These three get better mileage than the V-8 wagons of the '60s and '70s, but, with fewer cylinders and modern computer-controlled fuel systems, that's no accomplishment. The VW Touareg scored at the low end of EPA fuel-mileage testing, with a 15/20-mpg city/highway rating, while the Volvo XC70 topped the trio at 19/24 mpg. The Volvo and VW drink premium unleaded, while 89-octane midgrade is recommended for the Chrysler.
The Touareg's door-seal system is designed to keep its premium interior dry for trekking across river streams. Chrome gauge rings are thick; open cubbies atop center stack are handy.
Inside Story
The XC70 has the most rugged interior of the three, with Berber floormats over thick, high-quality carpeting. The optional cargo net helps keep things in place under heavy braking, and the seats have the most aggressive bolstering in our trio. Fit and finish are excellent, and materials are top-notch, although a bit more understated than the VW's. As in most Volvos, the XC70's interior takes inspiration from Sweden's neighbor, with a Danish-modern look. Our only serious cockpit gripe: Volvo has gone too far in simulating an SUV-like command-seating position. The steering wheel felt too low in the lap of one of our testers, even with the driver's seat in its lowest position and the steering wheel in its highest.
The Chrysler has a manual-tilt wheel, but no telescoping feature. With its high beltline and short greenhouse, it feels un-SUV-like, its driver's seat low and the steering wheel high. The windshield is large for good forward visibility, but the rear window is small, which made us extra careful when backing up. The Pacifica's tinted rear side windows were too dark when backing out of a driveway at night, but they do roll all the way into the door. The seats, covered with a midgrade leather, are comfortable, with a power lumbar control for the driver. The center-console plastics look cut-rate, with some uneven panel gaps, while the dash materials, especially the brushed-metal trim and even the fake woodgrain, were upper-crust. The door panels, especially, are a mishmash of uneven-quality pieces.
When all six seats are occupied, there's little room in the Pacifica for luggage without resorting to the roof rack, but the same also can be said of the big classic wagons. And the Pacifica has a nifty panel on the back of the middle-row driver-side seatback. Attached by Velcro, it flips to cover the gap between the two middle seats when both are folded down. The two front and two middle-row buckets are heated, and the second row has its own heater/air-conditioning fan control. Power controls for the two front seats are Mercedes-style seat-shaped buttons on the door panels (middle-row seats have manual fore, aft, and recline).
The instrument panel is Benz-like, too, with a big half-moon-shaped speedometer in the center, flanked by the fuel-level indicator on the left and a pint-size tachometer on the right. The large speedo makes room for the Pacifica's neatest interior feature, its navigation-system map, which fits right between 0, 80, and 160 mph. Its controls are on a small touchpad just to the right of the rev counter. The system is intuitive, accurate, and readable.
The Touareg emphasizes rear-seat comfort over cargo capacity. To fold the rear seats, you have to lift the bottom cushion up and over. Find the owner's manual; it's not intuitive.