Where do you see Volvo against other marques?

[xco]

It will be interesting to see how the 4 pot VEA engines are coping 10 years from now then.

[moorgate]

Originally Posted by Considered1

Interesting thread resurrection. I voted premium having owned all three German makes and wasn't that impressed. The Volvo feels much nicer but then I have moved "up market" with every car and spent more. As with all marques there are entry level models and specs which are just driving the badge, I much prefer a lesser well know badge with top spec. Some dealers treat you better but tbh they are only doing a better job of cleaning your car and have nicer coffee.

I had a giant hole over Volvo as a brand for at least the last 15 years. Snob value and an excellent specialist mechanic kept me in the Merc fold for all that time, but the last Merc proved to me that they have lost the plot, and I cast around for an alternative. While I might not quite have found the best *example*, I am now quite convinced of the value, the fixa-bility, the design quality, and the performance characteristics of a Volvo.

But!

I bought an older car because it seems to me that since 2010 almost all car makers have gone down the same path, designing in a very sneaky and horribly expensive form of obsolescence. The P2 V70 has a number of bits that demostrate this effect, though not as badly as the 185BHP versions do. So I have moved from one dilemma about rubbish dependability, to an impending, identical conundrum.

So if anyone hears of a pristine, rustless E430 Merc W210 model I will be off like a shot, even though my old one never did better then 32mpg...

[Munro83]

After my v40 t4 I fancied going more premium, so I bought a e39 BMW 530i m sport- great car.... When it worked- so went to audi.
For the past 3 years we had a audi s3 and a a3 sportback. Nice cars but the older s3 was better built than the newer 8p sportback. In fact over the 3 years I spent on average £1k a year fixing the damn things. So much so that we pined for our old volvo.
Audi may be a premium brand but it's not premium quality.I was a member on audi sport net and you would be shocked at the unreliability on those cars.
Mercedes benz? I know of one Mercedes that was starting to rot after 3 years below the door sills as it hadn't been painted/primed/ protected properly and I know of another merc owner who swapped her big flashy Mercedes for a skoda superb.
In my opinion if you want badge snobbery/keep up with the Jones or you just like to see your car every 5 mins because everyone else has one then you buy a audi/ bmw.
A volvo driver to me says you like quality but you also know what you want and like to have some individuality.
Also if you have a family the safety side plays a big part.

I must say though if I had money to buy a audi q7 or merc ml or range rover I'd be looking at the xc90 - now that looks like a premium motor

[woodchipandrew]

I have a 2012 Range Rover and a 2006 c70, After owning many land Rover products I can tell you that as a piece of engineering off road they are brilliant, But the build quality is pretty bad and they are far from reliable.
You are always waiting for the dash to light up with a list of faults.
I've had a new xc70 and a new xc60 recently glad I sold the 60 but should never of sold the 70 that was a lovely car.
The thing I don't like about the Range Rover is the perception of other drivers that you are a rich t**t. You don't get that in a Volvo.
I'm a joiner and part time farmer I live in wellies or work boots so I ain't rich, far from it.
I won't be buying any more over priced Land Rovers any more, Ive lost way to much money playing that game. I would however love a new v90 when they are available on the used market, be that a few years away from now.
As for the c70 it cost 4.5k and I love it.

[Jimbo2511]

Originally Posted by Prufrock

Interesting thread.

Excluding cars that most of us cannot afford (RR, Bentley etc) I believe the"best"car produced today in terms of objective product quality is the Lexus - whether you like them or not is irrelevant, I find myself being drawn to purchasing a GS.

That says something - probably quite a lot - about me, off my soap box now.

Prufrock.

I think it says that you know what you want and, appreciate a quality product regardless of who makes it.
I find myself having the same train of thought regarding Lexus , I wouldn't thank you for any of the percieved premium brands (the German ones) at all. In fact I think I can say in all honesty, I would walk past them all to get to a GS Lexus.

[schicksal]

I voted premium-esque, but that's comparing my model year (1992/960) with the top of the line from the competition, the Mercedes 560SEL and BMW 7 series when they were new. It's more comparable to a Lexus in my opinion.

Now that they're all 23 out of the whole lot I'd keep my Volvo.
- Mercedes... I own a 1987 560SL and the SEL shares the same mechanical fuel injection and engine control scheme that was outdated when new. Much more trouble to keep healthy and happy than the Volvo.
- BMW... Honestly I don't know a lot about these. Similar reliable engine management electronics to what Volvo used though according to Google.
- Lexus... they seem to have aged ok but aren't as fun or have as much personality as Volvo.

[Volvophile]

I was always of the opinion that Volvo were never a downmarket brand. They were always a relatively expensive car that had a unique positioning that was not ostentatious. The cars engineered up to the Ford days always had excellent build quality right up to the P2 platform generation. You got the impression that there was no compromise in the way the car was constructed.

At present, I reckon Volvo are better placed than ever to push forward in to the top tier of premium brands. Witness the high transaction prices that current XC90's are fetching in Inscription and the 'sold out' First Edition trim and you will notice that the brand is gaining more widespread acceptance as upmarket. One thing they need is for the upcoming S90/V90 to be proper competitors to the A6/5 Series/E-Class and it will help them a great deal.

[Prufrock]

Things are different in the US, I lived and worked in the automotive sector there for 18 months and wouldn't compare a 960 with the S class or Lexus: what Lexus anyway, LS or GS? The 960 is a class - or two - below all of these.

1992 in the UK the LS400 had only recently appeared as a competitor to the S-Class (W140), and BMW were still marketing the E32.

Here in the UK Volvo are attempting to improve their image (again), but with the new Chinese ownership they are seeking volume and greater penetration into the fleet sector: many a rebranding has crashed and burned in this sector - the Germans dominate in the UK.

So for me Volvo is not a premium brand, but perhaps some models might be...V70, S80, XC90 maybe...the car buying demographic has changed since the days when a Volvo would attract a similar demographic to a Saab, but then both manufacturers ranges were smaller and the brands more"niche".

Jon.

[schicksal]

Close, I think it competed against the Lexus ES300, some Infinity and the Mazda 929 in a near-luxury segment. Possibly also vs. the 5-series BMW.

In the US older ones came back in style with the younger crowd, that's a big part of why I've put so much work into ours. They're sort of retro now. New ones sell pretty well too around here at least, mostly with the people with kids crowd.

[David Kelleher]

I bought my first Volvo about 4 months ago. I bought it purely because I fell in love with the look of the car and although you could say thats a rubbish reason to buy one I feel that as most modern cars are getting a bit too alike, its for me, the best reason to by it.

I love it, and although there may be better, more expensive cars out there. Or cheaper cars out there. Buy a volvo just because you like it. None of my friends or work colleges would buy one although they say its a nice car but I dodnt care. Whatever car you buy, your the one who has to drive it, so buy it for you.



A bit of an off the rails rant, but hey, i love my volvo lol