Talk to me about a Mk 2 S60/V60 T5...
Discussion
Am I barking up the wrong tree here?
I'm looking to replace a daily driver of a few years (Mk 2 Octavia vRS). I've changed job and while I get a rare play on twisty bits, it's unusual. The Octavia's been OK but it's getting on a bit and I'm thinking of something a bit comfier. The seats in the Octavia aren't anywhere near as good as Saabs I've tried before.
Most days I have a mostly motorway round trip of 25 miles or so. Once a week I have a 70 mile round trip to a different workplace. Once every 2 months or so I might do a 400 mile round trip to Wales and back.
I'm looking at adverts of Mk 2 Volvo S60 T5's and wondering if there's sufficient fun to be had. Clearly it's no Elise or even a 3 series, but do things improve if you get an R Design? Or a 4C chassis?
I wouldn't expect a thrill a minute but it'd be nice to have something fun for the 1% of the time I might be able to exploit it. The rest of the time it'd be nice to be isolated from the elements on a long commute in winter. Yes, I might hand in my PH card
but I'm wondering if a hot hatch is really what I'm after any more. (I'm considering getting a cosseting daily driver and a Mk 1 MX5 as a plaything.) 
There's lots of info on US Spec cars but their T5's ran the old 5 cylinder 2.5, whereas European versions had the 2.0 in-line four (Brother-of-Ford's-Ecoboost... or "not-a-proper-T5" if you read enough Volvo websites).
So, any Mk 2 S60/V60 owners out there care to share their experiences? Or suggest alternatives? (Budget £10-13k depending on how much I get paid. This might be idle banter if I keep the Octavia for another year and save a bit more or it might lead to a purchase.)
I'm looking to replace a daily driver of a few years (Mk 2 Octavia vRS). I've changed job and while I get a rare play on twisty bits, it's unusual. The Octavia's been OK but it's getting on a bit and I'm thinking of something a bit comfier. The seats in the Octavia aren't anywhere near as good as Saabs I've tried before.
Most days I have a mostly motorway round trip of 25 miles or so. Once a week I have a 70 mile round trip to a different workplace. Once every 2 months or so I might do a 400 mile round trip to Wales and back.
I'm looking at adverts of Mk 2 Volvo S60 T5's and wondering if there's sufficient fun to be had. Clearly it's no Elise or even a 3 series, but do things improve if you get an R Design? Or a 4C chassis?
I wouldn't expect a thrill a minute but it'd be nice to have something fun for the 1% of the time I might be able to exploit it. The rest of the time it'd be nice to be isolated from the elements on a long commute in winter. Yes, I might hand in my PH card
but I'm wondering if a hot hatch is really what I'm after any more. (I'm considering getting a cosseting daily driver and a Mk 1 MX5 as a plaything.) There's lots of info on US Spec cars but their T5's ran the old 5 cylinder 2.5, whereas European versions had the 2.0 in-line four (Brother-of-Ford's-Ecoboost... or "not-a-proper-T5" if you read enough Volvo websites).
So, any Mk 2 S60/V60 owners out there care to share their experiences? Or suggest alternatives? (Budget £10-13k depending on how much I get paid. This might be idle banter if I keep the Octavia for another year and save a bit more or it might lead to a purchase.)
I've got a V60 T4. I really wanted a T5, but they only exist in theory (actually there's one very overpriced one on AutoTrader at the moment)
On the one hand the T4 is significantly better on fuel than the T5. On the other hand, it feels like it would benefit from the extra 60bhp. It's almost quick enough, but not quite. If I had the chance, I would probably swap my T4 for a T5.
If you're looking for excitement I think you're probably looking in the wrong place. The V60 is grippy and doesn't roll much, but ultimately all it will do is understeer. The ride is firmer than you would expect as well. I haven't tried a 4C equipped car so can't comment on whether it manages the ride handling balance better than the standard cars.
It's a comfortable and refined place to spend a few hours on a long journey though, and the dashboard and centre console are nicely designed and well made.
