We had a V70AWD and it was great in the snow. I wanted a V70R, but never took the plunge. I drove one and the power delivery was very smooth and definitely more than ours even though we had ours chipped.
We ultimately traded the Volvo for a 2000 BMW 528iT and absolutely love it. The inline six sound is addictive in a similar way that a flat six is! With a growing family, though, we will probably need something bigger. The BMW would be fine for us, but every time someone visits we end up taking two cars. I will list it in the BMW classifieds, but here is a preview. It has 77k miles, new tires, and several recent services. $16,500.
