Does ANYONE drive a V70 D2?
 

Seriously thinking of buying one. Early 2014.
Now i have a 2005 XC70, 185ps (182bhp)
D2 is 115bhp

I have driven the D2, twice. It is surprisingly nippy despite the figures.
But with tax @ £30 and a much more frugal engine, the finances are speaking.

But I see NOT ONE post about them.

It's pointless posting ...it's a slouch.... I am really looking for any issues that have become trends.

Also 'buy a D3 or D5 instead' will be similarly unhelpful as they are about 50% more expensive for same functional spec.

many thanks

G

I believe the D2 wasn't a popular choice in the V70
that could explain the lack of posts.

I would suggest that D3 or D5 aren't expensive and instead the D2 is cheap and cheap for a reason.
That Ford/PSA 1.6 engine is in thousands of other cars which are more suited to its power limitations yet it still has widely documented faults which rear their head with alarming regularity and these same faults aren't present on the Volvo 5 cylinder engines.
How you intend to use the car will be a factor too as using any engine nearer its power and torque limits will be more problematic than comparative light use well within its capabilities.

The Volvo engines aren't without fault yet they are clearly the better option as the market emphatically shows.
The V70 is a big lump and in mine and many others' opinion shouldn't be using the same engine available in a bog standard Peugeot 205 or Ford Fiesta.
If the only difference was power, the price differential with Volvo engines wouldn't be as stark.

Hi GJM

I cant help with the v70 but I've now had an S80 D2 for five and a half years. it's a 13 plate with the Powershift transmission. Its' as near as damn it a V70 but with a prettier (but less practical) derrière! So hopefully this will help a little.

I purchased the car when it was 10 months old with just over 24k miles on it. It was an ex Volvo cars/Tristar car so at that stage quite a high mileage and an irresistible bargain. I have previously had a gen 1 S80 & a V70 both with the 163hp D5. Like you I had reservations about the big car/auto/little engine thing but was also surprised by its real world performance. No - its not a 'fast car' and will occasionally be found wanting if trying to be a B road overtaking hero. But in all honesty,98% of the time its terrific. The only other time it 'struggles' is trying to maintain 80mph+ up those loooong French autoroute climbs with 3/4 passengers on board, a boot full of luggage & probably a full tank of fuel. It will change down to 5th or 4th. That said in the D5's with 163hp I used to have to change down too.

If you really rev it, it becomes a diesel to noise converter but in practice you'll rarely exceed 3,500 rpm. Driven that way its a wonderfully quiet and comfortable car. In mixed driving I regularly get in excess of 50mpg. (Real - not trip computer miles)

Its been the most fantastically reliable car I have ever owned. Bar none. Its now on 158,000 and looks like a car 1/3rd of its age (Except for the diamond cut alloys). Its had all the routine servicing, and the usual consumables like brake discs & pads replace & two gearbox oil & filter changes and two cam belt swaps. The 'box is behaving perfectly. The engine uses precisely no oil between services. I look regularly but have never had to add oil. A set of front tyres (Pirelli all Seasons all round) last me 30,000 on the front, more on the rear.

The car was serviced by MRG in Chippenham when new but when they changed ownership & the car was 3 years old I went to Kings Motor Services in Westbury (Who are just brilliant and most of the guys there are ex -MRG anyway)

To date the only things I've had to do in addition to regular services are to replace one main battery about 3 years ago which I think was £100-120 or so, two front sidelight bulbs about a £1 each and one drop link. Can't remember what that cost but nothing scary. And that's it - unless you count the cost of polishing it with a spot of the old autoglym now & then.

We call the car Sven (We Also have a Mercedes Coupe called Max & a Citroen 2 CV called Ruby. My wife just sold an Audi A3 (which I thought had a lovely engine & gearbox but otherwise was uncomfortable & an ergonomic mess) which she found had all the personality of a lentil. I have vowed to keep Sven until it hits at least 200k miles. I have NO REGRETS about buying it and have a real soft spot for it. Its certainly my 'go to' car.

Others on the forum will accuse it of not being a 'proper' Volvo. Ignore them - they are WAY better than people give them credit for.

Hope that helps.

I've got a 2011 one. R design. 44k when brought now 125k on clock. No issues as yet other than normal wear and tare. Do 60 mile round trip to work motorway and A roads. Returns 45-50mpg if I take it at 60mph then this shoots up to 55+
Nice and quiet.
Yea it's no boy racer but that's what my kit car is for!!!

Thank you both for these reviews.

Interesting about the mpg though compared to 72.4 extra urban quoted. Most user posts I have read are quoting average of high 40's

but even if low 50's , that's still some way off.

G

care to elaborate pls?

G

I’ve got a 2011 V70 drive and had it since 2015. It’s certainly not quick, so forget overtakes, but that’s not why you buy one.

I have family in Bavaria and have managed Cardiff-Salzburg on a tank full, 4up and fully loaded (1040 miles and showing 80 miles remaining). Real-world round town ~40mpg, motorway 50mpg. Tax £30, service costs me £22, insurance £160. Parts are dirt cheap if you follow the discount offers on Eurocarparts. In 4 yrs, 40,000 miles I’ve replaced a battery (which the dealer I bought it from paid for), plenty of bulbs and now need to change an EPB motor that was broken by the previous dealer when changing the rear pads.

Front pads last me 40,000 miles +, rears get eaten in 20,000. Tyres are lasting 30,000+.

It’s just so cheap to run, when I bought my XC60 I decided to keep the V70, which I still use 70% of the time. Now it’s a commuter/dog wagon/tip run car and gets an annual wash and hoover whether it needs it or not.

In terms of speed comparison, I can beat my boss in his 911 in a race to take 100 black bags to the tip. It’s all relative!

I think the Drive versions with the 16 valve head had some issues. Possibly gunged up oil galleries? Perhaps hunting on the S40/V40 C30 forum might give more of an insight.

That said, remember forums are where people with problems come. The fact that the engine is in literally millions of other cars tend to suggest that they might not be too bad? When they go wrong people tend to let you know. When they go right there's nothing to say.

I was warned off the VAG 2.5 V6 tdi. Too complicated, too fragile cam belts break etc. etc. I did 1200,00 miles in that & nothing went wrong.

Do the maintenance on or before schedule, change the oil regularly - in other words care for it & I imagine you'll be fine.

As for the concerns of it being well short of the 72mpg - well that was always going to be a fantasy. That's why we've moved to the WLTP measure. And at the end of the day 50+ mpg is supermini economy or better from a large comfortable estate.

Thanks. Thats interesting that a supermini is likely to be around the same MPG. I don't have one so don't have much insight into what modern cars actually get.

unfortunately, the dealer (Marshalls Volvo) today confirmed to me the rumor that Volvo will axe satnav updates for Q1/Q2 2014 models as of June 2020. So that is a real nark! Not what you want after 6 months of ownership.

so some thinking to do.

G