Oh, and the boot is nowhere near as big as an Octavia.
On the one hand the T4 is significantly better on fuel than the T5. On the other hand, it feels like it would benefit from the extra 60bhp. It's almost quick enough, but not quite. If I had the chance, I would probably swap my T4 for a T5.
If you're looking for excitement I think you're probably looking in the wrong place. The V60 is grippy and doesn't roll much, but ultimately all it will do is understeer. The ride is firmer than you would expect as well. I haven't tried a 4C equipped car so can't comment on whether it manages the ride handling balance better than the standard cars.
It's a comfortable and refined place to spend a few hours on a long journey though, and the dashboard and centre console are nicely designed and well made.
Oh, and the boot is nowhere near as big as an Octavia.
Thanks, that's useful to know. I never thought it'd be a barrel of laughs but it's a shame to hear that they aren't much cop around corners. (Have you tried the R-Design versions?)
Several observers describe them as "better feel" but I'm not sure the reviewers know what they're talking about, and mistake weight of steering for feel...
Not much has the boot space of an Octavia, in fairness!
My lifestyle has changed and I no longer lug around the same amounts of kit I used to.
I would prefer a manual so the T6 is out. I'd consider a T4...
Interesting to hear that the T5 on AT is "overpriced". Is that the £10995 one? I thought it looked pretty keenly priced if a few too many miles. There is a £14k one that looks like very silly money but Volvo's dealer network have, erm, optimistic pricing policies. (That said, they have a business model that probably works for them.)
The motivating factor here is feeling a little vulnerable on the A14 and eyeing up things with more airbags than the Octavia has. I'm genuinely not sure how much "driving pleasure" I'm willing to give up for "more comfort and better chance of survival in a smash", and I won't get an answer to that on an internet forum. I might try one out and have a think. Alternative suggestions are welcome!
Several observers describe them as "better feel" but I'm not sure the reviewers know what they're talking about, and mistake weight of steering for feel...
Not much has the boot space of an Octavia, in fairness!
My lifestyle has changed and I no longer lug around the same amounts of kit I used to.I would prefer a manual so the T6 is out. I'd consider a T4...
Interesting to hear that the T5 on AT is "overpriced". Is that the £10995 one? I thought it looked pretty keenly priced if a few too many miles. There is a £14k one that looks like very silly money but Volvo's dealer network have, erm, optimistic pricing policies. (That said, they have a business model that probably works for them.)
The motivating factor here is feeling a little vulnerable on the A14 and eyeing up things with more airbags than the Octavia has. I'm genuinely not sure how much "driving pleasure" I'm willing to give up for "more comfort and better chance of survival in a smash", and I won't get an answer to that on an internet forum. I might try one out and have a think. Alternative suggestions are welcome!
I can't see one at £10995 on autotrader, I was referring to the £15000 one. To put it in to perspective I paid £3500 less for a newer, lower mileage and higher spec T4 6 months ago.
R-design spec misses out on a number of useful items such as Bluetooth, although that particular car does have leather.
R-design spec misses out on a number of useful items such as Bluetooth, although that particular car does have leather.
IanCress said:
I can't see one at £10995 on autotrader, I was referring to the £15000 one. To put it in to perspective I paid £3500 less for a newer, lower mileage and higher spec T4 6 months ago.
R-design spec misses out on a number of useful items such as Bluetooth, although that particular car does have leather.
Ah, I see what you mean. I'm on about a £10995 S60. I think you're referring to a £15000 V60. Yes, that does seem very steep, even for a franchised dealer.R-design spec misses out on a number of useful items such as Bluetooth, although that particular car does have leather.
They are very pleasant to drive, but really quite different to the faux sportiness of a lot of other comparable cars. Volvo seem to have a lot of repeat purchasers but I think the merits are hard to get in a short test drive. I bought my V70 T5 for practical reasons but was really very surprised how much I grew to like the car over the first few months of ownership.
