The 2010 Volvo V70 is the best wagon Volvo has produced to date. It's solidly built, with top-drawer safety features and fantastic interior design and finish. The V70 has a six-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. The package is silky smooth. While the base-level V70 3.2 isn't as exciting to drive as some other European sport wagons, it's quiet, maneuverable and pleasant for the sort of driving most of us do most of the time, which means carrying ourselves, our kids, our pets and things through the urban landscape. And the new R-Design model promises sharper handling. The V70 retails for considerably less than other similarly sized European luxo-wagons, and it gets better mileage than many SUVS with similar interior space. For many buyers, it's probably the more rational choice.

J.P. Vettraino filed this report to NewCarTestDrive.com after driving V70 models in Germany and Detroit.