My wife is on her second Volvo. She had a 2000 Volvo V70XC Wagon and currently drives a 2006 V70R Wagon. I would imagine you need to be knowledgable regarding Volvo's emphasis on safety and the environment. It may be a good idea for you to go to a dealership and test drive one of their cars. Also, I know there are a lot of Volvo forums on the net. The one I've used a lot is V70R.com. You may be able to get more insight from the folks on that forum.