Anyone own(ed) a Volvo XC70 or XC90?

[Gooch]

My wife is looking at them. I'm partial to getting something Japanese for her. Anyone owned them? I'm concerned over the quality.

[DaCan23]

My brother has a XC70.. a 2003 I think... they love the car and the service from Volvo...

[Zeuk in Oz]

Without a bit more info it is hard to answer.
I have owned 4 Volvos, the last was an 850 AWD - the fore-runner to the XC70.
Both XC70 & XC90 are relatively well made & safe cars, however the XC90 is not the best handling car in the world.
If I had to choose between the 2 I would go for the XC70 - its is hardly state of the art any more but is reasonably well sorted and safe as long as it has vehicle stability control and window bags these days.
I cannot think of a single Japanese car with similar abilities that would be superior. Forget the Honda (Acura) MDX - terrible. The Toyotas are over-rated rubbish - and don't touch a Toyota diesel !!!!!
Do you need a 7 seater ?
The recently superseded ML Mercedes is better than all 3 of these and comes in a 7 seat configuration - if buying used 2002 - on are the ones to look at. The new ML only has 5 seats.
New, the Discovery 3 from Land Rover is worth a look. I don't like the air suspended ride on the road, however.
If all wheel drive is not important, look at a Mercedes E240T or E320T wagon - 7 seats and the last of the W210s (2000-2002) are not bad buying if you can find one. Much nicer to drive than the Volvos and with safety to match too.
If you don't need 7 seats, but want an SUV, the X5 is the only choice and the diesel is the best one if it is available in your area. The next X5, due out late next year I think, will come in 7 seat configuration.
The new ML (5 seats only) is apparently close to the X5 now, but I haven't driven one yet.
In summary, Volvo is a B string company and cannot be compared directly with Merc or BMW. Closer but not quite up to Audi perhaps.