V70 to V50 Diesel
 

Drive a V70 D5 SE Manual 2005 and love it.

Have to take a company car :angry2: pegged at £22K (deal price and not list price) and thinking along the lines of of V50 vs Jaguar vs Audi/BMW - prefer diesels & estates.

Anyone had experience of this assortment?

If V50, how does the 2.0D compare with the D5. Unfortunately, think latter is only available in the Geartronic.

The V50 2.0D sport is great (especially around town & twisty B roads); it handles very much like the car on which it is based (focus estate)but of course lacks the outright punch of the D5; the V50 D5 is IMO horrid, noisy & uneconomical, the 2.0d being a far better choice especially with the 6 speed `box.

hope this helps

Dave :blk_md_wht:

Dave - thanks for your input. I automatically thought "V50 D5 SE". I can see that I am going to have to try the 2.0D as well, especially with the stick-shift.

Horses for courses
 

Ten days ago I took delivery of my new D5 SE sport, changing from a '54 320d SE Touring. I had test driven the D5 but had more experience at the time of the 2.0d SE because that's the car my mother in law has.

I have to say that I love the D5, it is very much quicker than the BMW or 2.0d, it doesn't feel it but keep half an eye on the speedo and you'll realise that it's a rocketship. I have driven a few autos and this is a very good one (not as good as the Audi Multitronics but far better than Vauxhall/Saab equivalents). The driving position is also excellent.

It is a noisy car (D5) - lots of engine noise at full throttle (but a great 5 cyl noise) and lots of road noise at motorway speeds. Not unbearable but much worse than the BMW. With 700 miles on the clock average fuel consumption is 30mpg av speed 44mph so it should get a lot better

In short, the D5 puts a great big grin on my face, the BMW, although fantastically competent, left me cold.

Cheers.

Not a fan of autos/geartronic but I just know that I will have to test drive them. If I am honest, still like the V70 better.

However, a curve ball in the guise of the new C class has entered the equation.

Interesting to hear this, as we are weighing the choice of the V50 diesel models too. Thanks.

FWIW, I spent a good deal of time in a 2.0D V50 and found to be a decent enough car but with an almost impossibly coarse engine, which I found inferior to the 2.0 VW PD unit (a la Passat) and on a par with a ten year old Ford Transit in NVH terms.

We went for a D5 with the (not-so-special-but-suits-the-Mrs) Geartronic, which makes for a much more refined drive. Not Jaguar 2.7d/330d levels of refinement, but a much more pleasant environment than the 2.0d and still capable of returning decent(ish) mpg. My 1.8 S40 is a much sharper driver though - you really can feel all that weight in the nose.

Justin.

The 2.0D has a narrow power band too many gears sounds "diesely" and can suffer from fuel system problems , as there is no pump in the tank any air in the system will bring the engine to a stop . The EGR valve can sieze and its a Ford/ Citroen cast iron engine with poor quality FORD wiring plugs and connectors . The best fuel consumption i could get over 600 miles was 48 mpg once you use turbo boost economy goes out the window . It has a particulate filter which needs replacing at 72000 miles .. an expesive service

The D5 loves to rev and has a wide power band , the 6 gears work a treat in the S 60 the engine sounds good and idles quietly , The fuel system has an in tank pump to self bleed the system, There are no real problems with the D5 engine now , it's all alloy so no heavier than the 2.0 D , it has decent quality wiring plugs and sockets, Ive had 50 mpg but to be fair it will be about the same as the 2.0D , It is so well engineeered that it doesnt need a particulate filter changing at all .

The D5 is something special , the 2.0D is a mass market diesel engine ..
You pay your money and take your choice ...

Do you have any exposure to the 1.6D engine? How would your compare it to the other two? WOuld you pick the 1.6D over the 2.0D, if you were picking between the two?

yes i quite like the 1.6 D it hasnt got the brutal urge of the 2.0D of course but still goes very well and you can get the good fuel consumption from it , Its all alloy so light ... however even that cant seem to beat the day in day out 55 mpg of the old V40 common rail diesel .