v70 D5 auto v's manual - driving impressions ?

[simboc2004]

I love the 5 cylinder sound - mine's the 2 litre, not the 2.4 and is enhanced with a Jetex exhaust system and sounds awesome under load.

I also detest autos and love manuals. But then I live in the country and drive twisty, rural B roads (or worse!) every day. If I lived in a city, I would probably swap to an auto, but i don't. On the road I spend most of my time in 4th - who needs an auto with the grunt and speed range available in just that one gear. And, on occasional motorway trips, its 6th gear performance is impressive - no need of an auto box making up its mind for you (and generally, in my experience, getting it wrong).

Each to their own, I'd say...

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

I wouldn't really take much heed of High Peak. If its not a Range Rover or some other top end car, then he's not that interested and always goes back to the negatives (or what he thinks are negatives). He didn't like the older shape XC90 either, but there's plenty of them with over 200,000 miles for sale, despite them sounding agricultural... he mentioned the sound the engine made on multiple occasions in his review on the XC90. His 5 litre petrol Range Rover won't get to 200k, that is pretty much guaranteed. It would be doing well if it made it to half that.

5 cylinder engines are imbalanced from the factory, refinement isn't their strong point (hence why people call them noisy or agricultural). They're never going to be as smooth as a V6, but they weren't designed to be. I like the 5 cylinder grunt sound, but its not for everyone.

I think auto suits these cars better. It adds to the comfort, in my opinion.

After that V70 review, Matt at High Peak eventually purchased a cheap P2 XC70 D5 with nearly 300k miles on the clock and was so impressed that he kept it and took it on a road trip.

Disappointingly, many P3 V70 reviews out there relate to early examples. I'd like to see more reviews of late models with Sensus etc..

There is one review out there of a 2015 V70 D4 SE Geartronic, however, which starts in the car park of the Jubilee Tower behind Lancaster.

The reviewer absolutely loves the car, and I like the video because that part of the world was my old stomping ground when I was a student. Me and my bike could often be found huffing and puffing up hills and then frightening the sheep as I almost silently whizz down the other side. (I wouldn't try this now due to the great advances of the last half a century that have brought us potholes. Back then, potholes were properly associated with speleological societies.)

The review begins with the Jubilee Tower and Morecambe Bay in the background and we then get treated to a drive through the Trough Of Bowland. Lovely stuff.

If we put aside issues regarding oil consumption, EGRs and cam covers and, instead, consider the driving experience, the later VEA D4s are great cars.

[emtor]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

Totally agree that the 5 cylinder growl is addictive.

Perhaps OT and like swearing in a church, but the 5 cylinder growl at startup in my old Audi 90 quattro blows the Volvo growl out of the water.
The modest 136 hp Audi engine sounded more like 1360 hp.

[apersson850]

The final drive is different in different model years too.
We have two XC70, one from 2012 and one from 2016. The gearboxes are the same (TF-80 SC on the first, TF-80 SD on the second) but the engine revs aren't the same in the same gear at the same speed.

At 2000 r/min, the older one will do 107 km/h, the newer 115 km/h.
Apparently they changed it to gain some more fuel economy sacrificing somewhat better towing capacity. The allowed trailer weight stayed the same, though.

There is a definitely noticeable difference in acceleration capacity, with 230 hp/470 Nm in the older and 181 hp/400 Nm in the newer. Higher gear ratio adds to the lower performance in the newer.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Sotosound

After that V70 review, Matt at High Peak eventually purchased a cheap P2 XC70 D5 with nearly 300k miles on the clock and was so impressed that he kept it and took it on a road trip.

Disappointingly, many P3 V70 reviews out there relate to early examples. I'd like to see more reviews of late models with Sensus etc..

There is one review out there of a 2015 V70 D4 SE Geartronic, however, which starts in the car park of the Jubilee Tower behind Lancaster.

The reviewer absolutely loves the car, and I like the video because that part of the world was my old stomping ground when I was a student. Me and my bike could often be found huffing and puffing up hills and then frightening the sheep as I almost silently whizz down the other side. (I wouldn't try this now due to the great advances of the last half a century that have brought us potholes. Back then, potholes were properly associated with speleological societies.)

The review begins with the Jubilee Tower and Morecambe Bay in the background and we then get treated to a drive through the Trough Of Bowland. Lovely stuff.

If we put aside issues regarding oil consumption, EGRs and cam covers and, instead, consider the driving experience, the later VEA D4s are great cars.

I watched the road trip video. When he did his review on the early XC90, he mentioned the noise several times and also said he didn't like the driving position. I guess he fell in love with the 5 cylinder grunt after all, as you say, he ended up buying one!

