New V70 R Design Wheels

[Julianhuey]

Dear All,

I'm Julian from Sheffield.

Considering a new Volvo as my next car. My father was Chief Design Engineer at Laycocks (Overdrives / Clutches) so gew up around the 760's and the 900's. Highlight was trip around Gothenburg in a prototype 850 T5 with a Volvo Test Driver. Nice. Shame GKN were hell bent letting the Overdrive die, Volvo tried all it could to keeping it.

Anyway, before deciding which Volvo to purchase (either V50 or V70 R R Design) I decided to join the forum and check out what I could.

I have one quick question as the dealer could not assist and the brochure is not the best.

Does the V70 R Design only come with the standard wheels (18" CRATUS) or can you opt for another wheel design ? The brochure says the wheels I like best ie FORTUNA (same size) are N/A for the R Design.

Any opinions of the two models appreciated in D5 / manual form.

I was dead set for a V50 till they let me drive the V70 D5. That did not have the new 205 engine, but was still impressive.

Regards,

Julian.

[T5R+]

There is chap with Fortunas on his Phase 3 V70R.

Think he owns a tuning garage in Bromsgrove.

Would post a link but not sure of the rules. However, if you googled HLM, you may find it

D5/Manual - my specification. Prefer manual to an auto/geartronic, as suits my driving style. 6th can be a little wanting on A Roads. Geartronics are dearer to purchase and supposed to retain value, as more desirable. Manuals have no footrest. Everybody comments on how quiet they are for a diesel.

Make sure you know how much fuel the EuIVs drink - expect 40ish mpg.

[dodgyken]

Originally Posted by T5R+

D5/Manual - my specification. Prefer manual to an auto/geartronic, as suits my driving style. 6th can be a little wanting on A Roads. Geartronics are dearer to purchase and supposed to retain value, as more desirable. Manuals have no footrest. Everybody comments on how quiet they are for a diesel.

Make sure you know how much fuel the EuIVs drink - expect 40ish mpg.

40ish at best - Although I have the geartronic with 210ps/470nm HEICO map. The engine is relatively smooth - but it isn't the quietest when cold - I recently drove the new Mazda 3 which blew it away for being smooth and quiet - www.gummow-racing.com

The ZF automatic in my 525 is in my eyes a smoother gearbox than the geartronic. Although I love driving a manual - for an everyday car with the power and torque of the D5 (whichever tune) I would go for an auto.

[TBT]

Hi Julian,

Earlier this month my new V70 R Design arrived - it is a D5 manual MY2009 with AWD. For some reason the MY2010 cannot have the R Design with AWD which seems odd to me as sporty handling and strong traction seems like a sensible combination to me.

When I collected the car I was expecting the standard 5 spoke (Cratus?) alloys but it actually came with the ones I think you are after (Fortuna?) they are a subtle two tone design with 7 spokes and look good. I think the Fortuna wheels look a little less overtly sporty but work well on a car like the V70.

The dealer said that volvo was having supply problems with the normal standard R Design wheels.

I think that the 2009 brochure showed the Fortuna wheels as a GBP50 upgrade and they are the same size as the standard wheels. Watch out though as any of the 18 inch wheels are easy to scratch if you aren't careful.

Here are my opinion over the first 900 miles:

Its a lovely car and with the extra performance (and economy) of the all new MY2010 D5 engine I think you'd be very happy with it.

I suspect most people go for the auto box (and residuals are probably stronger for the auto) but the manual is good. I prefer manuals but the auto and D5 engine to go very well together and would make for a more relaxing drive.

I'm getting about 33-34 mpg from a 50:50 combination of motorway runs and shorter urban driving. Thats not quite as good as I was hoping for but the V70 is a big and very heavy car. The MY2010 would have the more fuel efficient and powerful engine and by not haing AWD (and so saving weight) I think the fuel consumption would be much more respectable.

The R-Design sports suspension and larger alloys does thump a bit over the potholes etc but its not too bad and makes for a more sporty and responsive ride which I like.

If you have young children you may want to get the GBP25 airbag cut off switch for the front passenger seat. I also went for rear parking sensors (quite useful) and the bluetooth phone kit (works very well).

My only other observation is that the car does feel rather big especially where the road narrows.

Overall I'm very pleased with the car.

Regards
Thomas

[Julianhuey]

Dear Thomas,

Thanks for the detailed review. The Fortuna wheels are the two tone units that are described as Diamond Cut and silver or something.

On the V50 side of things if you order he SE you get the option of wheels as long as they are the same size. The V70 brochure just says the others are n/a, which gives the impression it is standard or get your own.

I like the darker wheels as once the brake dust starts to adhere it is a nightmare to shift. I known what you mean about the larger wheels. Day one of picking up my MG I scuffed the wheel edge on a kerb as I had forgot about the larger diameter.

No kids as yet but marriage in Oct it is only a matter of time, hence the forward planning. I was going for the Family Pack which has the Air Bag cut off like you suggest.

The test car I took out was an older D5 and that had about 60k on the clock. It pulled right through to 4.5k and was smooth. The trip computer was showing 40.1 mpg which I thought was good and about what I would have expected given the mpg figures quoted.

Do you know if the parking camera is an "addition" to the additional front and rear parking aids ? The brochure and website does not make that clear as well !

12 years everyday and an old Cooper "S" and 5 years in an MG, I'm sure the ride will be luxury in comparision :-)

Any pics of the car with the wheels you have on it ??

Cheers for now,

Julian.

[MayGetaV70]

Mine is a May 2009 2.0D R-Design and it came with Fortuna wheels fitted. Which was a bit of a nice suprise, I think they look better than the standard R-Design ones. Don't half get dirty quick though front and rear. I've attached a photo on one of my earlier posts if you want to take a look.

[Julianhuey]

Originally Posted by MayGetaV70

I've attached a photo on one of my earlier posts if you want to take a look.

There the kiddies ! Looking nice.

Wired the wheel situation. I checked the V50 "Build Your Own" thing and now the V50 is only showing the Dark wheels as standard for the R Design, not the standard silver 5 spoke ones. ??? I'm confused.dot com.

Maybe it is the same supplier issue.

So I supposed you pays your money (and lots of it) and your not sure what the thing is going to look like until it backs off the transporter !

Cheers,

Julian.

[manwithabeard]

I took delivery of a new V70 R-Design last week and it came with the fortuna wheels.
They said it came from the factory like that but perhaps it was a canceled order.
Anyway, the fortuna wheels are a lot nicer and the car, in titanium grey, has had people stopping me in car parks complimenting the looks.

[Julianhuey]

Thanks Chaps,

If Volvo can ship'em with these wheels on for those that did not opt for them, then they should be able to ship one with them on for me, if I decided on the V70 and not the V50.

Many Thanks,

Julian.

[TBT]

Hi Julian,

Sorry I don't have any pics of the car just yet.

You mentioned a parking camera option - I just have the rear sensors not a camera. When you engage reverse it bleeps at you and the radio display gives a graphical representation of how close the car is to an object but its not a camera view as such.

I didn't look at the V50 but I know a few people that have bought cars that size (I believe the V50 is based on the ford focus estate floorpan) such as the bmw 3 series estate and have been disappointed by the boot space and subsequently bought a larger estate car.

I have two young kids and its amazing how much bulky stuff you take even on day trips.

Anyway just my view - enjoy the car choosing process its part of the fun!
Regards
Thomas