Tempted by new Volvo V70 estate - good choice?

[Martin_M]

Hi guys, on the whole I've had mainly sporty cars over the years but with a german shepherd and pregnant wife, I am keen to move away from hot hatches and buy a big practical estate. Whilst sports car performance would be lovely, in reality we will be looking to spend our money on childcare further down the line and so I would rather have luxury and comfort over performance (although a mix of both would be nice).

My benchmark in terms of comfort and the like is the M135i I owned for a year and I am continually drawn towards the Volvo V70 D3 SE Nav manual. I can't find a better deal than the one below:

http://www.stoneacre.co.uk/new-cars/offer/423

I don't need to buy until nearer the end of the year by which time, I will probably be able to secure a better price for my Abarth 595 as I will paid off more on it. Do you reckon the above model would be a good choice or are there competitors I should seriously consider?

As a package, the V70's interior looks to be right up there with the BMW's although I have yet to sit in one. The exterior may look a bit bland to some but I think it looks pretty good, particularly if I add some tints.

All thoughts appreciated.

Martin

[MYOB]

It's a lovely car with the best seats around for comfort. The boot will swallow up everything and I would suggest a boot divider so the dog doesn't have anything else falling on him.

If you want a bit of performance, the 5 is the one to get. But saying that, the 3 is also good. As for the interior, I love it far better than other cars ink this sector and price range.

If you do high mileage, the running costs ramp up. Front tyres last circa 15k miles.

I had a 2011 v70 D5, with two kids and a dog. Best car I have ever owned and regret changing it.

Take one for a test drive. The ultimate cruiser!

[Looket]

My old man has the new D4, which I drove on a family outing recently. Pulls like a train even when fully laden - overtaking is a doddle. 500 miles on a mix of roads later I got out of bed the driver's seat completely rested and without any pains or aches. Very comfortable indeed, you get the impression you're cocooned in a particularly friendly tank.

I've not driven the D3, but given that the D2 he had previously was an utter, utter dog I'd wager a bet and say it's probably worth it to try and stretch your budget to as large an engine as possible. The D4 is a peach.

[After_Shock]

Looket said:

I've not driven the D3, but given that the D2 he had previously was an utter, utter dog I'd wager a bet and say it's probably worth it to try and stretch your budget to as large an engine as possible. The D4 is a peach.

D2 was a pig to drive, regrettably that was the downside of using a Ford engine.

[jep]

For only a couple of grand more than that deal, my old man picked up a 7 month old XC70 D5 SE Lux with all the toys. It is a seriously impressive machine, very comfy and the 215hp engine pulls like a train. I also think it's slightly better looking than the standard V70.

The interior feels well put together, loads of storage and useful features, and the built in child seats are pretty nifty too (although not sure you'll need them just yet!).

It's worth looking at a slightly older vehicle IMO if brand spanking new isn't a priority...

[Martin_M]

Thanks for the replies guys. Ideally, I would buy a nearly new example but I'm almost forced to buy new due to the better finance deals etc. I don't want to part with more than £1500 deposit-wise so it'll be this kind of deal I'm looking for. If I could sell my Abarth for the price I need, I'd take the plunge tomorrow but I'll probably need to wait until nearer the end of the year unfortunately.

[loskie]

re the Stoneacre link. This is the 136 bhp D3 the newer D3 is around 150 and the D4 (now 4 cylinder) about 190(v40) 181(V60) not sure about the V70.I had a V40 d40 courtesy car this week and it went like stink compared to my 140 bhp V50. According to the computer did 51.5mpg over the 140 or so miles I did.

[confused_buyer]

The current V70 seems to be in "run out" with only two diesel models available according to Volvo's current list. D3 (150bhp) and D4 (181bhp). The D3 has the 6-speed auto and the D4 the 8-speed.

All the petrols have seemingly been dropped.

[Martin_M]

I took the plunge on a new V60 D2 R-Design in rebel blue yesterday guys. Comes with winter pack if I remember rightly and I should collect it mid-week.

To my eyes, it looks absolutely stunning inside and out and should suit my needs perfectly. It's the 1.6 diesel so probably incredibly slow but I couldn't resist the looks and mpg claims!

Will post some pics when I collect!

Martin

[loskie]

Is the electric handbrake still positioned to the right of the steering wheel low down or have they moved it to the central transmission tunnel? Better still have Volvo reverted to a manual handbrake again? (wishful thinking)

[Martin_M]

I test drove a 2ltr version yesterday and it was an automatic handbrake to pull away but manual to put it on - activated by a button to the right of the steering column.

[watchnut]

I am puzzled that everyone thinks a small engined car is slow!.........a 1.6 diesel engine these days is far better than many give credit for. Years ago when they had no power...then maybe....but we can legally go no faster than 70......all cars can manage that.

Fuel prices are lower at the moment but when they go back up again, you will be glad of it!

