XC70: Gearbox What is as "Adaptive Road Test" ?

[Simon Jones]

Personally, when in stop/start traffic, I leave it in D and just apply the EPB which doesn't disengage until you give it some revs. What I do find annoying is the slightly awkward location of the 'handbrake' and that the switch operates the opposite way to a conventional handbrake i.e. you have to pull it to disengage whereas it makes more sense to push it in/down. I'm sure it's done that way for safety reasons in case you knocked it accidentally when driving.

I'm a little wary of switching the engine off unless stopped for several minutes. On a previous D5, the teeth on the flywheel (flexiplate) wore away in one place until one day the starter would no longer engage to turn the engine over.

[apersson850]

The later models, like the XC70 D4 AWD from 2016 I just bought, stops by itself. Problem taken care of.

The parking brake is as it is to be consistent with other models. The same lever is pulled to release the pedal operated mechanical parking brake. Thus only push was left to apply the electric brake system.

[Ian21401]

Originally Posted by Simon Jones

What I do find annoying is the slightly awkward location of the 'handbrake' and that the switch operates the opposite way to a conventional handbrake i.e. you have to pull it to disengage whereas it makes more sense to push it in/down.

I don't drive my daughter's car very often and I still have to think "which way do I push/pull this knob?" It just doesn't seem logical.

[Simon Jones]

It's even worse if you need to move the car without seatbelt on (when shifting it on the driveway) as it doesn't auto-disengage. It just sits there bobbing its arse up and down .

I've seriously considered fitted a secondary switch (wired in parallel) somewhere in the centre consol so it's in a more conventional position and you'd pull it up to engage the brake.