Volvo XC70 vs Audi Allroad vs Subaru Outback: which one has the best infotainment system?
We compare the entertainment systems found in the Volvo XC70 against two of its contemporary rivals, the Audi A6 Allroad Quattro and the venerable Subaru Outback. It appears that the years have not been kind to them.
What started its life as the infamous Volvo 850 wagon, the XC70 is an evolution of the V70 estate that has its underpinnings based on the S60 sedan. The XC70 name was first used in 2003 when Volvo adjusted the naming convention to better align with their newer products. The XC90 had just been released and Volvo opted to change the name of the V70 Cross Country to the more familiar XC70.
Related: Used cars ranked by practicality: Compact SUV-crossovers
While the XC70 is fairly scarce on the used market, you will find a few floating about for rather respectable prices. Their low initial cost makes it an attractive proposition for those looking for a flexible, spacious vehicle that can handle a rough road or gravel path on occasion.
Volvo was largely uncontested in 1999 when they released the V70 Cross Country, but suitable candidates in the form of the first Audi crossover, the A6 Allroad and the venerable Subaru Outback posed justified opposition.
Keeping in mind the era of the vehicles, infotainment systems as we know them were yet to be developed. Nevertheless, here's how the audio system in the XC70 fares against that in the Audi and Subaru.
Volvo XC70
The V70 Cross Country and XC70 was fitted with a simple, yet robust radio system that offered you a 6-speaker setup with AM/FM reception with RDS and station presets, a CD player and not much else. Local variants were devoid of telephone connectivity and the cassette player was dropped for the local market.
The user layout is simple and intuitive with rotary knobs for tuning and volume control while the station presets are locked in and accessible via the row of buttons beneath the LCD readout. Steering wheel controls were included with the audio functions situated on the left-hand side of the wheel while cruise controls were positioned on the right.
A 200-Watt audio system was an optional extra and this saw the unit equipped with a 4-disc CD changer and a Dolby Pro-Logic Surround Sound system for added aural pleasure.
Audi A6 Allroad
Audi's first crossover, the Allroad, was based on the A6 Avant, the estate version of the A6 sedan. Released in 1999, this model ran until 2005 when the model was updated with the new C6 model. The C6 was fitted with the first version of Audi's MMI infotainment but before that, the offerings were considerably slimmer.
Local A6 Allroads were fitted with an AM/FM radio system that also allowed for cassette tapes and CDs to be played. It was without USB or Aux inputs and one was unable to connect a phone via Bluetooth for audio streaming or hands-free telephony. A 6-disc CD shuttle was an optional extra at the time.
Subaru Outback
Ever the stalwart in the off-road community, the Subaru Outback should always be your first point of contact when looking for a flexible, reliable off-road capable estate. The second-generation Outback was an iteration of the third-generation Subaru Legacy. It still retained the company's trademarked symmetrical all-wheel-drive system and now offered a flat-six engine to expand the lineup.
The second-generation Outback lasted for all of 5-years, from 1999 to 2004 with the third-generation being introduced in 2003 (oddly enough). The second-generation was fitted with a simple AM/FM receiver that also accepted a single CD as well as a cassette tape. It played audio through an 8-speaker sound system and featured steering wheel controls as well but didn't make provision for Bluetooth, USB or Aux inputs.
