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From Swedespeed.com Reviews and Road Tests As marketing tie-ins go, the Volvo Ocean Race is almost unlike anything else in the automotive industry. Sponsorship of the round-the-world sailing race was inked in the days when Volvo was still owned by Volvo AB, and as such you’ll see corporate VIP’s being entertained at Volvo Ocean Race events, coming in from not just Volvo Cars, but also by the divisions of Volvo AB that build anything from trucks and buses to boats and backhoes. The race stops in ten different cities along the way, meaning spreading of the Volvo name around the world… at least in towns big on sailing. To help take advantage of this exclusive tie-in, Volvo began building one spec of the XC70 Ocean Race Edition (ORE) for Europe and America, also making a V70 for Europe only during the previous running of the event. This year, Volvo added the XC90, selling both XC models in the USA, though with slightly different spec than Europe.
The differences don’t just end with exterior color and interior trim. Ocean Race Editions (OREs) also feature polished 17-inch Oreander alloy wheels, integrated child booster seats, a power glass moonroof, color-coordinated side mirror caps, Electric Silver body side mouldings, and a Volvo Ocean Race emblem on the lower front door to help set its exterior apart from more pedestrian XC70s. Inside, it also features as optional Volvo’s trick dual screen entertainment system with DVD player and additional amplifier that have been seen before in the S80 and XC90, though this is a first-time offering in a V/XC70 model and currently exclusive to the ORE.
With limited numbers, it’s certain that these vibrant blue XC70s and XC90s will be sought after by enthusiast owners. Naturally, we inquired with Volvo about sampling them through the usual channels. What we learned was that all cars had been allocated to dealerships, and as such the standard access we might normally have would be… well… inaccessible. Then Volvo’s PR team got crafty. “Come down to the Annapolis, MD stop and a car would be made available to us. Even better, it’s wasn’t just the standard run-of-the-mill Ocean Race Edition. This would be one of the European models so we could compare it to the cars showing up at dealerships stateside. Just where was Volvo PR getting a European market Ocean Race Edition? Well, it seems that as the race traveled around the world, someone at Volvo’s headquarters in Gothenburg decided it would make more sense to purchase one fleet of Ocean Race Edition cars to be used as shuttles for corporate VIPs and guests, then ship them around the globe from stop-to-stop-to-stop. The XC70 we’d be testing would have quite a few miles on it, though thankfully virtually all logged while stored in the hold of an ocean-going freighter. Some time was allotted between VIP runs to sample the car on some roads along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland just outside of Annapolis.
Walk up to the car and even a trained Volvophile’s eye would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and an American equivalent were it not for the Swedish license plates and, for us, the Europe-only V70 Ocean Race Edition parked alongside. The Ocean Race Blue paint is vibrant and decidedly more vocal than the traditionally staid pallet found in the XC70’s order form. With polished wheels, and optional rear upper spoiler as our tester was fitted, the XC70 begins to have more of a sporting rally car feel that Volvophiles know it is capable of rather than the mom’s soccer shuttle image that seems to encompass the car’s stereotype.
Hop inside, and as mentioned, it’s quite different from American versions of this limited edition ride. Europeans tend to have a more sporting, and slightly less luxurious appetite for cars. Charcoal seats with aluminum accenting would fit our euro-centric bill nine times out of ten in virtually any case. However, after spending some time in the car, we think American XC70 product planners may have made the better choice by changing the interior of the car. The blue aluminum trim seems, well, a bit of a reach. A more critical voice might even call it tacky, of the European automotive genre that brought you the Volkswagen Golf Bon Jovi edition. We know the purpose was to tie in the whole Oceanic theme, but in the end it just sort of looks cheap. While we love aluminum, blue aluminum has yet to win us over. North American cars’ khaki-colored leather, navy stitching and burled wood trim have the kind of preppy feel that would make Ralph Lauren proud. Preppy may not be the perfect descriptor of a car, but then again, preppiness goes hand-in-hand with sailing. Think about it, unless you’re a rap mogul, there are precisely four places you can wear a seersucker jacket and get away with it; The Kentucky Derby, any polo match, a class reunion at boarding school or hey… you guessed it, a sailing event. So, preppiness fits. It’s tied into the sailing theme, but not obviously so like the blue metal touches we got a little sea sick of.
On the road, the XC70 is a bit more like an old friend. We’re immediately familiar with the ride. Without 4C, it’s not overly sporting, but it is capable. Steering hasn’t been changed, so precise but a little numb. Lamentably, like most XC70s sold in the USA, our tester didn’t have 4C – Volvo’s best-kept secret outside of R owners circles. Volvo’s ability to standardize their cars across many, many markets leaves little difference mechanically to its American brethren… and that’s a welcome thing. The XC70 remains one of our favorite cars in the Volvo lineup. It’s utilitarian and very handsome, though not in a high-visibility kind of way. Overall, it continues to be an all-round great package. Add in the special paint and equipment of the Ocean Race Edition package and it only gets more attractive. As the current car enters its twilight, this limited run version (European or American) is worth checking out as one of the best of the lineage.
Though the Volvo Ocean Race may be over, some remaining Ocean Race Edition XC70s and XC90s are still available at some Volvo dealers. If you can find one, these cars represent some of the most special of their lineage. Expect to pay about $40,000 for an American spec example similar to our test car.
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