XC70 D5 - Trying to avoiding the "agricultural" feel...

[Morton]

I have a 2008 V70 D5 Auto which I like very much but it's time to swap it, somewhat reluctantly, although it gives me the chance to go for an XC70 which is a plus.

My only gripe about my V70 is that when I put my foot down, it's a bit "Agricultural" in that it's quite noisy and unrefined. There's nothing mechanically wrong with it and the performance is fine, it just makes a lot of noise. I don't know if it's the engine or gearbox or something else that causes this but I've been told that this was ironed out at a later date with some change to the range but I don't know what that was. If someone could tell me if that's true and when it was and if there's anything I can use to filter out agricultural-feeling models (year of manufacture perhaps?) I'd be very grateful. There aren't too many cars available near me so I'm going to have to put in quite a bit of legwork and reducing that would be welcome.

It's not a major issue either. I think I'd just be a bit niggled if I spent what is, to me, a fair chunk of money to discover if I'd gone for a different one, it might feel a little more "refined".

Many thanks in advance.

[Tatsfield]

My 2012 D5 215bhp XC70 does have a growl under acceleration. When I first got it I was irritated by the noise which was more than my previous V6 petrol engined cars. However firstly I got used to it and then I had a Polestar upgrade raising the output to 230bhp. The growl got no worse but the power was much greater and I came to like the audible warning that I was applying somewhat more power than the car originally had and more than most other road users expected from an ageing furniture van!

[Olaf Els]

My 2009 XC70 D5 (2010 model year) has the 205bhp twin turbo engine. I totally understand what you mean by 'agricultural'! It's fine at higher road speeds, but around town it sounds as rough as nails as soon as the throttle pedal is pressed. Nothing wrong with it. I think it's inherent in the design. After five years of ownership I still haven't got used to it, but I appreciate the car for other attributes.

My previous Mercedes E320 CDI gave the almost the same power, was smooth as butter, and produced much better fuel economy than the D5. But it had very poor ground clearance; was rear wheel drive; and tended to rust. Nothing is perfect.

[Morton]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

My 2012 D5 215bhp XC70 does have a growl under acceleration. When I first got it I was irritated by the noise which was more than my previous V6 petrol engined cars. However firstly I got used to it and then I had a Polestar upgrade raising the output to 230bhp. The growl got no worse but the power was much greater and I came to like the audible warning that I was applying somewhat more power than the car originally had and more than most other road users expected from an ageing furniture van!

I like the sound of the Polestar thingy...could be tempted.
I'm looking at a 2012/13 model too - always late to the party but I love old furniture vans!

[Morton]

Originally Posted by Olaf Els

My 2009 XC70 D5 (2010 model year) has the 205bhp twin turbo engine. I totally understand what you mean by 'agricultural'! It's fine at higher road speeds, but around town it sounds as rough as nails as soon as the throttle pedal is pressed. Nothing wrong with it. I think it's inherent in the design. After five years of ownership I still haven't got used to it, but I appreciate the car for other attributes.

My previous Mercedes E320 CDI gave the almost the same power, was smooth as butter, and produced much better fuel economy than the D5. But it had very poor ground clearance; was rear wheel drive; and tended to rust. Nothing is perfect.

I love my V70, I really do...and thinking about it, I could probably miss the tractor like sounds!

Likewise my previous car was an e-Class estate (280CDi I think). I cannot adequately describe how much I hated it. It was SO unreliable I don't think it ever did more than 200 miles without requiring a new fix and cripplingly uncomfortable in its vinyl-masquerading-as-leather seats. Easily the worst car I've ever owned. And I owned a Maestro once! The salesman who sold it to me said "Once you buy a Merc, you won't buy another brand again". I regretted it from about day 2 until I took the hit and traded it in for my V70 which is the best car I've ever owned by quite some margin!

[apersson850]

From 2011 the five-cylinder diesel engines got a more powerful injection system, capable of multi-injection across the whole speed band of the engine.
When I was to buy my XC70, I drove a used 2008. It ran like a small lorry.
Then I tried an almost new 2011. Very different thing.
It ended up being too near a new 2012 in cost, so I eventually got the 2012 D5 I still have.
It's indeed different to the earliest engines.

[Olaf Els]

Originally Posted by apersson850

From 2011 the five-cylinder diesel engines got a more powerful injection system, capable of multi-injection across the whole speed band of the engine.
When I was to buy my XC70, I drove a used 2008. It ran like a small lorry.
Then I tried an almost new 2011. Very different thing.
It ended up being too near a new 2012 in cost, so I eventually got the 2012 D5 I still have.
It's indeed different to the earliest engines.

Useful information. Thank you. That might offer me my next upgrade path.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Morton

I have a 2008 V70 D5 Auto which I like very much but it's time to swap it, somewhat reluctantly, although it gives me the chance to go for an XC70 which is a plus.

My only gripe about my V70 is that when I put my foot down, it's a bit "Agricultural" in that it's quite noisy and unrefined. There's nothing mechanically wrong with it and the performance is fine, it just makes a lot of noise. I don't know if it's the engine or gearbox or something else that causes this but I've been told that this was ironed out at a later date with some change to the range but I don't know what that was. If someone could tell me if that's true and when it was and if there's anything I can use to filter out agricultural-feeling models (year of manufacture perhaps?) I'd be very grateful. There aren't too many cars available near me so I'm going to have to put in quite a bit of legwork and reducing that would be welcome.

It's not a major issue either. I think I'd just be a bit niggled if I spent what is, to me, a fair chunk of money to discover if I'd gone for a different one, it might feel a little more "refined".

Many thanks in advance.

The D5 isn't the most refined engine and they aren't particularly fuel efficient. The noise is just a characteristic of the engine, and, even the newer models aren't as refined as some other brands out there in terms of noise.

The newer D5's are slightly better noise wise, but I wouldn't say its a vast improvement... Better maybe, but they still sound agricultural, in my opinion.

[Bonefishblues]

It's only a variation of the number of spanners in the bag.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Bonefishblues

It's only a variation of the number of spanners in the bag.

I think that contributes to the agricultural sound... the imbalance of a 5 cylinder engine.

I've driven 6 cylinder diesel's (Mercedes mainly) and they sound quieter than a D5 by a significant margin, as do Jaguar's. Then again, Mercedes and Jaguar are luxury brands, whereas Volvo isn't.

Don't get me wrong, I like the D5 "grunt" when I put my foot down. I just don't like the noise of the engine around town at lower speeds.

Three downsides of the D5 for me... refinement of the engine, fuel economy and the 6 speed TF80-SC auto transmission. Yes, the transmission is robust, but its slow to react and has a mind of its own.