163 bhp performance any good ?

[stu0710]

Originally Posted by 12345

Just got the magazine and makes interesting reading.

And yes I will organise a test drive. I'd still be interested in other opinions. Especially anyone that's driven both the 163 and 215 ?

Thanks

I have a D3 Drive (FWD) manual and find it has plenty of performance for 'real world situations'. Overtaking is easy and the power band is all there from 1500 rpm upwards to a max of about 3500 revs. Overtaking (30-50) is fine in 3rd gear. Economy is also pretty good - I'm averaging over 40mpg over the first 20000 miles.

The AWD looks as good on paper and will be detuned 2.4 as used in the older type Drive versions. A dealer I spoke with last week reckons that the 2.0 D3 163 FWD is going to continue however (and that Volvo are giving dealers an extra £1500 incentive to try and push the FWD model). Take a test drive!

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by 12345

Just got the magazine and makes interesting reading.

And yes I will organise a test drive. I'd still be interested in other opinions. Especially anyone that's driven both the 163 and 215 ?

Thanks

Hi 12345

So you’ve nipped out and bought the What Car Magazine. Expensive isn’t it?

Can comment on the 215 and 205 manual and auto although not the 163.

I have posted my thoughts on this forum previously and whilst I still stand by what I said regards the application of certain technologies my views on certain aspects of XC60 are slightly altered.

I myself didn’t particularly like the Geartronic auto as I found that it hunted and couldn’t decide which gear to be in. Many Geartronic owners in here though find the gearbox fine. Simply down to preference I suppose. First gear in the manual is incredibly short so you have to change into 2nd pretty quick.

Performance of the 215 D5 is absolutely fine with plenty of torque although having driven a few thousand miles I find that I want more. I would probably say this though even if the car had 1000bhp!Overtaking is effortless in any gear and you can feel the car pulling. The D5 engine is a bit throaty - some call it noisy and gruff - although I quite like the sound. Its purposeful.

There is mixed views on the ride with some saying it’s a great comfy ride and others saying the suspension lets through all the bumps. I find that I am in the latter group and think the suspension lets through too many road imperfections. It does depend what you are accustomed to. If you’ve come from a 911GT the ride may be considered soft although if you’ve come from a Citroen C6 then the ride may seem harsh. Again personal preference and a test drive will confirm. Passengers in the back have said “its bumpy”.

I find fuel consumption to average around the 30 ish mark - less round town more on a run although use the performance and MPG drops further.

I find refinement is good with little road noise and tyre noise with the only intrusion being the D5 engine when accelerating , although I like this sound
.
Premium stereo sounds good although I do not consider it worth the price charged which differs depending on model.

The windscreen wipers in their fastest setting are actually not fast. One or two on here have also mentioned this.

At first I found the XC60 to be difficult to place and very big even though Ive had bigger cars. As suggested by some on here I would get used to this and most certainly I have although do still find parking a tad difficult due to blind spots so I suppose the parking camera option helps here. Visibility though is generally good with the large wing mirrors and the glove box is a pretty good size as is the boot , although in cars with the electric tailgate if you pack to the ceiling with luggage etc it wont close whereas in a manual boot you simply ease the tailgate down and give it a little shove.

The Bi xenon lights are bright and the fact they turn going round corners is quite handy.

XC60 is equipped with Diesel Particle Filter as are many cars nowadays and some have reported issues with this. Touch wood this is a problem I have not had as I do motorways from time to time and always believe in driving hard from time to time eg when entering a motorway from a slip road. This was actually suggested in the Jaguar handbook some years ago if the car is mainly driven around town that you should open it up from time to time.!

I intend to compare the D5 in gear performance figures sometime when I have a passenger with a stop watch and will report back when I do!!

Should I be choosing a new XC60 now I would more than likely choose the petrol T5 240 Powershift R Design in white with spec equivalent to SE Lux Premium along with blind spot cameras , reversing cameras , driver support pack, sunroof etc.

Whilst this may not be very economical and whilst Im no oil baron and whilst MPG figures are interesting it doesn’t overtly bother me. BTW fuel figures for XC60 can be classed wildly optimistic!

Regards

[birger]

I have a 2010 D5 with 205 HP but had a 2012 D3 on loan during service. It’s my honest opinion that I did not notice any difference whatsoever in performance between the two cars, I even floored the pedal in the D3 and did not notice any difference at all. This leads me to believe that the smaller turbo in my D5 is not operating properly. I will get my new 2012 D5 in a couple of weeks - I will report my impression when I get it.

[r-designbob]

Originally Posted by birger

I have a 2010 D5 with 205 HP but had a 2012 D3 on loan during service. It’s my honest opinion that I did not notice any difference whatsoever in performance between the two cars, I even floored the pedal in the D3 and did not notice any difference at all. This leads me to believe that the smaller turbo in my D5 is not operating properly. I will get my new 2012 D5 in a couple of weeks - I will report my impression when I get it.

I thought the D5 had twin turbo's?

[volvorocks]

Birger said "This leads me to believe that the smaller turbo in my D5 is not operating properly"

Originally Posted by r-designbob

I thought the D5 had twin turbo's?

The D5 does have two turbos.A small one and a big one.Birgir is meaning that the smaller of the 2 turbos may not be working in his D5

Regards

[birger]

R-designbob - i am aware of the two turbos. What I suspect is that the turbo responsible for charging at low rpm's is not working properly due to the result of my small test of the D3 I had during service on my D5. I am however not sure if the "small" turbo is the one responsible for low rpm's or if it's the larger one. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

My 2010 D5 feels a bit slow in the very beginning when flooring the pedal from a standstill. Perhaps all D5's are like that, but I will know for sure when I get my new 2012 D5 in a couple of weeks.

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by birger

R-designbob - i am aware of the two turbos. What I suspect is that the turbo responsible for charging at low rpm's is not working properly due to the result of my small test of the D3 I had during service on my D5. I am however not sure if the "small" turbo is the one responsible for low rpm's or if it's the larger one. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

My 2010 D5 feels a bit slow in the very beginning when flooring the pedal from a standstill. Perhaps all D5's are like that, but I will know for sure when I get my new 2012 D5 in a couple of weeks.

Hi Birger

I am of the understanding the smaller turbo is for lower RPM and then the larger one cuts in to take over at higher RPM.

Is your 2010 D5 an Auto as XC90 fited with similar engine had hesitancy "built in" in order to save the transmission as it couldnt cope with the torque apparently.

The 2012 D5 215 that I have has instant power from 1500rpm and you really can feel it pulling through the gears.

It feels slower since I got it though although this may be down to familiarity.

regards

[r-designbob]

Hey volorocks. That's some Reliant Robin you've got there

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by r-designbob

Hey volorocks. That's some Reliant Robin you've got there

Sure is..!!....



Seriously though I have always had a soft spot for the little old Robin!!

[r-designbob]

Actually, I know why it's called a Robin.


Couple of years ago I was on a motorway (inside lane) and approaching a slip rd when a reliant came along hoping to get into my lane. I usually pull over but couldn't this time due to volume of traffic along side me in the middle lane.
Anyway the driver of the Reliant didn't see me till the last minute when he turned the single wheel sharply to the left trying to avoid me.
I couldn't believe what happened next. The wheel dug into the ground and flipped the car into the air (could see this in my mirrors) I thought it was gonna come down on top of me, but it landed upside down in the inside lane. I couldn't stop due to speed of oncoming traffic etc........ So that's why it's called a Robin



Seriously, I think the guy must've been ok because I came back the other side to see and the robin had been up righted, and I heard the guy went for flying lessons