another auto show and the final piece of the puzzle is in place. we are talking about the third in a series of concept cars which Swedish automobile maker Volvo serves up based on the firm’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) and what better way then to wrap it up with an estate aka station wagon after the Concept Coupe and the Concept XC Coupe? actually that part is debatable. we didn’t catch a glimpse of the teaser and we thought, a stretched sedan would be the next in line for the trilogy concepts. regardless, we are embracing the shooting brake styling, especially after our re-exposure to the super low mileage classic 1800 ES when we featured here not too long ago. speaking of the 1800 ES, the Concept Estate has in fact borrowed a few loving elements from it, which is nice touch and i am not just saying it.
the Volvo Concept Estate has a fascia that, by now, needs little introduction. it shares the same design language as the former two concepts and from the low-slung side profile, right away you know it speaks estate. there is no mistake what the Swedish automaker is trying to convey. like the Concept XC Coupe, what goes under the hood is still a mystery, so for now all eyes are on the design and the functionality the Concept Estate has to offer. exterior highlights include glass roof, a set of five-spoke 21-inch wheels, as well as T-shaped DRL light guides. on the inside, it has four seats with orange seat belts, woven wool carpets from Swedish designer Kasthall, crystal gear lever (!) from Orrefors/Kosta Boda with a tint of orange glow, checkered black and white wool textile on the headliner and back of the front seats, a plush natural tanned saddle leather-wrapped instrument panel, and naturally aged wood and machined copper details – all serve to remind you this might just be a Scandinavian living room on wheels.
and oh, a sprinkle of modernization is also evident with a large tablet-like touchscreen control panel that takes the place of the traditional buttons and controls, well mostly, with some “crucial functions” such as hazard warning, window heaters, volume and play/pause, remaining as physical controls. i’ll be honest with all. among the three concepts, this has to be my favorite. why? because two-door sport wagon is kind of my thing, besides don’t you think brown is an awesome color?
