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Volvo V70 Wagon Experience

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#21 of 1827 bgkanne- more facts by lancerfixer Aug 09, 2000 (8:35 pm)
The S80 has a 2.9 liter inline 6. Also, the manual transmission is available on the V70, but only on the T5 model. Five minutes spent on Edmund's own site would have revealed these facts to you.
#22 of 1827 The S80 2.9 by amazon Aug 10, 2000 (5:50 pm)
is available with 5 sp. manual overseas.
#23 of 1827 Volvo test articles by bgkanne Aug 10, 2000 (7:20 pm)
Rules of road tests 1. Any publication which depends on advertising revenue, must have their road tests taken with a grain of salt. This applies to Car and Driver, Motor Trend, etc. 2. Any test where the vehicle is supplied by the manufacturer must be looked with suspicion. Special preparation of these vehicles may have taken place which may make certain qualities of the vehicle seem better than regular production examples. 3. Qualifications of the writer must be examined. Who are they and how was their test conducted? Who pays for their writing? 4. Publication from Maine is likely biased as Maine (and New England) is an extremely important market to Volvo. A bad review could be a disaster for Volvo in that market. 5. When I see a unbiased report on this vehicle from someone like Consumer Reports, I can make an accurate evaluation of the car. Consumer Reports buys their cars on the open market, takes no advertising and is highly experienced in testing of these vehicles. I recently drove a lower cost competitor to the Volvo V70 and found Consumer Reports to be right on with the flaws they found. It is interesting to note the wide range of performance found on this vehicle. One test said 0-60 on this car is 6.7 seconds and another test said 8.4. This indicates someone really didn't test the vehicle thoroughly, the car was specially prepped or inaccurate testing procedures were used. Also, it has been common for Volvo (and other manufacturers) to drop manual transmission models from the US market due to small demand and possibly increased emissions. Only BMW has been successful selling stick shifts as a high volume manufacturer in a similar price category. It is very difficult to sell (in volume) a station wagon with a manual transmission, particularly with the excellent performance offered by many automatics.
#24 of 1827 As usual, a most enlightening topic by FREDERICK Aug 16, 2000 (7:40 am)
I love our 96 Volvo Wagon, and I'm no newby. I would buy another in an instant if I had to replace the one we've got. It is the perfect primary form of transportation for us. We had a 99 Saab 9-3 for seven months before I rolled it out in the California desert late one night. The Volvo is a totally different car than that Saab but it is exactly what we need. The Volvo outshines Saab in several important areas. Volvo's handling is exceeding crisp, liniar, and the brakes are phenominal, the erganomics are the best available in a wagon. The Volvo's handling is very flat and assured while Saab's is a little soft for me. I've not driven a MCB or BMW Wagon because the extra $20K+ is beyond my ability. I don't think that there is honestly another wagon out there that meets the Volvo equally on price for overall utility, handling, safety, ergonomics, and power. Volvo are in that unique midrange that as of yet I don't think any other manufacturer has yet touched. I would not necessarily buy another Saab, but I might consider moving up market to a BMW if I had the $'s but I most certainly wouldn't even consider going down market for a wagon. I like, no I love, the car and I think that they're doing an excellent job hitting that middle market. I don't think I'd buy a Volvo Sedan though, because the reasons aren't compelling enough for me to look at them. The wagons are exactly what I need and want. These are my opinions and experiences, they constitute nothing more. I know Saab, I know Ford, I know GM, but I love the Volvo.
