Which Volvo is best for Business Use

[Gen_Billy]

Planning to use a Volvo for Business use weekdays and family use in the weekend - which one would you go for? I guess it would be a Fuel/Comfort/Size/Durability/Cost/Co2.

My choice would be a V60.- B4.

[GrahamBrown1]

If cost wasn’t a issue it would be a V90CC for me if we are talking current models, well not current in the UK anymore but still produced for elsewhere. Engine wouldn’t bother me really D4/D5. T6 would be good but wouldn’t fit business use I dont think. The XC70 is an awesome car but I love the style of the newer cars.

[Tannaton]

Mk1 XC90 all day long. The best motorway mile muncher.

[don kalmar union]

Those coming to this forum seeking wisdom and reassurances about Volvo badged cars produced in recent years should be aware that most of us here have had good use and experiences of those Volvo branded cars produced under the original Swedish ownership of the Volvo car brand and those produced under the brand's ownership by Ford.

Those cars more recently produced are a very, very different kettle of fish indeed. The universal 4 pot engines currently available, however fuelled, originate from a turn key purchase of the design from an Austrian engineering concern of otherwise good repute, no 'old school' Volvo engineering input at all... they are troublesome and remain so. A local Volvo inclined car breaker close to me is now buying in some of these later cars and is surprised by the deterioration of the bodywork and signs of poor materials used in the 'soft' interiors.

Now this will not particularly be of concern to those more interested in the superficial attractions of the brand associated with recent marketing still relying on the old brand values to hoodwink the less well informed, the more so with those buying under relatively short term fixed term financial arrangements and extant warranty. However those still attracted by the historic long term viability of Volvos should wise up......

Don.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by don kalmar union

Those coming to this forum seeking wisdom and reassurances about Volvo badged cars produced in recent years should be aware that most of us here have had good use and experiences of those Volvo branded cars produced under the original Swedish ownership of the Volvo car brand and those produced under the brand's ownership by Ford.

Those cars more recently produced are a very, very different kettle of fish indeed. The universal 4 pot engines currently available, however fuelled, originate from a turn key purchase of the design from an Austrian engineering concern of otherwise good repute, no 'old school' Volvo engineering input at all... they are troublesome and remain so. A local Volvo inclined car breaker close to me is now buying in some of these later cars and is surprised by the deterioration of the bodywork and signs of poor materials used in the 'soft' interiors.

Now this will not particularly be of concern to those more interested in the superficial attractions of the brand associated with recent marketing still relying on the old brand values to hoodwink the less well informed, the more so with those buying under relatively short term fixed term financial arrangements and extant warranty. However those still attracted by the historic long term viability of Volvos should wise up......

Don.

I don't think there is any doubt that "they don't make them like they used to" but isn't that the case with any car maker?

In my office there are several die hard BMW and Merc guys who get new ones every 3-4 years and they're saying the same thing.

[Forg]

^ Indeed. There was a period from probably the late 70's through to the early 90's where manufacturers had just about completed their goal of making stuff last beyond the warranty period (and hence making warranty repairs a tiny cost to them) with a sledgehammer approach of just making them last as long as possible ... none of the nasty pre-early-early 70's monthly engine rebuilds for example, no rust-holes within the 1yr period that warranties used to be.

But they've since learned how to make stuff that will last the warranty period while being the cheapest to build & having no eye on making it last longer than that. Cars look & feel & go & handle better than ever, and the feel of interior switchgear & materials gives an impression of decent quality, but if you include "longevity" in your definition of quality it seems to be going backwards.
Mind you most people who choose a luxury or semi-luxury vehicle for purchase will get rid of it by 5-ish years anyway.

Having said the above, I suspect it's also a case of not knowing how long stuff's going to last when it's 5 years old until it's 5 years old. And in the car game these days you die if you stretch a model's life over about 5 years!


Back to the original question, define "Business use"?
What are you doing in it, taking carpet samples to half-hour meetings with carpet retailers all over the country? Delivering samples from London to Glasgow daily? Showing potential house buyers to properties for sale? Commuting the 15 country miles to work?
They're all kinda different use-cases.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by don kalmar union

Those coming to this forum seeking wisdom and reassurances about Volvo badged cars produced in recent years should be aware that most of us here have had good use and experiences of those Volvo branded cars produced under the original Swedish ownership of the Volvo car brand and those produced under the brand's ownership by Ford.

Those cars more recently produced are a very, very different kettle of fish indeed. The universal 4 pot engines currently available, however fuelled, originate from a turn key purchase of the design from an Austrian engineering concern of otherwise good repute, no 'old school' Volvo engineering input at all... they are troublesome and remain so. A local Volvo inclined car breaker close to me is now buying in some of these later cars and is surprised by the deterioration of the bodywork and signs of poor materials used in the 'soft' interiors.

Now this will not particularly be of concern to those more interested in the superficial attractions of the brand associated with recent marketing still relying on the old brand values to hoodwink the less well informed, the more so with those buying under relatively short term fixed term financial arrangements and extant warranty. However those still attracted by the historic long term viability of Volvos should wise up......

Don.

And Geely with a Volvo badge...

[Wagon Sailor]

If business use involves meetings with clients, you could sometimes do with an icebreaker. An Amazon would fit the bill - and still get you there and back in sufficient comfort.

Nobody really needs the gizmos and connectivity is as much a curse as a blessing. So don't bother with the newer stuff.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Wagon Sailor

If business use involves meetings with clients, you could sometimes do with an icebreaker. An Amazon would fit the bill - and still get you there and back in sufficient comfort.

Nobody really needs the gizmos and connectivity is as much a curse as a blessing. So don't bother with the newer stuff.

Funny you should say that...

I was talking to a mechanic earlier, who basically said more or less what's mentioned in earlier posts... Volvo aren't made like they used to be (but what is I guess). He said the newer 4 cylinder diesel engines (2014-2016) are plagued with problems, like EGR and EGR cooler issues, turbo's dying, oil consumption because of piston rings. It improved late on around 2017 he thinks, but still, they aren't a patch on the older stuff (in his opinion).

He actually said he wouldn't buy a newer Volvo, unless it had a warranty and it would be gone before it ran out!

[Forg]

Originally Posted by Wagon Sailor

If business use involves meetings with clients, you could sometimes do with an icebreaker. An Amazon would fit the bill - and still get you there and back in sufficient comfort.

Nobody really needs the gizmos and connectivity is as much a curse as a blessing. So don't bother with the newer stuff.

An Amazon would be OK if it's all local, it's short trips, and you can ensure you get it serviced TO THE HILT before you start using it for work purposes ('cos an Amazon is reliable by the standards of the day but needs a lot more maintenance than anything new needs - and a lost of 50+yo cars around now haven't had enough of that maintenance).

But you'd want something no older than a 960 if there are highway trips of more than about an hour involved, IMHO, and even then it needs to be well maintained. The fatigue from driving a car from before the late 80's is real (and even the best 240 is still fatiguing). The vibration & noise & constant course-correction due to ye olde steering & suspension design is a real thing, and you don't want fatigue if spending time on the highway.