XC70 Replacement cycle

Does anyone know when the XC-70 will be replaced.
Is it based on the S60 or S80 floorplan?

I am looking for a vehicle with decent ground clearance and good towing
capabilities for use towing glider trailers. Primarily on reasonable roads, but
the nature of retrieves is that it will involve dirt roads and pulling 650Kg out
of the muck in a farmers field occasionally.

The car will of course spend >80% of its life commuting...

The XC70 looks like a good compromise between road manners and economy, and the
neccessary mass and all terrain capabilities on the other. Any opinions and
information on the current / recent past models and the likelyhood of
replacement valued.

 

It had a complete redesign in 2001.

In 2003 the XC70 finally got the Haldex AWD system that was on the 2002
S60.

For 2006 the XC70 includes a newly upgraded Haldex "Instant Traction"
all-wheel drive system.

While the S60 is based on the S80 platform (albeit 280 mm shorter
overall and 75 mm shorter between axles) it also shares some elements
with the V70. For example, front track is the same as the wagon's while
rear track is as per the S80. Brakes and suspension are from the
flagship sedan. To all intents and purposes, Volvo has made three cars,
S60, V70 and S80, on the same platform but succeeded in giving each a
clear visual identity and completely different driving feel.

 

The AWD system disengages at low speeds to prevent driveline windup
while parking. This causes a problem when pulling a boat out of the
water, as the car is only front wheel drive. Once you get the wheels
spinning fast enough, then the rears switch in, and off you go! I would
imagine pulling a glider out of a mucky field might cause a similar
problem.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)