XC70 buying advice?

[Hallsy]

Hi guys, not been on this forum for a while!

Previous owner of an 850 T5 and 850R - would love to turn back time!

After a couple of Volvo's we went over to a Saab 9-5 Aero, a great car in many respects, especially for what it did and has cost us - but for a long while my partner has been talking about going back to a Volvo, this time an XC70.

We'd be looking post 2012 as I think the interior update is worthwile, and coming from T5/R it has to be a D5. I did notice a nice T6 for sale, but my other half complains about the Aero's mpg, so that rules the T6 out!

My question is, is there anything in particular to look out for on a used XC70?
Is the geartronic system reliable?
There seem to be lots of options, could anyone suggest those that are 'must have' vs some that aren't worth having, or possibly even best avoided?

Do they hold high mileage well? My T5 was on around 225k when I sold it, and the R around 150k from memory, both were solid. Do the later Volvo's wear as well?

In my mind we were looking at lower mileage cars as we plan to keep it for a long time, but there seems to be quite a premium compared to 100k plus cars.

I'm hopeful that a D5 will perform fairly well compared to T5/Aero, but if not we would consider going for a remap - I gather Polestar is the default option? Is that through main dealers only?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Tatsfield]

The suspension is less hard wearing than you'd like because it is mainly Ford Mondeo but it's not expensive to fix.

The Geartronic is not particularly sophisticated so is relatively bullet proof for an auto box. I had a problem with jerky take up from R to D but an exercise driving backwards and forward repeatedly trained it to operate smoothly and I haven't had any problems since.

The standard D5 is powerful and a great engine but if you want a sporty response Polestar will provide it. I found after I had the 230bhp Polestar uprating, I almost stopped using the "Sports" mode in the Geartronic as the extra torque and bhp picked up the power smoothly and rapidly without having to have the box hold down the gears. Polestar is not cheap but unlike any other re- mapping, it will not be overwritten when the ECU software is updated. Only a Volvo dealer can install it as it comes down the line from Volvo Sweden direct to your car. I got a price reduction and am able to offset car expenses against VAT and Income Tax so it was just about affordable and now I wouldn't go back to the old power level. Definitely push the dealer for a discount and shop around the dealers.

If you want the Sat Nav to continue to be map updatable, go for a 2014 onwards. My 2012 will cease to have the sat nav supported after the next map update this year.

Make sure that the aux drive belt has been changed at 54K miles and if not, have it and the associated pulleys and tensioners changed immediately as if they fail, and they do if neglected, it will derail the cam belt and screw the engine. The cam belt itself goes twice the time/miles between changes and very rarely breaks without the help of its little brother!

I have the 4C suspension setting system although I rarely use anything other than the firmest setting but I believe that if you want to use it for towing you should go for the optional Nivomat self levelling rear suspension instead.

I love my XC70. It is just that little bit more brutal looking than the V70 and even with the increased ground clearance it handles exceptionally well at speed on both open and winding roads. Since they don't make them any more, I'm likely to keep this one for the foreseeable future.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

The suspension is less hard wearing than you'd like because it is mainly Ford Mondeo but it's not expensive to fix.

The Geartronic is not particularly sophisticated so is relatively bullet proof for an auto box. I had a problem with jerky take up from R to D but an exercise driving backwards and forward repeatedly trained it to operate smoothly and I haven't had any problems since.

The standard D5 is powerful and a great engine but if you want a sporty response Polestar will provide it. I found after I had the 230bhp Polestar uprating, I almost stopped using the "Sports" mode in the Geartronic as the extra torque and bhp picked up the power smoothly and rapidly without having to have the box hold down the gears. Polestar is not cheap but unlike any other re- mapping, it will not be overwritten when the ECU software is updated. Only a Volvo dealer can install it as it comes down the line from Volvo Sweden direct to your car. I got a price reduction and am able to offset car expenses against VAT and Income Tax so it was just about affordable and now I wouldn't go back to the old power level. Definitely push the dealer for a discount and shop around the dealers.

If you want the Sat Nav to continue to be map updatable, go for a 2014 onwards. My 2012 will cease to have the sat nav supported after the next map update this year.

Make sure that the aux drive belt has been changed at 54K miles and if not, have it and the associated pulleys and tensioners changed immediately as if they fail, and they do if neglected, it will derail the cam belt and screw the engine. The cam belt itself goes twice the time/miles between changes and very rarely breaks without the help of its little brother!

I have the 4C suspension setting system although I rarely use anything other than the firmest setting but I believe that if you want to use it for towing you should go for the optional Nivomat self levelling rear suspension instead.

I love my XC70. It is just that little bit more brutal looking than the V70 and even with the increased ground clearance it handles exceptionally well at speed on both open and winding roads. Since they don't make them any more, I'm likely to keep this one for the foreseeable future.

