AWD was an option on the S and V 70's, most commonly found on the V70 XC. My wife went from a '93 960 wagon to a '98 XC, (having had two 740's before the 960 also) and she is absolutely in love with it even after 3 1/2 years. This is really significant because she is completely a "non-car" person and just wants it to go every time, etc. This is the only car we have ever had that she voluntarily praises without prodding.
Our 850 turbo wagon is quite firm and you feel all of the imperfections in our "great" Boston roads, but the XC is much softer and smoother. This is partly due to softer springs / shocks, but also to the taller tires (205/65-15's) versus the 50 series on the 850. These absorb a lot more of the rough road jolts. Neither is up to the standards set by the 960 for open highway travel, and we still use the 960 for all of our long trips because it is such a relaxed, long-legged cruiser (exception - XC goes on snowy trips to places like Rochester, NY, & Vermont ski trips. It has incredible stability in worst conditions). I do not know how the sedan or non-Cross Country wagons with AWD compare, but they have lower profile tires and I would expect them to be somewhat harsher than the XC but still smoother than the earlier 850's.
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Mike Sullivan ('91 745 (171k), '93 965 (147k), '95 855T (60k), '98 V70XC (78k)
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