L-R: David Boldt and Lary at a lunch stop in the middle of nowhere, along the Baja 1000 route

Being part of a group of seven waves of auto writers driving Volvo XC70s across the Baja California peninsula over an abbreviated version of the same route used by Baja 1000 competitors, had just never crossed my mind. That was until Soren Johansson, one of the cheeses at Volvo’s west coast headquarters — and one of my favorite factory guys — asked me if I’d be interested in doing that as we leaned on the bar of some trendy Portland restaurant quaffing drinks while celebrating the end of Mudfest 2004.

Volvo by the way, won top honors at Mudfest 2004 with the new V8 version of its XC90 SUV — the third consecutive year it was named SUV of the Year — but that’s a whole other story.

The Volvo XC70 is the off-road version of the standard Volvo wagon, although it’s definitely NOT your Uncle Olaf’s Volvo. Since its debut in 1999, the XC70 has grown into somewhat of an urban/suburban legend. As the top choice of upscale soccer moms refusing to be seen in a minivan, as well as tenured U-Dub professors, the XC70 is a tasteful, yet utilitarian balance of ample space and a mindful use of resources. With Volvo’s trusty inline five-cylinder turbo under the hood, the XC70 has successfully evolved from your basic ugly transport box to a quite stylish and equally functional piece of machinery.

This wasn’t the usual auto manufacturer’s press junket. Our normal gourmet dining was replaced by the menu at the Coco’s situated across the parking lot from our San Diego headquarters — the swanky Best Western, located in the shadow of the lights of Tijuana. No 5-Star hotel and epicurean delights this trip.

After feasting on a bacon cheeseburger and a Corona, and a Coco’s breakfast the next morning, we were shuttled off to Brown’s Field for the two-hour flight on a pair of eight-passenger King Air’s.

We touched down in Loreto, and after clearing customs were whisked off to what appeared to be a well-worn resort for what was actually a tasty lunch of salsa, chips, and fish tacos. I was quite taken aback by — and throughly ribbed about — signs and billboards everywhere, urging Mexican citizens to vote for “Coppola for Governor.”

After lunch, it was into the cars, the aforementioned XC70, for a drive up Mexico 1 to a town called Mulege (pronounced Moolahay), with a refreshment stop on the shores of the Sea of Cortez at a place owned by the lovely, ex-patriot, Olivia.

I was paired up with David Boldt of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram because my first choice, the legendary Sue Mead — who has actually competed in the Baja 1000 — was already taken. Dave was paired up with me because his first choice, the legendary Sue Mead, was already spoken for. Sue is one of my favorite driving partners. In addition to being one of the most capable off-roaders I know, she is just a hoot to ride with.

It pays to be careful whom you ride with. Some journalists aren’t the most capable drivers and can have your stomach doing the Pepto-Bismol whine in short order. Factor in actually spending an entire day cooped up in a car attempting intelligent conversation on subjects other than the car, with someone you don’t know, and your options narrow quickly. Luckily, although Dave and I had never driven together before, we immediately hit it off and have similar driving styles. By the second day we had dubbed the trip, “Dave and Lary’s XCellent Adventure,” writing it in the dust of the XC70’s rear window.

The trip took us from our headquarters hotel in Mulege, the El Serinidad, across the mountains to the coast with a stop in the middle of nowhere for our prepackaged lunch. Then back to the Rice and Beans in San Ingnatio for some additional nourishment, before heading back to the El Serinidad, which is incidentally owned by an American named Don Johnson — no, not that Don Johnson.

The next day, it was back on Mexico 1, to Loreto for the trip home, with a brief stop at a checkpoint for an inspection by the Mexican army. My last name coupled with the aforementioned Governor seemed to speed things up.

Volvo was just about dead last to enter the SUV fray, but fielded the XC70, as a substitute while developing its multiple award-winning XC90. With a small number of modifications to the wagon’s cosmetics — different bumper systems and some mild trim tweaks, Volvo got much more serious under the sheet metal. For example, ground clearance was increased to a minimum eight inches — a figure besting many truck-based SUVs

Adding all-wheel drive gave the XC70 an all-season and all-road capability the standard front wheel-drive system can’t always deliver. Driving single-lane dirt, washboard, mountain roads at 60+ mph, with soft sand and wet beaches thrown in just for fun, the suspension on Volvo’s new Four-C chassis system, actively responded to whatever the so-called road dished out, and did it with a minimum of discomfort, and noise. Yes, there’s noise under those circumstances, but no dust was coming in.

The big joke among the writers was, “Who’s going to be unlucky enough to buy these used XC70s after they’ve been driven over this grueling 200+ mile course seven times by at least 14 different journalists, with 14 different driving styles? Soren told us they’ll go back to Volvo’s Arizona proving grounds and be taken apart to see how they help up. By wave seven, our XC70 was still pretty tight.

The XC70 is simply an amazing, vehicle. Its off-road capabilities are matched by serious on-road poise. Coupled with Volvo’s legendary safety, its sophisticated, yet benign appearance is belied by its overall performance, which was uniquely tested on this particular drive. The XC70 effectively combined sport with serious utility, delivering one XCellent adventure for both Dave and Lary.

We’re already planning the sequel, “Dave and Lary’s XCellent Adventure II.” All we need to do now is convince Soren to take us somewhere else XCiting.