This was my first Volvo, my first LPG car and my first estate car. I had it from new for 1 year (only got rid of it 2 weeks ago due to opting out of company car scheme) The car was an SE spec so all the toys, electric everything and all leather,climate control etc. Firstly the fuel thing- LPG took a couple of weeks to get used to as it lacked power at low revs, pulling off required an extra few revs but after that there was no noticeable difference. Beware though this car has no spare tyre because the LPG tank is in the wheel well,a emergency aerosol tyre repair kit was provided and worked when I needed it but I do Know an owner who was stranded with a flat,This also compromises boot space and the usefulness of the estate is lost a bit as the boot floor has a large raised area.Dog owners beware my Lab struggled to get comfy in the back and ended up on the back seats!! The car itself had no faults easy to drive stuck to the road through corners but I could never match the official fuel figures, it returned about 30mpg on petrol (11.25p per mile) and about 23mpg on LPG (8p per mile).That was mainly motorway miles with just me in but a full boot.It was incredibly quiet around town and on the motorway but did get noisy over 80mph. The climate control struggled to maintain the correct temperature when set this is due too the temperature sensor being positioned on the black dash that gets incredibly hot in the summer!! The car was very comfortable for everyday use although anymore than 5hrs in it and you started to feel it. The instruments are well laid out and the backseats fold flat, and i mean flat, for extra luggage space as well as the passenger seat folding forward which was great for carrying long objects if needed. The major downside was servicing. Mine had 3 services the cheapest was £220 and the most expensive was £387,yikes! No additional parts were used except bulbs which it blew like they were going out of fashion. In one year I had 2 new headlamp bulbs and 4 rear lamps. Please bear in mind this was 40,000+ miles though. Only 2 tyres were changed during the year,both front, at 41,000 the back still had 4mm of tread left. Overall I was sad to see her go as she was a pleasure to drive, a great looking car and hold their value pretty well.New prices are steep however you can get a lot of car for £20,000 elsewhere.
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Estate - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed - (Man) / 6 Speed Geartronic - (Auto) - 2401 cc - Max Speed: 140 mph - 185 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: R-DESIGN, R-DESIGN Premium, SE, SE Lux, SE Lux Premium, SE Premium, S, Sport
Advantages: The whole feel of safety, I drive my 18 month old daughter around and will never choose another make of car! Disadvantages: Heavier on the fuel than I am used to, not drastically but costs more to run than my old 1 litre.
mkberridge 21.03.2005 ·
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