V70: General Slightly dissappointed as a towcar

[volvorocks]

How about a Kia Sportage?

[Westyman]

That had entered my thoughts too!! And why the XC90 came to mind as a pre-Ford Volvo!!
There are very few cars like my V70 AWD. Diesel for torque, auto gearbox and doesn't look like a Tonka toy.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Westyman

But the 240, the 740, the 940, V70 ph1 and V70 ph 2 never needed fancy electronics to keep a caravan stable.......

very true ! You never knew you had a caravan on the back , but caravans are getting heavier . It is all about basic weight distribution isnt it , the car AND caravan combination .
You have a huge amount of "fancy life saving electronics" on your present car .....

[clivea]

Sorry to hear of your problems. I moved from a Sorento (great tug) to a 2010MY XC70 and find the Volvo to be just as stable as the Sorento but less jittery. What all my previous cars have had is rear seat bases that lift so I can stow the heavy items such as awning, toolbox, food crates behind the front seats of the car thus allowing the rear load area for dogs. But with the XC70 I now have a dog crate behind me and the heavy items go behind the dogs. But the loaded items in the van have not changed so I can compare Sorento v Volvo directly.

I tow 1500kg at up to legal limits here and abroad so a steady 60/62mph where comfortable. This loading is less than yours but I have never had any concerns with stability or the feel of the car. Aids such as towing systems on the car or ATC should not even feature in normal towing driving. When cars are tested by CC, C&CC and Practical Caravan they tow at 85% kerbweight with ATC disabled. And all the tests that I read showed V70/XC70 to be good tow cars without any issues, that is what led me to return to the Volvo fold.

I always use max noseweight which is 90kg although with a single axle van it is easier to measure and adjust noseweight than for a twin axle. I set tyre pressures at 38psi which is also the XC70 Eco setting so I don't have to bother re-setting then when on site.

Why not try unloading the van except for gas, battery etc and towing it light to a weighbridge which will not only let you see how it tows when light but also confirm your basic weight. Then gradually adjust the load and load positions to see if you can achieve a better feel for the outfit. On the Practical Caravan Forums there have been problems similar to yours on different vans/outfits which were difficult to achieve noseweight without resorting to moving load to the rear which then made the outfit feel uncertain.

Good luck

[Westyman]

Thanks for that. We have trouble getting the noseweight up which is different to any other caravan we have had.
Perhaps I need to measure it again and get it up to around your figure, think thats the max for the towbar/car.
I did try the eco setting after we had the car but found it a bit hard solo so compromised on 35 but I could try a higher figure on rear too. I get a sort of feeling it's too soft at the rear so, again more reason to try.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a huge problem, just seems odd after all the other Volvo/caravan combinations I have had. There was a Swift I had that was twitchy until the caravan's rubber suspension warmed up and then it was fine!!

[clivea]

I agree with you that the Econ tyre pressure is a bit hard, perhaps that is why it aims to save fuel in that we drive a bit slower to stop the passengers moaning.

Be interested to hear how you get on with any further adjustments..

[Clan]

Originally Posted by clivea

I agree with you that the Econ tyre pressure is a bit hard, perhaps that is why it aims to save fuel in that we drive a bit slower to stop the passengers moaning.

Be interested to hear how you get on with any further adjustments..

the eco pressures also increase your tyre life and make cornering have a bit more " feel"

[Westyman]

Had plans to fiddle with caravan nose weight and push up rear tyre pressures today....but it can wait. CH back on and couch potato mode today, horrid outside. Sunny and 17deg forecast for Monday :-)

[JetBlastDeflector]

Originally Posted by Westyman

My 2010 registered but allegedly 2011MY V70 D5 AWD Geartronic is the least stable Volvo towcar of the 6 I have had.
The car solo is fine, a bit less robust maybe than previous Volvos, but fine. Towing my 1650-1700kg (guess) caravan, the power and torque are great, the gearbox is fine, perhaps a tiny bit late changing down but nothing too concerning. No it's stability that's just not as good. I know the 'van is heavyish for the car but not overly so, but it was the same with the previous 1500kg 'van too.
I have fiddled about with tyre pressures and noseweight but it's the same, as speed gets above about 55 mph it just feels twitchy. Now, being a retiree, I am not unhappy tootling along at 55 but it leaves nothing in hand. A gentle downhill and speed drifts upto 60 it feels quite alarming. The caravan has Alko ATC on so I shouldn't worry I suppose but that's not the point, it should be better.
This Volvo was going to last us but am wondering if there's a better towcar, maybe my old 2005 V70??!!
Am wondering about the XC90 - the dog pen won't fit the XC60 - but have never taken much interest in them so not sure what's what with them.
BTW I have been towing for 33 years, 8 diferent caravans and 9 different towcars so I am not inexperienced!!

Any views/comments?

The XC90 uses a P2 platform which was designed by Volvo in 1999 before Ford bought Volvo. The P2 platform was also used on the 2001-2007 V70, therefore also a genuine Volvo's. I have owned a 2001 V70, a 2005 V70, a 2008 V70 and a 2010 V70. I now have an XC90 and the XC90 still retains the old, solid, heavy, Volvo feel that my two earlier V70's had. My newer V70's were good, but could have been Ford Mondeo's to be honest. So what I am saying is that if you are looking for a 'new' tow car that has the same feel as your old 2005 V70, I am sure that the XC90 would fit the bill and solve your problems.

[cloggers]

Originally Posted by JetBlastDeflector

My newer V70's were good, but could have been Ford Mondeo's to be honest

Was the Mondeo not based on a development of the V70 which was already underway instead of the other way round?

Anyway, I had a Mondeo Estate with a decent trim level (Ghia) for nearly 3 years before buying my 59 V70. Personally I think the difference between the two cars is night and day when it comes to the way they feel inside. Everything in the Ford was more flimsy and less confidence inspiring than the Volvo.

Handlingwise I can tell you that my V70 feels sharper than the Mondeo I had but that might be the R-design pask and its 18" alloys. As I don't have a towbar I can't compare towing differences between Mondeo and V70 but both are heavy and long enough to look like good contenders on paper...

My advise would be to stick with the V70 instead of an XC90 and sell the caravan; a nice en-suite holiday appartement sounds better to me than waiting in line at the shower block of yet another busy French camping spot