If you walked around a mall and asked average people what word comes to mind when they hear the name “Volvo,” I’d bet nine times out of ten—perhaps ten times out of ten—the response would be “safety.” Like you had to ask, right?

Of course, we know that Volvos are brimming with appeal in other ways, such as expressive Swedish design, sweet-sounding stereos and perhaps the world’s best line of seats. Still, even to us, the Volvo name will be permanently synonymous with the relentless pursuit of protection.

Upon reflection, however, it’s seems sort of odd that, of all carmakers, Volvo has been relatively slow to offer American consumers a full range of products with grip-enhancing all-wheel drive—a safety feature if there ever was one. Sure, Volvo has sold the niche-marketed Cross Country since the late ‘90s, but Audi has offered “quattro” on nearly all of its cars since the early ‘80s, and Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also charter members of the four-wheel club. How many Swedish blizzards does it take to drive home—pun intended—the benefits of all-wheel drive?

Well, better late than never, right? And so we enthusiastically accepted Volvo’s invitation this winter to beautiful Quebec City, Quebec, to experience what promised to be two of its safest family cars to date: the new V50 AWD and the raised wagon formerly known as the Cross Country, the XC70.

First, a bit of background info about front-wheel drive and why Volvo shouldn’t be faulted for favoring that setup in the interest of safety. Front-wheel drive is an inherently cautious setup (perfect for Volvo) that sends power to the steering wheels, enhancing directional response when driving moderately in slippery conditions. Moving drivetrain components from the rear to the front also places a majority of the vehicle’s overall mass on top of the front wheels, which effectively presses the tires more firmly into the road surface, further enhancing traction. It’s like charging the front wheels with the tasks of steering and propelling the car, and the extra front-end mass gives it the grip when starting from a stop to get moving. Thus, front-wheel drive cars are genuine foul-weather friends. Furthermore, compared with a rear-wheel drive (and all-wheel drive, too), front-wheel drive is generally lower in weight and less intrusive to the cabin footwells.

But front-wheel drive has its drawbacks, too. Specifically, nose-heavy front-wheel drive vehicles tend to plow more during hard cornering than rear-drivers, rendering them somewhat less eager to “play.” Also, today’s ever-more-powerful engines—especially Volvo’s own turbocharged five- and six-cylinders—can quickly overwhelm the front tires as the weight shifts rearward during acceleration. Powerful front-wheel drivers are also prone to “torque steer”: that disconcerting tugging of the steering wheel when you stomp on the gas.

So it’s clear that front-wheel drive is good enough to get by. But all-wheel drive is better. Distributing power to all four wheels dramatically reduces the chance of one or more drive wheels breaking loose on slick roads, thus destabilizing the car. (CONTINUE...)