Originally Posted by ferg55
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.
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