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Time changes meaning. Take the term “sport-utility vehicle.” A decade ago, it meant a pickup truck with a wagon body. Today, it applies to station wagons that mimic trucks. Soon, it will mean nothing.

Volvo is working to make that happen.

Witness the 2001 Volvo Cross Country XC wagon, a substantially improved version of the original XC, introduced in 1997.

The new XC clears the ground by 7.6 inches, nearly one inch higher than the Ford Explorer, America’s best-selling SUV.

Yet, the XC is very much a car, based on the Volvo S80 sedan and V70 wagon. It thus has an overall lower profile than SUVs. That, combined with a wide track, gives it a lower center of gravity than most sport-utes, which reduces its chances for rollover.

Also, despite its high ground clearance, the new XC has no off-road capability. It is designed to go over anything that reasonably resembles a road. The high ground clearance helps the XC traverse most potholes without falling in.

For many American consumers, “SUV” means four-wheel drive, though two-wheel-drive versions abound, especially in regions devoid of snow. The new XC offers a compromise — an all-wheel-drive system that normally delivers 95 percent of its power to the front wheels. Power is fed to the rear wheels when there is wheel slippage up front.

The idea is to get you out of most messes, such as snowstorms or heavy rain. Between storms, you save fuel, because front-wheel drive is more economical than four-wheel drive. You also save unnecessary wear and tear on your vehicle, because four-wheel drive places a heavier workload on transmissions and tires.

Considering the way most real SUVs are used, Volvo’s approach makes sense. Most off-road trucks never get off. They’re used primarily as station wagons.

Volvo understands this. But it also recognizes the value of hubris, a key ingredient in the Great American Potency Syndrome — the desire to have more than you need just in case you need it, even though you never will.

The trick for Volvo was supplying hubris without turning the XC into an SUV. It solved the problem by borrowing ideas from Japan’s Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., maker of Subaru cars and trucks.

Fuji believes that the message is in the appearance. So it took a little Subaru Legacy station wagon, jacked it up a bit and turned it into the SUV-like Outback. Fuji did something similar with its highly demanded Subaru Forester, essentially a station wagon on steroids.

Volvo thus decided to give the new XC a tough face. It stripped away exterior chrome and replaced it with rubberized black bumpers front and rear. It applied the same treatment to the wagon’s nose, giving it a pugnacious, rough-stuff appeal. It finished the theme with a reshaped, muscular rear end.

Inside, Volvo offered its version of frontier luxury, exemplified by deep leather seats with the kind of heavy sti tching used to bind the top front ends of tepees on the Great Plains. But that’s as rough as things get in the XC, which is loaded with amenities.

Add to that an exceptionally good ride, a generally willing 197-horsepower engine, great cargo room, excellent vehicle safety (including tethers for child-safety seats), and you come up with one of the best station wagons on the market.

But if, for deeply held psychological reasons, you have difficulty mouthing the words “station wagon,” try this: “sport-utility wagon.” There. Feel better?

NUTS & BOLTS

2001 Volvo Cross Country XC wagon Complaint: Volvo and its rivals should dump those “memory” power seats that automatically adjust themselves during vehicle entry and exit. They never seem to correctly memorize the shape of my body, which leads to more fidgeting and button pressing to get them aligned properly.

Praise: The XC makes you think twice about buying an SUV, becaus e it is competitive with, and in many ways superior to, SUVs in every area that counts — vehicle safety, highway performance, cargo and passenger capacity, and overall utility and ease of use.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent ride and handling, good acceleration.

Head-turning quotient: No more boring Volvos. Attractive.

Engine: The 2001 XC is equipped with a cleaner-burning version of the turbocharged, in-line 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine installed in the original XC wagon. It develops 197 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 210 pound-feet of torque within a range of 1,800 to 5,000 rpm.

Transmission: Five-speed Volvo Geartronic, which can be operated automatically or manually.

Capacities: Seats five people; holds up to 71.5 cubic feet of cargo and 18.5 gallons of fuel. Unleaded premium is recommended for best performance, but 87-octane is okay.

Mileage: About 20 miles per gallon city-highway. Hmph. Maybe it is a truck.

Price: Pricing is not firm at this writing. Early estimates for fall 2000 sales say the base will roll in at $38,700. Round it to $40,000 plus taxes, tags and fees.

Purse-strings note: Compare with any high-end SUV. You now have an alternative.