Volvo V70 advice

[adam85]

Hi guys, am looking to buy an estate car to lug my drum kit around in!
After looking at a few examples I figured the Volvo V70 would be the one
for me. However is the 2.4D an expensive car to run ? Are there any nasty insurance/
tax surprises to be aware of?

Also was looking at this, Bet it shifts
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/818848.htm

[BAHN-STORMA]

adam85 said:

Also was looking at this, Bet it shifts
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/818848.htm

Must be 'mapped'!

[mondayo]

I've got a D5 auto, and wouldnt call it exactly cheap to insure or tax....but its not awful either.

I'm not sure when the badging changed, but usually a 2.4D has 163bhp and and the D5 has 185bhp.

[Stedman]

adam85 said:

Also was looking at this, Bet it shifts
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/818848.htm

Not with radio 2 on!

[T5R+]

mondayo said:

I'm not sure when the badging changed, but usually a 2.4D has 163bhp and and the D5 has 185bhp.

Think from approx 2005 on, both the 2.4D and D5 ran simultaneously and continue to do so.

NOTE:
D5 prior to this date was a 163bhp Euro III whilst D5 post this era is Euro IV with 185bhp.
To confuse you further, the 2.4D Euro IV is 163bhp.

Re-read my comments and you will see, D5 comes in 163 and 185bhp, key change is whether it is Euro III or IV.
The 2.4D only comes in Euro IV, unless you look at much older variants of the engine.

My choice would be a facelifted D5 car (>2004) with 163bhp in manual gearbox format, with an ECU upgrade to ~205bhp.

Best of luck.

[halo34]

Insurance was higher than I expected for some reason - tax well I went for the auto and it hurt a bit.

The manual change isn't the nicest but you lose some performance for going auto. I got the Euro IV D5 184 bhp engine and I think its slightly less refined than the lower powered engine for some reason.

Its not spectacular on fuel either if your pressing on, oh and I had all my injectors replaced @ 56k by Volvo (T5R knows how hard that was to get Volvo to do).

Having said that its a brilliant car and I love it now, the build quality is spot on, the interior is vast and swallows whatever I throw at it.

That company are overpriced in my opinion and if you look in the right places there is some 06 face-lift versions to be had for a good price. Just make sure you get a 12 month Volvo warranty so you resolve issues properly.

Dont forget to look at the new model too, prices are surprising at the moment.

I will be going for a map once my extended warranty finishes as that gets up for 5 mpg more (apparently).

[mondayo]

I think the insurance (obviously) depends on what model you get, but I've only got a fairly basic diesel family estate and for some reason its insurance group 15!
You're right about the auto hurting economy, but for crusing about, I think it suits the character of the car, and as long as you know how to drive an auto it works well with the D5 engine.

As for mapping/chipping either the 2.4D or D5, I think it'd be a very good idea. However, can you really chip up a 2.4 to 205bhp? That seems like a pretty big leap! Is it ok running that way, or do you just spin the tyres all the time?

[F i F]

mondayo said:

and as long as you know how to drive an auto it works well with the D5 engine.

Do you find that it goes really well and gains pace effectively on really quite modest throttle openings, yet find that flooring it just gets a lot more revs and noise but as to whether it's faster is somewhat debatable?

Maybe it is actually faster against a clock but it doesn't feel that much quicker and a lot less relaxed and wafty, is what I'm getting at.

[T5R+]

mondayo said:

As for mapping/chipping either the 2.4D or D5, I think it'd be a very good idea. However, can you really chip up a 2.4 to 205bhp? That seems like a pretty big leap! Is it ok running that way, or do you just spin the tyres all the time?

Shall let you into a secret........Euro IV in either 2.4D or D5 can both be taken to approx 225bhp with same £ outlay.

Driven a S60 in the dry and that was fine - monster torque as well. Did not drive in the wet.

[halo34]

T5R+ said:

mondayo said:

As for mapping/chipping either the 2.4D or D5, I think it'd be a very good idea. However, can you really chip up a 2.4 to 205bhp? That seems like a pretty big leap! Is it ok running that way, or do you just spin the tyres all the time?

Shall let you into a secret........Euro IV in either 2.4D or D5 can both be taken to approx 225bhp with same £ outlay.

Driven a S60 in the dry and that was fine - monster torque as well. Did not drive in the wet.

Are there any differences in how much the auto and manual boxes can handle. I couldnt track down much info as to how far the torque could be pushed on the auto box.

[JamesK]

If it's the same auto box that's in the XC90's with the same engine then the auto can handle it fine. The bhp increase pales into insignificance when you look at the monster amount of torque you get (which further lends itself to the auto in my humble view).

[T5R+]

Not sure about auto/geartronic but know that that standard 6-speed manual is well suited.

Seem to recall that the autos have some sort of limiter in 1st (possibly also in 2nd). However, generally hear positive comments and failures are certainly not rife.

Know we cannot advetise so goggle Volvo+hlm+Tuning+bromsgrove and then speak to the chap....please note this is brought to you by a non biased novice and that there are other tuning providers.

Halo - not sure this helps considering your loaction. Glad Volvo/CB eventually came good and did the honourable thing with your car.

[mondayo]

F i F said:

mondayo said:

and as long as you know how to drive an auto it works well with the D5 engine.

Do you find that it goes really well and gains pace effectively on really quite modest throttle openings, yet find that flooring it just gets a lot more revs and noise but as to whether it's faster is somewhat debatable?

Maybe it is actually faster against a clock but it doesn't feel that much quicker and a lot less relaxed and wafty, is what I'm getting at.

Definitely, I hardly ever use more than half to 2/3rds throttle. It's definitely set up more for "wafting" than nailing it. However, I do find the manual/tiptronic mode quite useful for picking up speed quickly (like joining a motorway) or overtaking...particularly in 3rd gear (mine is a 6 speed box).

As a rule, I generally try and change up between 3,000-3,500 when trying to go a little quicker and that seems to keep it nicely in the power band and not be too noisey.

However, sometimes you do have to give it the beans, just to make yourself remmeber its a reasonably quick car (for a family estate)...I actually quite like the rumble of the D5; its sounds a bit better than a 4 cylinder diesel (in my opinion).

[halo34]

Think that summary pretty well describes the car and the way to drive it

I did a long run in mine on Friday night on the notorious A9 up here and forgot just how swiftly it can overtake.

The only frustration I have with the 6 speed geartronic is that it doesnt seem to like to hold torque and will change it down sometimes where you want to use it to be effect.

So like the previous poster for overtaking I tend to switch to "manual" and hold it in 4th - I then find it quite sprightly to say the least.

As for maps T5R - I had a look at that site and its good prices, but as you say a little far for me to travel.

I really fancy the options on the parts for volvo site for the PPC upgrade.