This past week I had a 2008 V70 as a loaner from my Volvo dealer for three days while my 2008 S40 was in the shop awaiting delivery of a part. FWIIW, I also own a 2007 V50, which I like very much, but I was really impressed with the performance, handling, and ride of the V70. What is really odd is that, in September of 2008, I testdrove an S80 with the exact same 3.2 in-line six and 6-speed transmission as the V70 but really disliked it intensely. It seemed to me that the engine and tranny were incredibly badly matched: there was a lag and then a jolt in response that I found really annoying. So I bought the S40. And now I have a very different and highly favorable impression of a V70 on the same platform and with the same powertrain. The S80 was new car inventory and hadn't yet been prepped for delivery, and the V70 had 12K on the odometer. Maybe the S80 just needed to have its tranny memory flushed. Go figure!