I'd also like to see a review of later D5's, but I'm yet to come across one. I think the newer ones with the twin turbo's sound different to the older 163's and 185's with single turbo's. Then there's the differences in the interior.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a car just based on driving experience alone... reliability comes into it too. I have nothing against anyone who has a D4 or buys one, but for me, there's too many underlying issues like EGR's, oil coolers and oil consumption to consider buying an early VEA. I'd consider a later model one (2017 onwards) when they made the improvements, but only when the prices drop.

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

I watched the road trip video. When he did his review on the early XC90, he mentioned the noise several times and also said he didn't like the driving position. I guess he fell in love with the 5 cylinder grunt after all, as you say, he ended up buying one!

I'd also like to see a review of later D5's, but I'm yet to come across one. I think the newer ones with the twin turbo's sound different to the older 163's and 185's with single turbo's. Then there's the differences in the interior.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a car just based on driving experience alone... reliability comes into it too. I have nothing against anyone who has a D4 or buys one, but for me, there's too many underlying issues like EGR's, oil coolers and oil consumption to consider buying an early VEA. I'd consider a later model one (2017 onwards) when they made the improvements, but only when the prices drop.

I was lucky with my VEA-engined vehicle but many others, including my good lady, haven't been. Knowing the engine number where the new piston and ring design was implemented was therefore key in the search for her new VEA-engined car, which doesn't even sip oil as far as we can tell.

[capt jack]

I've a 2012 V70 D5 auto, the 200-odd bhp twin turbo beastie. Personally I'm not so keen on the six-speed Geartronic. It's nowhere near as smooth as my previous car - a 1997 S90 3-litre petrol auto, but then I doubt that anything this side of a Rolls Royce would beat that straight six for smoothness!

And although the D5 is mighty quick in terms of mid-range acceleration, it's not especially quick off the mark, it does growl and grumble, it does have a twitchy ride at low speed, and the steering is numb.

All the other good and bad things that have been said about the P3 V70 in thevarious reviews that I've seen and read are generally true.

But the seats are very comfortable, the cabin is very roomy, the audio system is really good, it's returning an average better than 47mpg and costing £20 a month to tax.

I think you'd struggle to find a manual one as almost all seem to be automatics.

My one observation on that score would be that many years ago I swapped my lovely 2.3-litre 940 auto saloon for a 2-litre 240 manual saloon as I really needed the extra load-carrying capacity. Although the 240 was a superb car (one owner, low mileage, spotlessly clean, and a great family car) I really, really missed the automatic gearbox, and it wasn't long before I swapped back to an auto.

Jack

[40t]

Many thanks indeed to all. It's subjective, naturally, but the replies seem to confirm that the twin turbo models sound significantly better than the early P3's like mine (albeit very nice in the upper ratios) - acknowledging there may also be differences between cars with exactly the same configuration, as they age.

The auto box in mine is very smooth indeed, but this may be partly be due to the fact that it's typically 'slushy'. I'm hankering after the instant 'shove' of a manual and I live in the country, so I'll continue to investigate......and then regret it the first time I get stuck in a 40 minute stop start motorway jam !!!

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by capt jack

I've a 2012 V70 D5 auto, the 200-odd bhp twin turbo beastie. Personally I'm not so keen on the six-speed Geartronic. It's nowhere near as smooth as my previous car - a 1997 S90 3-litre petrol auto, but then I doubt that anything this side of a Rolls Royce would beat that straight six for smoothness!

And although the D5 is mighty quick in terms of mid-range acceleration, it's not especially quick off the mark, it does growl and grumble, it does have a twitchy ride at low speed, and the steering is numb.

All the other good and bad things that have been said about the P3 V70 in thevarious reviews that I've seen and read are generally true.

But the seats are very comfortable, the cabin is very roomy, the audio system is really good, it's returning an average better than 47mpg and costing £20 a month to tax.

I think you'd struggle to find a manual one as almost all seem to be automatics.

My one observation on that score would be that many years ago I swapped my lovely 2.3-litre 940 auto saloon for a 2-litre 240 manual saloon as I really needed the extra load-carrying capacity. Although the 240 was a superb car (one owner, low mileage, spotlessly clean, and a great family car) I really, really missed the automatic gearbox, and it wasn't long before I swapped back to an auto.

Jack

What do you mean by twitchy ride? Give me an example.

[Tatsfield]

I suppose it's all a matter of personal preferences but I can't agree with you about the take off, the ride or the steering. Perhaps my 230 bhp 2012 XC70 D5 is different to your model. I had a series of 2+2 coupes for 25 years before I bought the Volvo as a necessary safety transport for grandchildren and I was prepared for it to be very safe and very boring compared with the exotica that I had previously owned. It is one of the safest cars on the road but it isn't at all boring and the acceleration born out of the high torque from the 5 cylinder diesel makes it an unlikely street sprinter that surprises drivers of cars that look like they travel faster. The D5 diesel has a lot of grunt.