#25 of 1827 New V70 T5 Experience by twoof1 Aug 18, 2000 (10:52 pm)
After alot of exhaustive research, we finally traded in our '98 XC for a 2001 V70T5. I researched and drove the following: BMW 528it: Great car, terrible for storage space in the rear, sky high price. Saab 9-5: Hated the seats (just couldn't get comfortable, it's a personal thing) good car although a little too quirky for me. Passat 4 motion: Great car for it's price range. I felt it did not have the style or comfort features of the higher end wagons. Pretty soft and gutless. Subaru Outback: This one was a surprise to me. I liked it although it was tight on space, kinda clunky, did not like the muscle boy cladding, funky styling and weak engine. The model we drove was full of rattles with only 50 miles on the meter. Audi A6 Avant: This one was a tough call and ultimately it came down to a 2000 A6 or a 2001 T5 I reallly like this car. Beautiful interior, lots of room, good ergonomics, 4 year 50,000 mile service included and all the creature comforts I wanted. The only downside was that the dealer was about 35 miles away, and the engine was pretty weak. Volvo V70 T5: I love the new styling. The ride, handling, build quality and ergonomics are vastly superior to my old V70. I went with the T5 with Geartronic and the 17" wheels. I don't notice any harsh ride at all. However I should state that I am a fan of tight handling automobiles. I could see if you were used to the ride of a typical American car, you might be think the ride was rough. One recent poster said you could feel a quarter if you drove over it with this car. To me that is perfect. In fact one of the car mags did a review of sports sedans a couple of years ago and that was one of the criteria for a test they did (the BMW 3 series won) Having said all this, I really love the car. I know it is still the honeymoon phase. I hope this car stays rattle and squeek free for a long time. I will post more as the car breaks in. Right now I am babying it as the turbo motor takes about 3-5,000 miles to loosen up.
#26 of 1827 bgkanne by twoof1 Aug 18, 2000 (10:59 pm)
respectfully, your post above is talking out of both sides of your mouth. I one post you were ripping on Volvo because of what you read in the Edmunds review. Now you say that all automotive publications are biased because the advertisers pay their salary. You can't have it both ways. If I was in the market for a toaster or a microwave, I would look to Consumer Reports. If I am looking for professional reviews and opinions for a new car, I will continue to read the auto mags.
#27 of 1827 You're Scaring Me... by monument1 Aug 20, 2000 (2:41 am)
I have recently become enamored with the 2001 XC. I love the new styling, curtain airbags, etc. and hope to go for a test drive soon. Should I really expect the maintenance headaches and poor quality that I've been reading here? Is the 2001 any better than past years? Is service all that bad? Any experiences in Colo Spgs or Denver? Please give an objective opinion.
#28 of 1827 monument1 by rollie Aug 20, 2000 (8:13 am)
Regarding post #30: If recent history is indicative, you would be prudent to wait 6 months or so for ANY new model car from ANY manufacturer. Volvo S80, Lexus GS, Audi A6, Mercedes S-class,etc. - all had some problems in their first few months of production. The new Cross Country is built on the same platform as the now debugged S80 and it does use a fairly mature engine so it might not be as much of a risk but if you can wait a few months to see the severity of issues that crops up on the topics here you will have a better indication of early build quality. Good luck. -rdo rdolliehome.com p.s. - Had we still been living in Boston (moved 2 weeks ago to Southern California) we would have opted for the new Cross Country in lieu of the 2001 V70 T5 we bought. It looks like a real winner on paper and based on looks.
#29 of 1827 2001 XC actual prices paid by crosscount Aug 22, 2000 (11:22 pm)
To any pricing gurus out there: Think most Volvo dealers are just taking orders at MSPR for the 2001 XC Wagons? Wondering if I can shave a grand or so off, if threatening to walk would have any teeth in this market. I'm in Minneapolis. Thx for any advice.
#30 of 1827 crosscount by rollie Aug 23, 2000 (12:32 am)
Regarding post #32: crosscount, my guess is that you won't get much more than $500 - $800 off at this point. Once inventory starts to build up that will change. You could try to bargain against the dealer price by mentioning that you are considering going the Overseas Delivery route (where you pay factory invoice for the car and MSRP for options). For a dealer with cars in stock (and hence inventory finance charges) this might get you a better deal but I'm guessing that since inventory is tight it won't work at this point. Good luck. -rdo rdolliehome.com

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