Bobby Goldsboro is a well-known singer-songwriter to me, but I didn’t know he was THIS well-known.  THIS man had eleven top-40 U. S. Billboard Hot 100 hits, and twelve on the country charts.  The Florida native that once played guitar for Roy Orbison broke onto the scene by himself in 1964 with his first big hit, “See the Funny Little Clown”.  His biggest hit of all was brought out in 1968, and it was a honey, named “Honey”, his first country hit that reached number one, both here and in Australia.  Bobby remained a country music fixture well into the 1980’s.

I graduated from high school during the year of 1965 and spent it driving around listening to radio station KOMA in Oklahoma City, where I heard Bobby’s top single that year, “Little Things”.  Little things are what I enjoyed about the test car for this past week, the 2012 Volvo XC70 T6 AWD station wagon.  Not overwhelming with regards to power or styling, the little (little?) wagon just kind of grows on you while you tool around from place to place.  The Volvo has a window sticker that totals $49,070.00 with about $10,000.00 worth of optional equipment.  Thus, it has navigation system, great satellite stereo, Bluetooth, tilt/tele, heated seats front and rear, backup camera, turning headlamps, leather throughout, roof rack, moon roof, power tailgate, 18” alloy wheels, blind spot alert, park assist, pushbutton start, ground lighting at the doors, and dual zone climate control.

Power is supplied for the Volvo by an in-line 6 cylinder, 3.0 liter, turbocharged alloy engine with 300 hp and 325 lb. ft. of torque.  A six-speed Geartronic automatic transmission backs it up and is coupled to an all-wheel drive system. EPA mileage estimates are 17city/23highway, but I got 24.1 mpg on a round trip to Denver. Wheelbase is 110.8” and overall length is 190.5”, with the weight coming in at 4,152 lbs.

The Volvo I drove came in Twilight Bronze metallic, and coupled with the charcoal cladding all over the wagon, it was an appealing look.  Inside the leather seating was chocolate brown, but a lot of almond-colored trim was on hand to give it a splendid look.  I counted five colors on the dashboard – the two already mentioned, plus gray, silver, and woodgrain.  Dual exhaust finishers peeked out from under the rear bumper, and the roof rack had a massive, functional, look.

While in Denver, I loaded the vehicle with five, big hungry holiday diners, and the ride was suitable with all on board.  The acceleration of the XC70 is great, reportedly zero to sixty in about seven seconds.  And I understand the top speed is 130 mph.

What “little things” did I like?  -The stitching on those yummy brown leather seats.  -The tall taillights affixed at the rear corners of the car.  -The cross mounted in-line six providing additional protection in case of a head-on.  -The multifunction stalks on each side of the steering wheel.  -The Zephyrus 18” alloy wheels.  -Rear headrests that flop down at the flip of a switch (on the dashboard) for visibility.  -The Xenon headlamps that peek around the corner.  I could go on and on.

I give the Volvo a thumbs up for the enjoyable week that I had the car.  It could provide years of enjoyment for someone, just like Bobby Goldsboro did.