The 2009 Volvo XC70 is the latest in a long line of luxury estate SUV’s. Interestingly, it was this very model first released way back in 1997, which is widely recognized as the herald of the luxury estate SUV market. It should be a given then that Volvo knows what they are doing when they build an XC70.

Like its predecessors the XC70 is an extravagant fusion of luxury, power and space. Typical of Volvos literal naming scheme the ‘XC’ part stands for cross-country, and sure enough 4-wheel drive comes as standard on all trims. There’s also an impressive 9.1 inches of ground clearance to help the XC traverse some very tricky surfaces indeed.

Far more civilized and high quality fixtures and fittings inside the cabin encase the typical collection of utility and entertainment systems; integrated DVD player, wireless headphones and remote, satellite radio and so on.

The XC70 T6 version is a notch above the basic and features a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine, which produces 281 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. It’s more responsive than the basic setup, and we wouldn’t recommend anything else.

You can do a lot worse than the 2009 Volvo XC70. It’s crafted for safety, style, power and handling in equal measure –although admittedly the handling is nothing to write home about, it is decent for an estate SUV. If you are going to spend big bucks on a luxury estate SUV then the Volvo is one of the best looking, and most comfortable.