Should I buy a V70 or an XC60 or.... ?

[XC70Virgin]

Hope it's a 5 pot. 😵

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by XC70Virgin

Hope it's a 5 pot. ��

Weeeeeell.... no.

In the end, I had to rule out a D5 for head gasket reasons. Someone who really knows this stuff warned me off and I had to listen.

Then I considered whether or not I wanted less performance than my Mondeo, and the truth is that I didn't want less performance, so that blew out the 5-pot D3 and D4 despite my love for 5-cylinder engines.

So I went back and had a more extended drive in the 2015 D4 SE that I'd not exactly praised further up this thread and shocked myself by enjoying the drive and actually bonding with the car.

(As a hi fi buff, I've learned that loudspeakers that really impress on first listen are likely to prove fatiguing in the longer term and this was recently borne out when I purchased a pair of speakers that I'd rejected on first audition as too soft. The same clearly applies to cars.)

Unfortunately, however, that car's price and mileage (143K) meant that it couldn't be a long-term car for me, plus I really wanted the additional bells and whistles that come with the SE Lux.

So, I found a 2014 64-reg D4 SE Lux Auto with 97K on the clock for a very good price and bought it.

It's black and it has privacy glass from the B-pillars back and it drives ever so nicely. Sometimes I miss the 5-cylinder sound and feel but this particular 4-pot installation is very good and it certainly doesn't feel like a poverty option. Also, the 8-speed gearbox improves acceleration as well as allowing the engine to remain at relatively low revs at all times unless I need it to go very fast. This is a far cry from the 4-speed auto in my first P1 V70 2.5 10V.

The only negative is the sound system, wherein I suspect that the speakers are the culprit. There's allegedly 4 x 45W and there are tone controls and a graphic equaliser but, to be honest, one can hardly hear the effects of the tone controls or graphic equaliser, and I've been able to fill a large room with 2 x 45W at home whereas these speakers don't go very loud at all. (How could Volvo fall so far behind after the amazing sound they gave in the P2 V70 SE?) They also specialise in cuppy upper mid-range, poor detail and not much else. So if anyone knows anything about speaker upgrades for V70s then that would be appreciated.

Generally, however, I now look forward to my 50-mile each way commute in a way that only a saddo can.

[Peter86]

I have a mk3 v70 D5 Manual [215] 61reg and I find it superb. OK the ride is firm but I have the Redesign with 18" rims (always wanted a Redesign). I tow a folding camper and it tows it superbly, in fact fuel consumption doesn't drop much than driving normally without towing on a motorway. I personally average around 44mpg, road tax is £135 a year, if you need to over take its got plenty of power and gives a nice grunt. Mine doesn't have the top of the range radio unit but again the one in it is fantastic and if you get a good deal you could upgrade yourself although it may mean a visit to Volvo to install/ update software for it to work and maybe expensive. Mine has the twin turbo and is smooth throughout the rev range. Hills no problem the car just goes and goes.
If your going to polestar as mentioned don't forget to check engine codes first, also consider insurance may go up and a polestar is not cheap. I looked at doing my D5 and the gains were minimal for the cost. I've heard some good things with a polestar on D4s.

Hope you find one your looking for.

Pete

[Peter86]

You must have posted as I was writing mine, glad you got sorted.

One thing I must say is that's a first I've heard about head gaskets on a D5. Only time I have heard of head gasket failure is on ex police cars as they get highly tuned as for everyday cars I've never heard of a problem. My last D5 was sold at 188000 without a head gasket fault and my bro in law saw it the other week still going strong.
If there are any failures it will either be a one off as with all manufacturing or more likely poor engine maintenance.

Maybe someone else could expand on this further but from my experience and with talking to other owners about reliability I would have to strongly disagree.

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by Peter86

You must have posted as I was writing mine, glad you got sorted.

One thing I must say is that's a first I've heard about head gaskets on a D5. Only time I have heard of head gasket failure is on ex police cars as they get highly tuned as for everyday cars I've never heard of a problem. My last D5 was sold at 188000 without a head gasket fault and my bro in law saw it the other week still going strong.
If there are any failures it will either be a one off as with all manufacturing or more likely poor engine maintenance.

Maybe someone else could expand on this further but from my experience and with talking to other owners about reliability I would have to strongly disagree.

Many thanks for your comments.

Sounds as though you're really happy with your D5, and I'm glad about that.

Right now I don't feel the need for a Polestar upgrade as my D4 is already the joint fastest vehicle that I've ever owned, alongside the Skoda Superb DSG that I didn't really get on with. Also, Sport Mode gives that little extra something if I need it. So for now I'll stick with the standard tuning, which isn't at all shabby.

What I didn't realise until yesterday is that there's no 4-pot D5 in the final V70 version. It stops at D4. Oo-er!