5 or 6 cylinder diesels.

[TiminYorkshire]

Thanks for clearing that up.

[George111]

TiminYorkshire said:

Isn't the D5 engine derived from the Audi 5 cylinder used in the Audi 100/early A6 - the same basic unit used in the VW T4 transporter?

No, different engine.

If you like the D5 then one of the cheapest ways in is the S80 as mentioned above. I have one, very cheap to run but about the most comfortable car available today and quiet and smooth. The D5 has a very wide torque spread so doesn't suffer from the peaky nature of 4cyl. It's not as smooth as a V6 but the sound is not unpleasant and only heard when accelerating swiftly. There's plenty of room inside, full leather, heated electric seats, a great sound system as standard, dual zone climate and they usually come with parking sensors, sat nav etc.

The S80 is unloved, not being available with rock hard suspension or an S-Line or M-Sport badge, but that means they are cheap and for a motorway car, there is little better at less than £10k. Volvos are very reliable apart from the 6 speed auto gearbox, but you can avoid issues by changing the oil every 60k.

There are several versions of the D5, some called D3 and D4 - just make sure it's 5 cyl and either 2.4 or 2.0. The D5 220bhp is the best but they are all similar. The 163/185 D5 are the same engine and turbo and will both remap to 225ish. The latter D4/D3 163bhp engine is 2 litre and much more economical and there's not much difference in driveability in normal use.

Look out for the Executive model . . . wood veneer interior (personal taste !) but with heated rear seats and heated and cooled front seats, sat nav, electronic suspension control and 18" wheels as standard.

[cerb4.5lee]

TheAngryDog said:

What is the 3.0 diesel like in the Vectra? I'd go for a petrol but it would need to be 5 or 6 cylinders, but I need reasonable fuel economy.

My father in law has a 3.0 diesel in his Vectra estate and he speaks very highly of it, I believe its an Isuzu engine and it returns high 30`s mpg, he has had the car nearly 10 years and the engine has been solid...just the electrics that have given him a bit of pain.

[BrownBottle]

I like an S60 D5 as much as the next guy but the OP mentioned wanting an auto, am I right in thinking the auto boxes are pretty unreliable on that model?

[Bonefish Blues]

There a no intrinsic problem with the Aisin Warner box, the issue was Volvo treating it as a sealed for life unit, unlike the same box in Saabs who specified ATF 3309 fluid changes.

[the_lone_wolf]

BrownBottle said:

I like an S60 D5 as much as the next guy but the OP mentioned wanting an auto, am I right in thinking the auto boxes are pretty unreliable on that model?

As above, nothing wrong with the boxes and they've been fitted to lots of different vehicles, see the list on this page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWTF-80_SC

Problem is Volvo specced them as sealed for life, which is pretty daft on a 10/15+yr old car!!

So long as there aren't any issues when you purchase, and you do carry out fluid changes reasonably regularly (up to ~100k) you will have no abnormal issues with the gearbox

[BrownBottle]

Cool, no worse than any other sealed for life box then.

[anonymous-user]

T5R+ said:

The Volvo T5 sound wipes the floor with the D5. . Ford did Volvo no favours.

The Volvo D5 (163 -215bhp) does sound well for a oil-burner and suits the S60/V70 really well. Someone asked over S80 - great value for money car as somewhat unloved compared to Germans in this sector.

With an aftermarket exhaust maybe, but in stock form my 2004 V70 T5 sounds like a sewing machine inside, without the slightest hint of interesting 5 cylinder engine note at all.

Now it's developed a small hole in the rear silencer it sounds pretty hilarious from outside mind you.

Totally agree about the S80. The 2.5T seems particularly good value and if you get one with a manual I'm sure it'll be very robust indeed. Only remaps available are from Polestar and it's the low pressure turbo version of the engine but they'll still get 250bhp out of it.

[D4MJT]

Willy Nilly said:

a £2,500, 6 cylinder diesel car? It'll be fked.

Why?

The arse has all but fell out of the 2nd hand car market thanks to the youth of today being able to drive anything white, diesel and german for a fixed monthly outgoing, there's loads of bargains to be had if you want to buck the trend and actually own your car.

I ran a D5 Volvo earlier this year, stuck 20K on it and it cost me literally nothing, I bought it from a dealer for £1700 and sold it privately quickly when I replaced it for £1300.

You can get a perfectly serviceable works / site visit vehicle for £2.5k.

[PomBstard]

T5R+ said:

Ford did Volvo no favours.

Not entirely true - the 3.0T6 is/was built at Ford in South Wales, I think. Certainly designed during their tenure. And it is a lovely engine - smooth, torquey and punchy with 6600rpm red line, if a little thirsty. No idea about diesels.

My only note to the OP is to try the Volvo for size over a long test drive if you can - not all of us are so smitten with the seats and driving position.

[TheAngryDog]

Kind of undecided at the moment. I'd only want a 5 or 6 cylinder as I suffer with a hearing complaint and even driving my M5 is a struggle some days.

Alternative would be an auto 6 cylinder petrol.