I'm back after nearly 7 years. Advice needed!

[johnbaker]

Hello,

Just checked, last time I was on here was in 2009. I was a long time lurker, working out my own car's idiosyncrasies. I had a 850 T5 estate (a man's car!) that I loved, and she loved me. Until she died. Then I went to the dark side. The German dark side. Now I've seen the light and am looking to get a V60. I need help with what to get and what to steer clear of.

I've seen drpepper has posted similar with regards to getting a XC60, or considering a Merc. Funnily enough, I've been considering a Merc C or E class estate, and though good cars in their own right, I loved my Volvo, and the V60 does look a lot more fun.

So, what should I get? I'm looking for a used one, probably from a dealer with a price tag up to £20k. I'd probably not go less than a D4 as I'd like to get to 70 mph as soon as possible. What's the ascending scale of spec (SE, Nav, etc)?

Also, I saw that the V40 has a Polestar upgrade for £845. Does the V60 have the same? I'd quite like that, as I've not fully grown up yet.

Any help would be greatly received. If you've read this far, well done.

John.

[K5 Gus]

John,

Spec wise :
Business Edition ( includes Nav )
SE and SE Nav
SE Lux and SE Lux Nav
R-Design and R-Design Nav
R-Design Lux and R-design Lux Nav

I've still got the 2014 brochure in pdf format which shows all the options that are in each of the above specs, plus all the optional packs and individual options that were available. PM me your email if you want it sent to you.

[K5 Gus]

In addition to the above, as you can see from my signature I went for the SE Nav, buying new the discounts were such that it actually worked out same price as the Business Edition with lots more spec.

I only added Keyless Entry and Metallic Paint. Whilst things like High Beam Assist, Active Cruise Control, Heated Windscreen, etc would be very nice, to me they did not seem like they were worth the money, but to others they are almost essential - so difficult to say what you should look for, everyone is different.
Only thing I wish I'd gone for was front parking sensors, as I find it quite difficult to judge front of car when parking.

So far, at 10,000 miles I've had no EGR problems with the D4 engine, touch wood, but many people having multiple problems with this engine and Volvo still not found a reliable solution after 3 or 4 attempts at a fix. So that's something to be aware of if going for a D4.

Economy nowhere near official figures, but that's expected. I'm still disappointed to be averaging only 47 mpg over 10,000 miles, although others are in low 50s, so my heavy right foot to blame there no doubt.

[RoyMacDonald]

High beam assist, BLIS, Active Cruise Control. Heck I'm probably the worst person to ask. I tend to add everything except the heated windscreen which I hate. Also the sat nav is still not worth having in my opinion. Buying second hand you should be able to get pretty much what you want though. Any SE and above is very well equipped anyway.

V60 does have Polestar but it's not the best value in the world. You might want to compare other aftermarket engine maps which will be a lot cheaper. Polestar is totally warranty friendly of course.

[johnbaker]

So is the SE better than the R design? In my day, the R was the dog's danglies.

And what's wrong with the heated front window? I've had a car with one and it was quite useful. What's BLIS? Is that some sort of impact system?

I'm a bit worried about the EGR going after 10000 miles, if that's a common problem. I could do without that.

I think I'll have to have a test drive and follow my heart!

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by johnbaker

So is the SE better than the R design? In my day, the R was the dog's danglies.

And what's wrong with the heated front window? I've had a car with one and it was quite useful. What's BLIS? Is that some sort of impact system?

I'm a bit worried about the EGR going after 10000 miles, if that's a common problem. I could do without that.

I think I'll have to have a test drive and follow my heart!

Some D4 four cylinder FWD cars have had EGR problems but Volvo have been working hard to fix the issue. They seem to be having success as far as you can tell at this stage.

You probably won't be looking at a D4 four pot on your budget anyway.

You will probably be looking at D3 or D5 or D4 five pot.

BLIS Blind Spot Information System. Radar in the wing mirrors facing backwards that tell you when a car is going to overtake at high speed or is hiding in your blind spot or is going to cross your path when you are reversing.

Heated front window affects my eyes badly. As you've had one this won't be an issue for you. Becoming an increasing issue for me as so many cars have it fitted know so are automatically ruled out for me unless the dealer will take it out and fit a plain one.

The R has harder suspension than the Lux. Has better front seats though. If you can get the 4C adjustable suspension on any of them you will have the best of both as you can switch between 3 settings.

I'd look at what combo of accessories and options are fitted on a car by car basis. R or SE lux are both very nice. I'd only have the R if it had 4C suspension my self, but I like my comfort for long journeys.

[Arianne]

John, I have the VEA 4-pot D4 engine. After a heap of problems which the dealer fixed under warranty through to last Summer, the engine has been faultless since then and we've done a fair bit of mileage since then - both cold, short journeys and longer blasts down the A1M, trip to the Isle of Skye and now the autobahns to Austria. I am hoping that the dealer and Volvo found a fix for it back in August/September since she has never lasted this long without an EGR related issue from new!

Arianne

[johnbaker]

Excellent,

Thank you all for taking time to give me a steer here. It's much appreciated.

Now I need to make my choice!

Thanks again

John.

[JBob74]

Go with the D5 (the D3, D4 and D5 are all 5-pots on the pre-facelift models) and you won't be disappointed. Reliability seems very good too (provided the aux belt tensioner is replaced at the specified intervals).

Mine's a AWD geartronic (very rare car) - economy isn't brilliant (approx. 28mpg around town and 44mpg on a run) but then it is a 215 bhp twin turbo 5-cylinder diesel!

The SE is much more comfortable ride wise than the R-Design - my previous Saab was a real boneshaker so I wanted something a little more compliant over the bumps. It's definitely not as sporty though - the Saab handled much better. I guess it depends one what your requirements are (and how bad the roads are near you!)

The V60 is one of the best looking small wagons out there (IMO) and still feels very Swedish inside - there's not too much sign of things having being diluted by Ford. Very comfortable too (something I was reminded of the last time I had a Skoda as a hire car!)

The V60 is also a bit more rare than the usual sea of Mercs and Audis - which makes it a bit more special!