Volvo V70 D5

This review is for the car with SE specification trim which adds full leather seats, upgraded stereo and possibly a few more bits.

I bought this as a 3 yr old car to replace my volvo T4 which was getting a bit old.

I'd always liked the look of this model and decided to go for a diesel as economy should be better without too great a loss in performance.

If you want comy and supportive seats then you need look no further than this, the seats are truly superb. I guess that's one of the reasons so many police forces have these cars on traffic.

The upgrade dolby pro logic stereo is good if you sit in the front but for rear seat passengers sound is truly appalling, far too much bass and voice is difficult to pick out.

As for performance, it is a bit sluggish pulling away but mid range, say 40 to 70 mph it just flies. It makes overtaking a doddle and it's actually very easy to hit the tom without realising it.

Unfortunately, it also is not a cheap car to run. At service time main dealers were looking for over £400 - basically an oil and filter change.

If you want a big load lugging comfortable car and have a few quid saved to keep it running then it is worth taking for a test drive otherwise I'd say leave well alone.