Hi Tatsfield,

Just a query regarding Polestar. How much extra hp can you get, or does that depend purely on the model? I have an S80 (2007, P3 chassis) with 163bhp (Its the 2.4D version, which is still a D5 engine). So how much more power would the Polestar upgrade give me?

[reggit]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

Hi Tatsfield,

Just a query regarding Polestar. How much extra hp can you get, or does that depend purely on the model? I have an S80 (2007, P3 chassis) with 163bhp (Its the 2.4D version, which is still a D5 engine). So how much more power would the Polestar upgrade give me?

According to https://engineered.polestar.com/dk/u...modelYearId=58 it will go up to 205bhp

[Kev0607]

My car is an S80 (Automatic), not a V70. Does that make a difference? (Link you posted is for V70's, although I suppose the engines are the same across multiple models).

I had another look at that site you linked & here's what comes up when I search for S80;

2007 (Model year of my car brings this engine up (Not the engine in my car)

https://engineered.polestar.com/dk/u...modelYearId=58

If I select "2008" (even though my car is a 2007, this comes up);

https://engineered.polestar.com/dk/u...modelYearId=59

So it appears that my car being 163bhp standard could be upgraded to 185bhp, not any higher. I'd have to have the 185bhp version as standard to go to 205bhp I presume?

I doubt I could go from 163bhp to 205bhp, although that appears to be an option on the V70 page.

[Hallsy]

Thanks Tatsfield, very helpful!

You make a good point about the 2014 onwards SatvNa, but I think our budget won't stretch that far. We have an extension/renovation project coming up so don't want to spend too much on the car - was hoping to find a nice 2012 on for around £10k.

How about the safety options, blind spot warning, lane assist, brake assist... Do they work well?

[dhr90]

Originally Posted by Hallsy

Thanks Tatsfield, very helpful!

You make a good point about the 2014 onwards SatvNa, but I think our budget won't stretch that far. We have an extension/renovation project coming up so don't want to spend too much on the car - was hoping to find a nice 2012 on for around £10k.

How about the safety options, blind spot warning, lane assist, brake assist... Do they work well?

I rather like blind spot, it also detects pedestrians and vehicles crossing behind you when reversing which is especially useful when reversing out of an end in parking bay, I imagine on an XC70 being a good bit longer than my car it is even more useful there.
Mine has lane departure warning rather than an aid to keep you in the lane, which almost always works correctly, sometimes gets fooled by temporary roadworks where the old lane markings get burnt off. Never had brake assist kick in thankfully.

[reggit]

Originally Posted by dhr90

I rather like blind spot, it also detects pedestrians and vehicles crossing behind you when reversing which is especially useful when reversing out of an end in parking bay, I imagine on an XC70 being a good bit longer than my car it is even more useful there.
Mine has lane departure warning rather than an aid to keep you in the lane, which almost always works correctly, sometimes gets fooled by temporary roadworks where the old lane markings get burnt off. Never had brake assist kick in thankfully.

Another vote for BLIS, I thought it was a bit of a gimmick at first but have grown to like it. I keep the lane depart turned off as it’s constantly bleating at me, fairly narrow roads with white lines on them.
Adaptive cruise is good in traffic on the motorway, bit weird with the car doing the braking itself. You also get an annoying red light near the windscreen that gets itself confused sometimes and starts flashing to tell you to brake.

[reggit]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

My car is an S80 (Automatic), not a V70. Does that make a difference? (Link you posted is for V70's, although I suppose the engines are the same across multiple models).

I had another look at that site you linked & here's what comes up when I search for S80;

2007 (Model year of my car brings this engine up (Not the engine in my car)

https://engineered.polestar.com/dk/u...modelYearId=58

If I select "2008" (even though my car is a 2007, this comes up);

https://engineered.polestar.com/dk/u...modelYearId=59

So it appears that my car being 163bhp standard could be upgraded to 185bhp, not any higher. I'd have to have the 185bhp version as standard to go to 205bhp I presume?

I doubt I could go from 163bhp to 205bhp, although that appears to be an option on the V70 page.

How odd, sorry I was half asleep at 1am! Looks like you’re stuck with 185.
Debated doing mine, but it only goes to 225 from 205 I decided it wasn’t worth the outlay on a 11 year old car.

[Tatsfield]

Originally Posted by Hallsy

Thanks Tatsfield, very helpful!

You make a good point about the 2014 onwards SatvNa, but I think our budget won't stretch that far. We have an extension/renovation project coming up so don't want to spend too much on the car - was hoping to find a nice 2012 on for around £10k.

How about the safety options, blind spot warning, lane assist, brake assist... Do they work well?

They are not on my car and since I bought it second hand, I don't know if they were an option not taken or if they were not an option. My 2012 has park assist but with fore and aft graphics and warning sounds, not a rear camera. Overall I'm very satisfied with the level of "toys" but in times past I lived without all of them!