I originally posted this review under the Volvo V70 2.5D by mistake. I have updated the report too.
The car is a 2004 (2005 MY) Volvo V70 D5 S. The D5 is a 2.4 litre "common rail" diesel and the S spec has cloth seats, climate control, fuel computer, and a single CD / FM Radio (which at least has LW for the cricket). Mine has a very light interior (they call it Oak) and the dashboard causes a lot of stray reflections on the windscreen - not good for night driving.
The V70 is a nice looking car but it does not have the robust build and quality of finish that have been associated with Volvo in the past. It is also not the supreme load carrier that Volvos once were - you get a much bigger load space with a Mondeo.
My V70 has proved to be a very disappointing car with numerous days (24 in 6 months) spent off of the road and too many instances of recurrence of faults, e.g.
- central locking / immobiliser - sticking tailgate - bad starting - random message displays - loss of entire instrument system - climate control resets / switches off after 20 minutes
I rate the overall build qualty as very poor, there are simply too many trim rattles (especially from the dashboard and load area). The seat fabric is also of poor quality and I have had to have the rear seta covering replaced (it took 4 months to source the parts).
The D5 engine gets rave reviews from many magazines but it is noisy (even for a diesel) and does not deliver anything more than moderate performance. I also find that the 34mpg average from mainly motorway use is not as expected, though this is better than the 28mpg that was achieved I first had the car. The injectors and ECM (engine control module) have both been replaced in an attempt to cure a persistent poor starting problem and to try to make it run smoother and consume less fuel.
The V70 is a complicated car, probably too complicated, and the electrical systems on mine have been very troublesome. To date the CEM (central electrical module), UEM (upper electrical module) and ECM (engine control module) have been replaced and the DIM (Driver's Information Module) has been faulty from day one. Mostly the problems do not cause breakdowns but they do result in annoying "DTCS in Vehicle" messages being displayed on the driver's "Information Centre".
Front seats are very comfortable through the rear bench is less so and rear seat passenger also get badly affected by the soft and floaty ride of the car.
The standard audio system is not good with mediocre radio quality and rattling speakers, but the premium system (not on my car and an expensive extra) sounds very much better.
Bodywork fit and finish is good but not exceptional and the pearlescent paint is evenly applied but without the quality of, say, an Audi.
Dealer and manufacturer support is questionable. Volvo dealers seem to have a first resort of clearing fault (DTCS) codes and the underlying faults are left to recur - causing much frustration. There is a resgned acceptance that modern Volvos need constant and expensive maintenance.
Estate - Front (FWD) - 5 Speed - (Man) / 5 Speed Geartronic - (Auto) - 2521 cc - Max Speed: 143 mph - 210 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: SE Lux Premium, R-DESIGN, R-DESIGN Premium, SE Premium, SE Lux, SE, Sport, S
Surprising stuff here, I'd always believed that Volvos were of high quality - I'm conasidering a V70 too so will look out for signs of this on my test drive. Sam.
kmc25_1 28.11.2005 13:25
A real eye opener on what is supposed to be a premium product.
Advantages: Comfortable,easy to drive, economical on long runs, spacious. Disadvantages: Dealer service cost high, turning lock not as good as 240,700 &800 series
glenvine 20.04.2008 (20.04.2008)
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Review of Volvo V70 D5
Advantages: Build quality, safety features, Comfort, Spacious, Rapid fold-down seats, luxury at good price Disadvantages: Manourverability, large turning circle
craigadj 26.05.2009 (27.05.2009)
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Review of Volvo V70 D5
Advantages: Comfortable,easy to drive, economical on long runs, spacious. Disadvantages: Dealer service cost high, turning lock not as good as 240,700 &800 series
glenvine 20.04.2008 (20.04.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Volvo V70 D5
Advantages: Build quality, safety features, Comfort, Spacious, Rapid fold-down seats, luxury at good price Disadvantages: Manourverability, large turning circle
craigadj 26.05.2009 (27.05.2009)
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Review of Volvo V70 D5
Nov 28th, 2005
(Dec 3rd, 2005)
very helpful by (25%):
helpful by (75%):
