2003 Volvo XC90 in Jersey City

There's no need to puzzle over brand values here. You can tell at a glance that this is really a Volvo wagon, an icon of automotive design. With the XC90, the Volvo wagon might have morphed into a seven-passenger sport-utility vehicle, yet the underlying message is the same. This is a car, not a truck, and it's made for driving with passengers. The spirit of "boxy but good" lives on.

Once you're standing next to the XC90, you'll notice that the roofline is almost nine inches higher than that of the XC70 (Cross Country) wagon. This is far from the massive mechanical monster you might expect, though. It's just 2.6 inches longer than the XC70 and 5.2 inches longer than the BMW X5. From the sculpted hood to the taillight configuration, the XC90 is clearly a modern Volvo, yet it's also moved the Volvo look farther along. The XC90 is simply great looking, restrained and yet rich with style.

The XC90 is also rich with utility. The wide doors give way to a low floor and easily accessible seats, with limousine-like legroom for the rear-seat passengers. You can banish people as tall as five-foot-five to the optional wayback seat without guilt. There's plenty of sightseeing opportunity for all, thanks to the combination of big windows, a low beltline, and stadium-style elevation for the second- and third-row seats. A unique second-row child seat slides forward to keep little kids within comforting distance of parents in the front seat. Folding the rear seats flat provides 85.1 cubic feet of cargo volume. The split tailgate opens easily, and there's a small shelf for the kids to sit on when you clean them up after practice.

The people package gets its mobility from a scaled-up version of the S80, with a wider, 64.3-inch front track and a longer, 112.6-inch wheelbase.... Read full article