Volvo XC70

Overall standard rock solid build quality and over engineered in places. It is a pleasure to ride especially with the excellent seats. Problems expeienced have included the reservoir for the front windscreen washer which regularly decouples from the pipework with resuoting leaks - the soution sems to be to cut the use of it. Fuel economy is much bretter thwn expected and we routinely exceed manafacturing industry norms. In sum, rock solid ut q little too pricey to maintain.

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We have owned a series of Volvo estates over many years and our first XC70 D5 SE Geartronic new from June 2003, after our T5 V70 was almost totalled in an accident. Yes, all the Volvo safety features work and the engineers are due huge praise for saving us from serious injury. After 74,000 miles the 4WD system became 2WD when the bevel gear and sleeve failed in the transfer gearbox in the transmission. Apparently this is a very common fault with XC70's (and XC90's) and any secondhand XC70 with a highish mileage needs to be checked for 4WD operation before purchase, particularly if it has a towbar fitted (you have been warned!); Volvo charged us £1200 to restore the car to 4WD. We decided to upgrade to a 2008 XC70 D5 Geartronic SE Lux. This new model (from 2007) is a huge improvement over the previous XC70 in every respect, apart from fuel consumption. The older model easily achieved 45 mpg on a run by keeping the speed down to 65-70 mph. Overall the consumption was 35 mpg. The 2008 XC70 is averaging 29 mpg with only about 35 mpg available on a run. The engine noise is more intrusive although not unpleasant , especially at lower speeds. However, the larger (S80-based) platform for the new XC70 makes it even better as a load carrier, and the cabin materials and redesign far surpass the earlier model. Also the performance, particularly overtaking reminds us of our earlier T5 in sheer, mid-range acceleration, making the car very safe. The XC70 is simply the best estate car by far

I have owned a D5 auto lux 2005 since new and to date have covered over 130k in it despite having two of the(very expensive)shock absorbers changed under warranty I have had no other faults it still looks just as it did when new both inside and out, still drives as it did when new despite the strange fact that after about 70K the fuel consumption went up and it now regularly returns 45mpg not bad for a large 4WD estate. It has been very reliable needing only service items so far, and I have just decided not to change it as the new model is not that different, and is much more expensive and thirsty.In the snow it just keeps going without drama, and even my wife has failed to break it.

And the downside ? parts should you require them are expensive and most of them seem to need a computer at the dealer to make them work, as for the car itself the only fault I have is it is just boring, its about as exciting as a dishwasher, but that means I bought an exciting car for my wife so result!

I have owned my XC 70 since 2001; as our main car it satisfied the transport needs of a family of 5. It sailed through successive MOTs without needing parts other then service consumables. The car has now covered 113,000 miles but since clocking over the 100,000 mile point has become a nightmare. We started to get engine system fault warning messages although these didn’t initially effect the running, successive trips to the dealer to have the fault codes read didn’t solve the problem. Eventually the vehicle began to stall at junctions and something had to be done – Two software upgrades, two throttle bodies, an intercooler pipe, mass airflow sensor and two Lambda sensors later things were returned to normal, for a while anyway. Shortly after this experience the exhaust started to blow, initial investigation suggesting the flexible pipe to be the culprit but a more detailed strip traced the problem to the exhaust manifold, several of the studs sheared during removal resulting in the need for a new manifold to cure the problem. Repair costs amounted to £1200. The last two MOTs have cost over £1000 each with similar problems on each occasion. Parts are expensive but we have not needed many until recently, labour charges are high despite the old car discount available at my local dealer. To sum up the car has been good and until recently has been reliable and cost effective. The moral is don’t keep an XC70 over the 100,000/10 year point as they are not durable.

I have owned the XC70 for several years now and have travelled over 40,000 miles in it. Although I have moaned about the servicing costs, such as a costly gearbox oil change (£75 for 5 litres of oil) and a rear strut change (coming to over £500), I have enjoyed owning the car. It is probably the best long distance motorway cruiser, I have ever driven, beating the Range Rover and Discovery 3 in my opinion. The cruise control is very responisive, the best I have used and the rear seats will fold flat into the floor, making an excellent space for doing what Volvo estates do best. I own a 2.5T with a 5 speed geartronic 'box. I have driven the D5, which in comparison is sluggish, athough returning a much more pleasnt fuel economy, but I would choose the 2.5T any day.