Our current fleet of 2 Astras and an elderly Audi 80 has been deemed insufficent by SWMBO. She misses our W124 estate car, and so, we went along to a car supermarket this afternnon to sit in and muse about the choices we have.
Although the W124 was in many ways a joy, I don't have a strong hankering for any modern MBs.
Top of the list at the moment is a V70, or XC70. However, while I am very interested in the nuts and bolts of cars in a general sense, the nuances and desirability of various models / engines / transmissions / options tends to pass me by.
And so to my main questions - in looking at these cars, what should we be looking for?, and what should we be looking to avoid? what options are worthwhile, and which are a millstone?
Being well out date, the last Volvos I worked on routinely were later 240s, and 740s and 760s were considered new.
Are Volvos well catered for in terms of electronic diagnosis?, i.e., is there a viable alternative to dealer level access, like, for example VAG-COM for VW, or OP-COM for Vauxhall?
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There are alternatives available, I use torque on my smartphone which makes a good fist at the codes though for a workshop effort which I suspect you are after maybe speak to someone like DPA in Nottingham.
Dave really is a top bloke, knows his stuff and is more than happy to talk Volvo. I trust my car to him.
P2 (2001 to 2007 for V70) is what I know. I would go for a Euro 3 D5 which is 163PS and identified by the black engine cover rather than the silver of the later Euro IV 185PS car with DPF.
Bottom engine bushes are oil filled and horrible in combination with Pirelli P6 tyres for tramlining, better on Goodyear tyres with polybushes.
Top engine mounts weak, if the square mount the OK, the earlier mount was round and pooh!
Manual gearbox is indestructable, if it feels notchy then check the oil level/leaks.
There are two flavours of auto but no idea as I have a manual.
P2 S60 & V70 have the turning circle of a supertanker. Live with it or look elsewhere.
Love my car (S60), can cover 1000 miles in one hit, now has 90k on the clock and taking her down to Italy this summer with no concerns.
Car is dead easy to work on. Yes there some issue but they are well documented on the really helpful Volvo Owners Club forum. Petrols have problems with fuelling but again well documented.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 20 Jul 13 at 22:08
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I looked at a V70 a few years ago and for one who equated 'Volvo estate' with 'large' was shocked how small they were inside. Certainly way smaller than a W124. That may be more of a problem than the nuts and bolts?
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I think the Volvo is c.1750 litres, the E class is c.1950. Both of which are smaller than a Citroën C4 based Grand Picasso at 2000 litres. Depends what the requirements are.
Transit Van will outscore the lot for volume.
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As mentioned above, the euro 3 163bhp is the one to go for...early ones were prone to injector issues but these were sorted by 2003.
Some people fear the geartronic boxes but if the fluid is changed occasionally, they tend to be trouble free.
Diagnostic wise, the usual obd2 devices have very limited functionality...however, a cloned version of the dealer tool called DICE can be had from the bay of evil for around £85 which gives excellent results.
HTH...
Neil
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Thank you - that's interesting and very useful information.
Discussions are now moving to the extremely tricky stage of finding what funds SWMBO might release...
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...for one who equated 'Volvo estate' with 'large' was shocked how small they were inside.
My experience too, BB. I like to tell the story of how Mrs Beest vehemently and profanely vetoed the V70 - despite the excellent D3 engine and comfortable seats - on the grounds of its vague steering and misguided automatic gearbox, and it's true, but it's also true that her views merely crystallized my own misgivings over the space inside. The load deck is surprisingly restricted by the high floor, and the rear passenger space is not generous enough to make me confident it would do for Beestlings approaching leggy teenage.
The S211 E we chose instead was two years older for the same price, stodgier, slower and heavier on fuel but is indisputably a better estate car. In particular, the load space is not just larger but more usable and accessible with additional compartments below the floor if you avoid the seven-seat option. I can't pretend to love it - before Humph says so - but it certainly commands respect for the way it does its job.
An A6 might be worth a look. Dozy dealers meant I didn't get to drive one before the right deal came up on the E, but it is better for space than the V70 and comparable to the E. It does achieve this by being longer than either, though - and at 4.8m, the E tends to stick out of spaces if I reverse it in so I can still open the tailgate.
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No one has mentioned the Yawndeo yet, so consider it mentioned now.
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Well, if we're in the business of offering hat tips to other humungous estate cars, the Skoda Superb probably deserves one.
You can put a washing machine in the boot and run a small convention in the back seats at the same time. I was in one as a taxi that I picked up at Ruzhyne airport and got agoraphobia in there.
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Agreed, TC - it's the only thing I've been in where four of me could waggle their legs simultaneously. The fifth would be short of shoulder room, but the relative lack of width makes it an easy car to drive in traffic.
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Sat in the back of a Superb taxi with a rucksack in front of my legs without it hampering the leg room.
I can see how there is more rear legroom than an S-Class Merc.
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The Volvos are good cars.
My S60 (read saloon V70) D5 (was just a 163hp 2.4 diesel then, but still an engine in production in 215hp guise) was great.
5 cylinder, tons of grunt and no need to move out of 5th (was top gear then - 2005 car) after 25mph. Such flexibility.
Traded in at 90k miles and by then fuel consumption had improved to over 50mpg average (driven hard too). Car had bags of character, and was very reliable wheras the BMW 520d touring replacement I got has proven to be the exact opposite over the last 130k mile.
Space in the Volvo? Well, rear leg room was not generous, and Superb would be, ahem, a Superb alternative there.
Ride was a little 'crashy' and uncontrolled in the Volvo (versus the Mondeo predecessor and BM replacement), but was far from bad.
Will certainly be replacing the BM with a Volvo (XC60 perhaps) when the BM dies, although at present I seem to be replacing the BM part-by-part, no might end up with a new BM after all once every part falls off / breaks, although it will be the same registration mark....
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Volvo - Large Volve Estates - ....