V70's are great cars, I'm sure a 1.6 will be fine....provided you don't want to pull a caravan....then you will be stuffed.....and lets face it, wife...soon to have a child.....dog...it's inevitable the caravan comes next

I have a 1999 2.5 turbo diesel, coming up to 175k on the clock, had it since the daughter was born 16 years ago. It ticks all the boxes for a "family" car.....£118.00 to get it through it's last MOT (including cost of MOT) (and that was not a failure but an advisory)

V70's are great

[anonymous-user]

watchnut said:

I am puzzled that everyone thinks a small engined car is slow!.........a 1.6 diesel engine these days is far better than many give credit for. Years ago when they had no power...then maybe....but we can legally go no faster than 70......all cars can manage that.

Fuel prices are lower at the moment but when they go back up again, you will be glad of it!

V70's are great cars, I'm sure a 1.6 will be fine....provided you don't want to pull a caravan....then you will be stuffed.....and lets face it, wife...soon to have a child.....dog...it's inevitable the caravan comes next

I have a 1999 2.5 turbo diesel, coming up to 175k on the clock, had it since the daughter was born 16 years ago. It ticks all the boxes for a "family" car.....£118.00 to get it through it's last MOT (including cost of MOT) (and that was not a failure but an advisory)

V70's are great

They are right, the 1.6 is fking awful. It has about 115bhp, which is very sedate indeed when it's just you in the car and extremely frustrating when you have 4 people and their stuff - you know, what you actually use an estate for.

It's totally inadequate IMHO, very sluggish indeed and crap economy because you have to thrash it mercilessly to keep up with traffic.

[T5XARV]

Martin_M said:

I took the plunge on a new V60 D2 R-Design in rebel blue yesterday guys. Comes with winter pack if I remember rightly and I should collect it mid-week.

To my eyes, it looks absolutely stunning inside and out and should suit my needs perfectly. It's the 1.6 diesel so probably incredibly slow but I couldn't resist the looks and mpg claims!

Will post some pics when I collect!

Martin

Is it the one in your profile pic ? Not from Stoneacre then ? Were you not offered a test drive in a D2 ?

[PomBstard]

Martin_M said:

Volvo V70 estate - good choice?

I hope so, I've just bought a 2008 V70 T6 to replace a 2005 Subaru Liberty GT that was too small for three kids. Its no back road weapon, and is a hefty beast through corners, with steering that lacks feel and no manual box, but should be a comfy and spacious place to be for a couple of years...

[toon10]

I get to drive a lot of pool cars at work and the V70 D5 is the one I ask for if it's free. Very comfortable, nice interior and the one we have is well spec'd. It's also pretty refined for a diesel too. If you want a comfy and practical car, you'll not go wrong.

[Martin_M]

Sorry guys, yes it's the one in my profile pic. I've since added wind deflectors and rear tints which really set the car off. With regard to the car feeling sluggish, the more I drive it, the more I realise that the performance is perfectly fine for driving sensibly and within the speed limit. The mpg is excellent and I certainly don't need to thrash it to keep up with traffic although I do drive it hard when I'm in the mood.

I've had the car for a month now and it really is very good indeed. If I'm honest, I miss the performance of my previous cars but the practicality of an estate combined with how cheap it is to run means that we can go day trips and it isn't costing a small fortune on petrol. I can certainly see myself seriously considering a V70 with a bigger engine in 2 years by which time I hope that I won't be in negative equity.

I would quite like to change the wheels but haven't taken the plunge yet.

[jardinec]

Love the colour you got.

Where did you get the wind deflectors from? ive got a V70 r-design, and I love having the front windows down, but it gets really noisy over 30mph or so.

[Martin_M]

Hi, thanks - the colour really sets it off. I can see myself going for a V70 next time round but I'm hoping that there will be more performance options in the line-up that aren't quite as expensive as the Polestar V60!How are you enjoying yours?

As for the wind deflectors - I bought them from ebay. They are the good quality Team Heko version and the ebay seller is automotive_jandj

I'm booked in to have some yellow 'alloygators' fitted next week - I could be making a big mistake but my dad has red ones on his e class and they look smart.

I've removed the VOLVO rear lettering as I prefer a smoother rear end. My only other plans are to have rear tints added and possibly have fly eyes applied to the front and rear light clusters.

[Magictrousers]

I can have a go here now! Just picked up my new to me V70 R Design, with the rampaging 1.6 Diesel engine. Coming from a 1.9 150 Signum, I knew it was going to feel slow and was ready to be disappointed. But. It actually works. It's actually quite comically enthusiastic pulling away, runs out of puff, change gear, another whack of enthusiasm and you're away!

Yes, it's not quick. It's certainly better than adequate and changes speed in 6th gear quite nicely. After 220 miles bringing it home today, I'm more than happy. Particularly with an indicated 50 mpg and 3/4 of a tank left.

If you're after a motorway cruiser, as I am, you'd do a lot worse than try one.