Sacrificing 99 horsepower isn’t attractive to everybody. For Volvo XC70 customers who enjoy 281 horsepower, the thought of just 182 pulling over 4000 pounds leads one to wonder.
Fortunately, those 182 horses would work in tandem with 295 lb-ft of torque. Moreover, all that pull could be accessed through a six-speed manual transmission if so desired. That power won’t be felt from rest, but highway passing power (all that torque comes on tap just past idle) is gigantic.
Environmentally, the six-speed diesel XC70 emits less than 200 grams of C02 every 100km. Measured by Imperial gallons on the EU cycle, the automatic diesel XC70 is more than 9mpg better than the 3.2L XC70 we see in North America. Oh, and the diesel can tow an extra 300kg, too.
The real glory is at on the window sticker. In order to purchase a gasoline-powered XC70 in the UK, Volvo wants an extra £2,670. Add to that the amount you’ll save in fuel, and it’s easy to see just why European consumers choose diesel time after time.
