Two V70 Questions
Discussion
Hi all.
I currently have a 2009 P3 V70 2.0d and I am thinking of a change. The car has done 165,000 miles and has been superb. However, I’m interested in a D5 or perhaps one of the larger petrols. My use makes me pretty agnostic on the fuel front.
My two questions are:
1. Most of the non 2.0 cars seem to be automatic. I have read and heard that the automatic gearboxes can be problematic. The car will be a work horse and so I am not looking for a recent one. It’s likely to be around 2010 - 2012. So the mileage will probably be between 85-100k, unless I am lucky. I tend to buy on condition anyway. Are the P3 autos materially less reliable than the manuals, or was the problem more with the earlier cars?
2. I live on a pretty rough lane. I often find the current car a bit harsh, not aided by the fact it is in R Design trim and so has a lower ride height and 18” wheels. Although not really needed for the 4 wheel drive, I quite like the look of the XC70. I expect it will be more comfortable and a bit more practical. How do they feel compared to a V70? Pretty much the same or are they even more laid back? Do they wallow about?
I appreciate these issues have cropped up before, but a more recent view looking at cars of the above vintage would be much appreciated.
Thanks
I currently have a 2009 P3 V70 2.0d and I am thinking of a change. The car has done 165,000 miles and has been superb. However, I’m interested in a D5 or perhaps one of the larger petrols. My use makes me pretty agnostic on the fuel front.
My two questions are:
1. Most of the non 2.0 cars seem to be automatic. I have read and heard that the automatic gearboxes can be problematic. The car will be a work horse and so I am not looking for a recent one. It’s likely to be around 2010 - 2012. So the mileage will probably be between 85-100k, unless I am lucky. I tend to buy on condition anyway. Are the P3 autos materially less reliable than the manuals, or was the problem more with the earlier cars?
2. I live on a pretty rough lane. I often find the current car a bit harsh, not aided by the fact it is in R Design trim and so has a lower ride height and 18” wheels. Although not really needed for the 4 wheel drive, I quite like the look of the XC70. I expect it will be more comfortable and a bit more practical. How do they feel compared to a V70? Pretty much the same or are they even more laid back? Do they wallow about?
I appreciate these issues have cropped up before, but a more recent view looking at cars of the above vintage would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Edited by Andy Meads on Wednesday 6th March 20:27
Probably not much help but I've run quick Volvos for years and latterly sold my 05 V70R which sat alongside a rather tired but utterly dependable 2005 V70 D5. I'm rural and the lack of use the R was getting combined with the requirements for newer estate that could take some abuse that family life brings combined with AWD and some off piste ability lead me to a 2009 XC70 D5 SE with a manual box.... Geartronics and their inherent issues just worry me too much.
Said XC70 was ok, felt much bigger and heavier than the P2 cars (because it is) but as a P3 driver that'd be no change and yes, it was a rather soft and wallowy thing and just didn't feel at all swift even with 185bhp. Granted it would eventually get up to speed and hustle along but anything more than and gentle curve and it'd be like trying to get a hippo round a kart track. However, I was also coming from a V70R so perhaps it was too much like chalk and cheese. In terms of day to day, it was great... motorways were billiard smooth which was great for moving a baby in serene silence however mine was 4C equipped and I found switching to Sport mode just made it a bit better at speed, less floaty but still a big old barge. Off piste it was great, I tried its limits on mud and snow and confirmed it was more than capable and would be fine for those trips to the beach or if it snowed.
It did have a few issues, but it was cheap and I was ready to spend... silly things like a dicky boot lock, creaky clutch pedal, needed discs and pads and the steering was a bit stiff. However, after 2 weeks of driving it I still wasn't in love so the rather numb driving experience combinded with a lack pace and the assorted niggles, I bailed out and cut my losses. In some ways I miss it, as a tool for covering ground it was fantastic but as a car to drive, my old V70 D5 runs rings round it in every possible sense and for me that was the deal breaker. I find myself looking to change said D5 with something a bit newer, less rusty but that does everything the D5 does as a tool and I'm leaning towards another P3 V70 but I think I'd be more at home in Nike trainers than Bergaus boots and thus find myself looking at R-Designs, ideally a D5 manual however the wife has a 2.0D V50 and it's more than capable so I've started to look at 2,0D's too but just struggling to find the right car / colour combo and not at a silly price either. On which note, feel free to pop me the details of yours if you are selling!
