v70 D5 auto v's manual - driving impressions ?

[capt jack]

Interesting discussion this. Even if we're starting to find that our Volvos aren't quite what they used to be, at least the Volvo forum quality is as good as ever!

Last year, needing something economical and modern I bought a 2012 V70 D5, with 127,000 miles on. Which had it been a P1 V70 or a redblock 900-series, would in reality barely have been run in.

Now my V70 isn't a bad car by any means, but it just doesn't quite inspire that "this will last forever" feeling that I've always had from our previous Volvos. (That list has included multiple 200-series, 300-series, 700-series, 900-series and P1 S and V70s, and even a 1972 1800ES).

I've done 18,000 miles in my V70 now, so it's sitting at 145,000 miles. It's never let me down, it's true, but it just doesn't make me feel totally happy with it, nor does make me think that I'll be able to double that mileage, and reach the 300,000 trouble-free mileage of my last P1 V70, a 1997 car, or the 250,000 miles of the 1998 S70 that we also own.

The ride and drive are OK, but not as smooth or untroubled as my old '97 S90 or any of my P1 V70s. And I'm sorry, but I don't find the D5 engine inspiring, rather just gruff and distracting.

The electronicals baffle me. The car has so many menus within its computer-control system that even now, almost a year on, I'm still uncovering its secrets.

• The BLIS system, which is a great idea, will randomly stop working when it's cold, dark and wet, just when you need it most.
  
  
• The electronic dipstick that just last night told me to add 0.5 litres of oil, which when done, told me to add a further 1 litre of oil - which being a bit suspicious I didn't do, only to find that this morning on checking, the oil level is exactly where it should be - again, according to the computer. A triumph of digital form over substance. I really have no other way of checking - but surely a proper old-fashioned dipstick would be both cheaper to fit and far more reliable.

The handbook says to drive the car for 30km before the computer can properly assess the oil level. But just how much damage could be done to an engine driven for 20 miles if the oil level truly was drastically low?

And the quality of the fit and finish around the car. The battery cover for example is now held in place by cable ties because the plastic clips fell to pieces. The razor sharp bright trim across the top of the hub of the steering wheel that is as keen as any scalpel blade, as I've found to my cost.

All the Volvos I've owned before have been pretty DIY-friendly, especially around basic stuff like brake renewal, or routine servicing. Not so the P3 V70.

I've run Volvos for over thirty years because I used to trust the brand to stand for quality and reliability, and until now, I've never been disappointed. Whether it's fair to blame Ford, or Geeley, or the motor manufacturing world in general, well, I don't know. But what I do know is that my V70 is OK, and will I guess do for now. Which is sad, because all my previous Volvos have just felt so much better than that.

Jack