I don't know what you mean by the Mk2 ones, I'm going to guess at something fairly new.
I had one that was fairly old, 10 years old actually and it was the 2.4T one, 200bhp that could be tweaked a little.
The general rule was don't bother with the 4C unless you have a warranty. As cars go, they're quick enough and really comfortable with decent audio. They're never going to be an Elise botherer on B roads, when the road opens out they'll accelerate quicker but have to slow down more for corners. But that's not really where they're strengths are, it's more likely getting off roundabouts on the A5 quicker than everything else and then sitting at motorway speeds going past most other cars. You don't generally buy them for throwing around back roads and the engine's not that well suited to it.
The one thing I liked about mine in particular was that no matter how I drove it, it still gave 400 miles to an average sized fuel tank, which for a 2.4 turbo petrol was alright.
I had one that was fairly old, 10 years old actually and it was the 2.4T one, 200bhp that could be tweaked a little.
The general rule was don't bother with the 4C unless you have a warranty. As cars go, they're quick enough and really comfortable with decent audio. They're never going to be an Elise botherer on B roads, when the road opens out they'll accelerate quicker but have to slow down more for corners. But that's not really where they're strengths are, it's more likely getting off roundabouts on the A5 quicker than everything else and then sitting at motorway speeds going past most other cars. You don't generally buy them for throwing around back roads and the engine's not that well suited to it.
The one thing I liked about mine in particular was that no matter how I drove it, it still gave 400 miles to an average sized fuel tank, which for a 2.4 turbo petrol was alright.
andy-xr said:
I don't know what you mean by the Mk2 ones, I'm going to guess at something fairly new.
I had one that was fairly old, 10 years old actually and it was the 2.4T one, 200bhp that could be tweaked a little.
The general rule was don't bother with the 4C unless you have a warranty. As cars go, they're quick enough and really comfortable with decent audio. They're never going to be an Elise botherer on B roads, when the road opens out they'll accelerate quicker but have to slow down more for corners. But that's not really where they're strengths are, it's more likely getting off roundabouts on the A5 quicker than everything else and then sitting at motorway speeds going past most other cars. You don't generally buy them for throwing around back roads and the engine's not that well suited to it.
The one thing I liked about mine in particular was that no matter how I drove it, it still gave 400 miles to an average sized fuel tank, which for a 2.4 turbo petrol was alright.
That's useful to know about the 4C chassis. Thanks. For clarity, I'm on about the post 2010 cars called T5 but which have the Ford Ecoboost derived 2.0 in-line turbo four cylinder engines.I had one that was fairly old, 10 years old actually and it was the 2.4T one, 200bhp that could be tweaked a little.
The general rule was don't bother with the 4C unless you have a warranty. As cars go, they're quick enough and really comfortable with decent audio. They're never going to be an Elise botherer on B roads, when the road opens out they'll accelerate quicker but have to slow down more for corners. But that's not really where they're strengths are, it's more likely getting off roundabouts on the A5 quicker than everything else and then sitting at motorway speeds going past most other cars. You don't generally buy them for throwing around back roads and the engine's not that well suited to it.
The one thing I liked about mine in particular was that no matter how I drove it, it still gave 400 miles to an average sized fuel tank, which for a 2.4 turbo petrol was alright.
I think I'll have to consider how much I want the comfort vs how much I want the driving dynamics (or buy a separate car for kicks there). I might look elsewhere.
Truckosaurus said:
The R-Design is really just a trim level rather than anything sporting. Other than larger wheels/tyres I don't think the suspension is even different from other models.
As others have said, very few petrols sold (especially if you want a manual 'box).
Thanks, but I'm pretty sure the R design has lowered suspension. I take your point that the petrol engines are rare, but I don't think my mileage justifies a diesel.As others have said, very few petrols sold (especially if you want a manual 'box).
I suspect I'll poke around one but may well look to other manufacturers when I put my money down, unless one surprises me. Thanks for your help, folks! (More comments welcome if anyone else reads this!)
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