Volvo V70 R | Spotted
The ideal winter wagon? A four-wheel drive, five-cylinder Volvo, of course
We all know exactly the car the fast Volvo legend is built on. It's an 850 estate of some kind, a T5 or an R, the kind of old right-angle bus that still gets car fans of a certain persuasion very excited indeed. So excited, in fact, that the old 850s have become quite expensive - the one for sale on PH currently is £13,000.
So, how about the follow up? The V70 R may not boast the BTCC heritage, or have been received quite so rapturously in period, but this is still a handsome, cavernous Volvo with a stack of five-cylinder turbo power. It's more modern, more usable, and cheaper than the earlier icon, yet hails from the period before the switch to the less charismatic six-cylinder cars. And have you seen how much a new Polestar Engineered Volvo is? This looks like a sweet spot.
Launched in 2003, both S60 and V70 R were powered by a 300hp, 295lb ft, 2.5-litre turbo. The standard gearbox was a six-speed manual, though many were often specified with the optional automatic. Despite expensive hardware including Ohlins dampers and Brembo brakes, the R flagships never quite shone as driver's cars, but Volvos have seldom really delivered on that front. The V70 in particular offered a familiar array of Volvo wagon traits, albeit with the ability to reach 60mph in six seconds. You can see why it might have appealed.
The popularity to a dedicated horde of fans has meant, like the ealier 850s, that plenty of imported S60 and V70Rs have made their way to Britain. This is one of them, a 2004 Japanese Domestic Market car that arrived here in 2019. The advert states it was originally sold to a friend of the dealer; "to say my friend was fussy is an understatement" reads the listing, adding "he is unbelievably particular with immense attention to detail and will only accept the best".
Encouraging for any car, of course, and especially so with the R, as they have a reputation for needing specialist care and attention. Recent new front dampers and a cambelt sound like two pricey jobs a new owner won't have to worry about. For 17 years and 70,000 miles old, the V70's paint, wheels and incredibly orange interior have stood the test of time, seemingly, very well indeed.
This V70 R is for sale at £10,995, which is probably a tad more than it sold for when first imported, reflecting how all cars have appreciated alongside growing affection for the model. Even the youngest 850s are now a quarter of a century old; the V70 offers lots of that classic appeal in something from the 21st century. Five cylinders and a Volvo estate have been a match made in heaven for a very long time; cars like this should mean there's still plenty more years of enjoyment to come.
SPECIFICATION | VOLVO V70 R
Engine: 2,521cc, five-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295@1,950-5,250rpm
MPG: 25.9
CO2: 256g/km
Recorded mileage: 71,000 (113,000km)
Year registered: 2004
Price new: £37,665
Yours for: £10,995
The came in either dark(-ish) blue and this stunning cognac colour. I have seen them in person and they truly are special.
They need attention to look good with age, as they are not your standard fully conserved automotive leather, otherwise they age badly.
This looks to have been cared for!
Get rid of the way too dark aftermarket tints and you have an absolute gem of a PII V70R. Absolute top car, this is!!
ETA:
Why do sellers state "privacy glass from the factory" when it clearly is not??
For one, no European manufacturer would do a privacy glass this dark, and if you can see the copper wires of the heated rear screen or the antenna, it clearly is a aftermarket film applied from the inside ....
And who in their right mind would finance a used, 15 y.o. £10k car over a period of 60 months?? Let alone with these conditions
By the time we find a car we can almost justify, winter is over so we start looking for cheap convertibles instead. Rinse and repeat.
My ideal winter wagon? Same as the summer one, but with winter tyres
Love that orange interior.
The v70R is genuinely rapid but more of a A road/motorway bruiser than B road weapon (although hustling them can be fun)
As has been said, the AWD and gearbox can be weak points if neglected but regular fluid changes help massively.
Great cars though.
Plenty of space, probably the most comfortable seats I’ve ever known (and yes I used to own a Saab) and real punch when you floor it.
You also fly under the radar in a Volvo estate. On the road nobody hates you and can catch out plenty of hot hatch drivers when you punch it.
