), or painfully sporty (ahem, Germany, ahem). The one downside to the XC70 was its gas mileage, an EPA-estimated 15/22 mpg city/highway. Those aren’t the best-looking numbers, but you can’t have everything. I drove it while running errands; it was fast when I asked it to be and comfy the whole darn time.

Exterior

The redesigned XC70 looks a little more manly than it did before, but I don’t mean that in a World’s Strongest Man sort of way (although it can probably carry two kegs of beer at a time). It’s refined and sleek-looking, with brushed-metal accents on the fog lights and front bumper. There’s also lots of black plastic on the outside that screams “rugged” – in a well-manicured 5-o’clock-shadow way.

The XC70 sits a little higher than its sister wagon, the V70. This ground clearance was a nice feature to have here in snowy Colorado. The wagon’s liftgate was a perfect fit for me; it didn’t go up too high (no shirt untuckage when I reached up) and was easy to close.

The power-adjustable side mirrors were awesome. They’re heated, which is wonderful in snowy climates, they tilt down to help with parallel parking and they’re equipped with safety-minded turn-signal indicators.

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Excellent

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Groove On

Interior

The interior is where this car really shines: It’s simple, functional and oh-so comfortable. The interior’s gorgeous simplicity is quite a contrast to the XC70’s rugged exterior.

Like its siblings, the XC70 has Volvo’s cool-looking center stack with a little cubby at its base. It’s the perfect place to stash a small purse or wallet. The center stack’s knobs and buttons were laid out well and easy to decipher. The stereo system was easy to figure out and operate, but the readout was difficult to see in bright light.

I loved the XC70’s seats. They fit me just right, and the leather was so smooth and soft. There was enough bolstering to be supportive yet not intrusive, and the seats were comfortable but not squishy.

There was plenty of legroom in the backseat. The kids loved sitting back there, and not just because of the legroom. What they really liked were the fantastic integrated dual-stage booster seats. Do you think I’m messing around? Because of the boosters, they decided the XC70 was as cool as the minivan we test-drove that had ambient lighting and a rear-entertainment system. The boosters popped out of the seat bench and snapped into place. The seat belts adjusted to a proper height, and the armrest folded down to house beverages and whatever other goodies they cared to stash in there.

The XC70’s cargo space was humongous. I fit a huge piece of foam core in there, no sweat. I didn’t even have to tilt it or prop it on the backseat headrests or anything! There’s a cargo management system with nets and gates, but that’s for those crazy, organized types. The backseat and the front passenger seat fold flat. Tee-riffic!

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore

Safety

Volvo is known for safety. The XC70 has tons of safety features, including six airbags, antilock brakes with electronic brake assistance, traction control and an electronic stability system.

This is Volvo, so the safety features keep stacking up. The XC70 also has Driver Alert Control, which pairs with the lane departure warning system and alerts you when you’re getting drowsy or not paying attention to the road; adaptive cruise control; and collision warning with auto brake, which alerts you to an impending collision and readies the brakes for panic braking.

FAMILY LIFESTAGE

In Diapers: There’s enough room in the backseat to accommodate rear-facing child-safety seats.

In School: The dual-stage integrated boosters are a dream!

Teens: It’s safe to ride in and safe for them to drive.