Gearbox wise, sadly I don't know much about the newer Geartronics but there's certainly lots of cases of failure and such like on the bespoke forums but then again, nobody talks about good experiences so for every box with an issue, there's probably hundreds running up big miles without issue. My gripe with the only Geartronic I owned was the manual shift was back to front... forward to change up, back to change down is just a bit illogical and drove me demented. However I was concede that despite hunting out a manual XC70, I think an auto would suit the nature of the car so much better. It's not a car for driving, it's a car for wafting around comfortably in and it does that very well.
Cheers
Said XC70 was ok, felt much bigger and heavier than the P2 cars (because it is) but as a P3 driver that'd be no change and yes, it was a rather soft and wallowy thing and just didn't feel at all swift even with 185bhp. Granted it would eventually get up to speed and hustle along but anything more than and gentle curve and it'd be like trying to get a hippo round a kart track. However, I was also coming from a V70R so perhaps it was too much like chalk and cheese. In terms of day to day, it was great... motorways were billiard smooth which was great for moving a baby in serene silence however mine was 4C equipped and I found switching to Sport mode just made it a bit better at speed, less floaty but still a big old barge. Off piste it was great, I tried its limits on mud and snow and confirmed it was more than capable and would be fine for those trips to the beach or if it snowed.
It did have a few issues, but it was cheap and I was ready to spend... silly things like a dicky boot lock, creaky clutch pedal, needed discs and pads and the steering was a bit stiff. However, after 2 weeks of driving it I still wasn't in love so the rather numb driving experience combinded with a lack pace and the assorted niggles, I bailed out and cut my losses. In some ways I miss it, as a tool for covering ground it was fantastic but as a car to drive, my old V70 D5 runs rings round it in every possible sense and for me that was the deal breaker. I find myself looking to change said D5 with something a bit newer, less rusty but that does everything the D5 does as a tool and I'm leaning towards another P3 V70 but I think I'd be more at home in Nike trainers than Bergaus boots and thus find myself looking at R-Designs, ideally a D5 manual however the wife has a 2.0D V50 and it's more than capable so I've started to look at 2,0D's too but just struggling to find the right car / colour combo and not at a silly price either. On which note, feel free to pop me the details of yours if you are selling!
Gearbox wise, sadly I don't know much about the newer Geartronics but there's certainly lots of cases of failure and such like on the bespoke forums but then again, nobody talks about good experiences so for every box with an issue, there's probably hundreds running up big miles without issue. My gripe with the only Geartronic I owned was the manual shift was back to front... forward to change up, back to change down is just a bit illogical and drove me demented. However I was concede that despite hunting out a manual XC70, I think an auto would suit the nature of the car so much better. It's not a car for driving, it's a car for wafting around comfortably in and it does that very well.
Cheers
Thanks Davie. That is very helpful on the XC front. I don’t think I’d enjoy the drive, even for the use case I have.
I am still trying to decide whether to change. Mine runs perfectly well and just passed its MOT with two expected advisories: a couple of joints on the front suspension showing signs of wear. It’s already had new lower arms, a new OS top mount and new drop links. All fair enough at the mileage, as are the remaining couple of bits.
There’s a stone chip that needs painting on the roof, meaning quite a bit of expense as I won’t allow it to be bodged, and a couple of other bits of paint I could tidy up, as, for some reason, I always feel impelled to remedy small things even on a car that’s supposed to be a work horse.
Logically, I should do what needs doing and keep driving it. It’s done nothing wrong and owes me little. But, like a lot of us I suspect, I like the idea of a bigger engine (even if the 2.0 is enough, as you rightly say). I’d also like a couple of other niceties that I could get with an upgrade to a newer model, especially if I stretch to a facelift. But who knows what might need doing to it versus the car I know is fine?
If I decide to sell it, I’ll let you know and give a full run down of its condition.
Thanks again.
I am still trying to decide whether to change. Mine runs perfectly well and just passed its MOT with two expected advisories: a couple of joints on the front suspension showing signs of wear. It’s already had new lower arms, a new OS top mount and new drop links. All fair enough at the mileage, as are the remaining couple of bits.
There’s a stone chip that needs painting on the roof, meaning quite a bit of expense as I won’t allow it to be bodged, and a couple of other bits of paint I could tidy up, as, for some reason, I always feel impelled to remedy small things even on a car that’s supposed to be a work horse.
Logically, I should do what needs doing and keep driving it. It’s done nothing wrong and owes me little. But, like a lot of us I suspect, I like the idea of a bigger engine (even if the 2.0 is enough, as you rightly say). I’d also like a couple of other niceties that I could get with an upgrade to a newer model, especially if I stretch to a facelift. But who knows what might need doing to it versus the car I know is fine?
If I decide to sell it, I’ll let you know and give a full run down of its condition.
Thanks again.
Gassing Station | Volvo & Polestar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff