2008 Volvo V70 R-DESIGN review

Volvo V70 R-DESIGN review:

The best-selling Volvo V70 becomes the fifth Volvo model to be offered with the sporty factory-fitted R-Design option pack. This further cements Volvo Cars` aim to offer unique products to particularly discerning customers.
The Volvo V70 estate car is for many people the very essence of Volvo: practical, safe and exuding Scandinavian elegance. The R-Design pack spotlights a new dimension: impassioned, extrovert and challenging.

"Increasing numbers of customers want cars that express individual taste and style. Volvo Cars has therefore created the R-Design option pack to add a refined sporty look to the other attractive characteristics of our products," says Gerry Keaney, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo Cars.

Comprehensive package

The R-Design pack for the Volvo V70 boasts a wide range of eye-catching features. For example door mirror housings and grille detailing in silk metal finish, chrome exhaust tailpipe and specially designed 18-inch aluminium wheels. On the inside it is primarily the purposeful, sporty leather-clad seats in black and cool Nordic Ceramic Light that catch the eye - together with the various aluminium details. From the instrument panel`s aluminium inlays to the centre console and door sides, there is a milled circular decor pattern that spreads like ripples in water.

"The decor pattern in the aluminium details gives the interior a very special, modern character. The pattern symbolises how the dynamic R-Design characterises the entire car, linking together the seats` ribbed surfaces and the exterior`s multitude of detailing in a silk metal finish," says Maria Thunberg, manager of Colour & Trim, Volvo V70 R-Design.

Optimised sports chassis

Volvo R-Design not only offers visible detailing, it packs properties that simply have to be experienced out on the road. The sporty chassis offers plenty of driving pleasure and immense control in every situation. The sports chassis has been optimised with the help of features such as stiffer anti-roll bars and bushings and lower ground clearance for more direct road contact and more responsive and rewarding steering feedback.

"The big challenge with this project the R-Design chassis was to combine crisp driving pleasure with Volvo`s renowned secure properties in poor road conditions such as heavy rain or snow. I`m convinced we`ve found exactly the right balance," says Ekkehard Schwartz, Vice President Chassis and Vehicle Dynamics.

The whole package - Volvo V70 R-DESIGN

Grille in silk metal finish with R-Design emblem.

Foglamp decor at the front in silk metal finish.

Door-mirror housings in silk metal finish.

Five-spoke 18-inch aluminium wheels - Cratus.

Black anodised window mouldings made of aluminium.

Tailgate spoiler in the same colour as the body.

Chromed visible exhaust tailpipe, 90 mm diameter,

Rear colour-matched spoiler with black insert.

Sports chassis: lowered 20 mm front and 15 mm rear.

11 exterior colours to choose between.

Sports seats reinforced with extra foam padding in the seat and backrest cushions for added stability and comfort.

Combined instrument with blue dial faces unique to R-Design cars.

Sports steering wheel trimmed in perforated leather and R-Design emblem.

Sports pedals made of aluminium.

Upholstery of smooth leather in Off-Black and Ceramic Light colour combination, embossed with the R-Design emblem in the backrest.

Specially designed centre console and unique decor pattern.

Gear selector trimmed in perforated leather.

Off-Black sports mats.
To further emphasise its sportiness, the car has no rails on the roof. These are however available as factory options for those buyers who wish to specify them.

R-DESIGN for the C30, S40, V50 and XC90

R-Design for the Volvo C30, S40 and V50 allows customers to choose between 10 different exterior colours and a range of specially designed exterior and interior details. For instance colour-matched bumpers and lower side mouldings, leather-trimmed steering wheel with R-Design emblem, a unique combined instrument and seats upholstered in black Flex-Tec with the seat and backrest cushions in contrasting cream-coloured leather.

The R-Design pack for the Volvo XC90 was introduced in early 2008 and replaced the optional XC90 Sport pack. Among the new R-Design details are 20-inch wheels (optional), twin exhaust tailpipes, a unique skid-plate, door-mirror housings in silk metal finish and R-Design emblems in the grille, on the steering wheel and embossed into the seats.

Emotional and extrovert

"R-Design is entirely in line with our accelerating focus on making our cars more extrovert and emotional. The packages allow buyers the option of giving the already distinct personalities of these models added spice," says Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin.