Buying XC70 (185hp vs 202hp)
 

Hi there,

I'm hoping to buy an XC70 in the near future. It's a car that seems to tick so many boxes!

I've got my eye on two cars, both are similar money, and seem to be in similar condition, and service history etc.

1. 2009 '09' plate, D5 auto, 100k miles, 185hp, £330 road tax
2. 2009 '59' plate, D5 auto, 140k miles, 202hp £305 road tax

I'm getting those hp figures off Autotrader, so not 100% they are correct, but assuming they are, is there much of a difference between the two engines? I read on here the 202hp version gets better mpg? Are there any other improvements between these two versions? To my eye the cars look identical from the outside, so I guess it was just a refresh on the engine, nothing else, or are there some improvements on the interior too? Gearbox and AWD systems the same?

I'm thinking the slightly older car with 40k less miles makes more sense, but if there are some significant improvements with the newer one then I could be easily swayed to go that way instead.

Thanks in advance guys.

Cheers,

Tom

Hi Tom,

Someone more knowledgeable than me will know the specifics and comparisons but as I understand it the 185bhp is a euro 4 single turbo D5 engine (I have that one in my 2009/58 reg V70) and the 205bhp is the twin turbo euro 5 version.

A bit of info on the 185 here:
https://www.media.volvocars.com/glob...sreleases/5051

And 205 here:
https://www.media.volvocars.com/uk/e...releases/18417

Either way, good choice of car! :regular_smile:

Stu

Hi Tom,

To add to what Stu said, the later 202hp (often referred to as 205hp) is a completely different engine to the older 185hp, giving far better throttle response from the bi-turbo arrangement, and more refinement, as well as the extra power. Not to say the 185 is a bad engine, it's fine if a little noisy, but the later engine is a big improvement. The 185 is still a powerful unit, and relatively refined when compared to a 4 cylinder, however don't expect 6 cylinder refinement levels. Worth noting that all 5 cylinders have an inherent imbalance, which the D5 masks with pneumatic engine mounts, these often fail and so they can appear a bit agricultural when idling, smoothing out as they rev, but the mounts can be fixed. The 205 is quieter with the new injector technology, more akin to a 6 cylinder, whereas the 185 is more gruff. I have the 185, and it sounds remarkably like a Subaru Impreza flat-4 when idling, which I have always liked! I'm not sure the 205 sounds as burbley, I suspect not, but it is undoubtedly more refined.

Other improvements for the 205 S80 (which I presume were the same for the V70 & XC70) were a sharper chassis, with sport suspension now available as standard on SE and SE Lux models (lower ride height, and better executed than the electronic 4C suspension available since 2007), sport mode on the autobox on D5's (unavailable on 185's), and a quicker steering rack across the range. This all adds up to a far better driving car, which the motoring press noted at the time. There were various subtle interior and exterior tweaks.

If I had the choice I'd go with the 205 even at the extra mileage, assuming everything else about the two cars is equal or insignificant.

Many thanks for the replies gents - much appreciated.

All in all sounds like both are solid engines, but I do like the sound of the updated 205hp version, so will aim for one of those ideally, but nice to know the 185hp version is still a solid pick should a nice example appear for the right money.

My car (Euro 4 2007 S80 163bhp) hasn't got pneumatic mounts, neither does my Dad's V70 (Also euro 4 on a 57 plate with 185bhp). This makes me assume (I could be wrong) that not all euro 4 D5 models had pneumatic mounts. Just to confirm, these are the ones that the euro 3's had, which had vacuum lines feeding them?

Maybe the newer euro 5's have pneumatic mounts. I can't see any vacuum lines connecting to mine.

The 185, 205, 215 etc. are all structurally the same engine, the difference is that the 185 is single turbo and the others are two stage turbo and some other ancillary/peripheral differences.

If you have to choose between two similar cars, the 205 (twin turbo) is a definite improvement on an already good engine.

I was of the understanding the 205 was an all new design? (or as "all new" as you can get, there will always be some carry-over parts of course).

You might find this useful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_D5_engine

The 205bhp variant is a new design. To look at the engine bay in a 205 & 185 though, they don't really look that much different in terms of the location of items like the battery, coolant reservoir etc.

205bhp improvements/changes

1.The EGR system has been improved
2.The injectors are different
3. Intake & exhaust have been revised
4. There's two turbo's, instead of one on older models. This means more grunt/torque.

:regular_smile:

It's the same block with a modified head and updated ancillaries/injection system. The compression ratio is reduced slightly to enable it to run more boost.