The came in either dark(-ish) blue and this stunning cognac colour. I have seen them in person and they truly are special.
They need attention to look good with age, as they are not your standard fully conserved automotive leather, otherwise they age badly.
This looks to have been cared for!
Get rid of the way too dark aftermarket tints and you have an absolute gem of a PII V70R. Absolute top car, this is!!
ETA:
Why do sellers state "privacy glass from the factory" when it clearly is not??
For one, no European manufacturer would do a privacy glass this dark, and if you can see the copper wires of the heated rear screen or the antenna, it clearly is a aftermarket film applied from the inside ....
And who in their right mind would finance a used, 15 y.o. £10k car over a period of 60 months?? Let alone with these conditions
If you do want a quick-ish Volvo I'd suggest the FWD T5, ideally the later 2.4, and a manual gearbox because the tiddly little transverse auto they use is so weak they're heavily torque limited in the lower gears and feel very blunted. I've not had the pleasure of a later V70R auto that I think comes with the less rubbish 6 speed auto.
Non servo steering rack and subframe inserts make a pleasing difference to the handling/feel. Great noise, fantastic seats and has so much luggage space.
Heres mine, I really enjoy it as an all rounder. Running about 350bhp with a few tweaks currently.
Link to readers cars thread to anyone interested
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=19...
Apparel the guy used to plough up and down the M1 corridor as a salesman, hence the mileage but at least it was motorway miles
The massive history that came with it was astonishing with big expenditure to keep it running. No issues with the auto gearbox, probably due to regular oil and filter changes but twice he had expensive work to replace/repair the rear driveshaft splines and transfer box
Quite enjoyed it as a car although for some reason it never felt as quick as previous T5s I owned (it had been on a rolling road a couple of months before I bought it and had ‘only’ lost 10-15bhp iirc), and never felt quite as engaging.
Having said that when I came to sell it I had potential buyers ringing non-stop, with people wanting to send me a deposit unseen. £2800 seems such a small amount for such a lot of car…
2004, 166k miles in Flash Green with Atacama interior. It's so horrific its almost great!
The previous owner had owned it since it was 6 months old.
This is what 17 years of Volvo dealership receipts look like - £30k +!!!
Clutch change in 2017:
All four shock absorbers in 2017 (a few had been replaced prior too!!!):
Couple of cambelt changes ranging from £800 to £1200 a few months back where it also had the VVT seals changed too.
It came with both sets of 17" & 18" Pegasus R alloy wheels. The 18"s have hardly been used and still had the original tyres on from 04. They are currently at Lepsons being refurbished with a new set of Michelin's to go on (excuse the garage, it has since been cleared
)
Full service history of course. It has never been anywhere else other than the main Volvo dealer. MOT's have always been done at the same Volvo dealer:
It has all the books packs and Volvo accessory packs. Everything that the previous owner bought from the accessory pack has been circled. Headlight protectors, removable tow bar, mud guards, interior mats, tow bar protector triangle - all genuine Volvo.
Has the original receipt, but this is my favourite. The original advert from when he bought it:
The plan is to restore it to good as new. Not that it needs much to be honest!
Chuffed that its a manual too, as the auto's were restricted on power.
I've had an almost identical UK spec one for 2.5 years now .. though I paid nearly 1/3 of what this ones up for ! It's been a great family wagon covering 20k + in that time. The atacama interior is a bit marmite but the best feature of the car for me .. the colour doesn't photograph well and is a lot less garish to the naked eye.
To anyone looking at one unless you absolutely need an auto (I did) go for a manual .. the auto's are torque limited in 1st and 2nd (less so in the 6speed auto but still there) which can be mapped out but these boxes aren't known for their reliability in standard trim. They make a great all rounder but are maintenance heavy. They will eat tyres, brakes and suspension bushes and for diy'ers like me were as electronically advanced as any car of the time, there are up to 21 separate control units/modules which will require dealer level diagnostics or a cheap chinese copy
to communicate with.I'd still recommend one, they are supremely comfortable, well built, have enough pace standard to still feel fast...ish and are hugely practical .. just get used to regular 5 point turns !
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