Comfortable seats

VERY unreliable, lots of problems with brakes, a/c, steering rack, etc. Not at all competitive. As a non-turbo, it's quite slow.

P.O.S. I'd never recommend a Volvo. The quality of the assembly is very low, and Volvo seems willing to live with the same problems year after year. When I talked to Volvo of NA about the problems I had with the car, the response I got was that they were not concerned with me as an unhappy customer because they sold over 100,000 cars last year.

Similar Products Used:

BMW 328i

- 247 Horspower, stock
- full-time all-wheel drive with 100/0 or 0/100 torque transfer
- leather/suede bucket seats
- R model exlusivity
- Q ship stealthiness... "it wasn't me, officer..."
- Seats 7 and goes 0-60 in 6.8 seconds.

No manual transmission available!

I read another review on this site which included the following text:

"It doesn't matter how fast I drive, a lot of people would make their effort to overtake me only because I am driving a Volvo, I guess people would think
Volvo drivers are slow...."

I have the exact same experience; however, in The V70 R, you can let them get right next to you, and then blow them away. My friends and their 530i and 3000GT cannot keep up with this 'soccer-mom station wagon.' Most people don't even know what a V70 R is, and that's part of the fun. Aside from the massive 17 inch wheels and deep front airdam, it's rather hard to tell this car from your average Volvo station wagon. Driving around town at low-RPM, the only noticable difference in the car's behavior is a slightly stiffer ride and more responsive steering. However, put your foot on the floor and the car goes from Dr. Jekll to Mr. Hyde. There is a wicked growl and you get slammed back into your seat as the car rips from 0-60 in under 7 seconds. Many more overtly sporting cars have been rather surprised to find themselves humiliated by a station wagon at a stop light. Lest you find yourself speeding along a little too quickly for comfort, rely on the truly massive brakes to haul you back to safe, legal speeds in no time flat.

We opted for the metallic black paint as opposed to laser blue (the only other available color in 1999) and we are not dissapointed with the appearance. One friend refers to the car as "what Darth Vader would drive if he were a soccer mom." Occaisionally, the stealthy appearance can be frustrating, mostly when cruising in downtown Boston and passing all the BMWs and Porsches. It's nice to be noticed sometimes, although I have escaped more than one speeding ticket due to my unassuming appearance.

Overall, the car's fit and finish is impecable. Even if you've been dissapointed by other contemporary Volvos, check out the R wagon. Metal door sills plates, suede and leather bucket seats with big side bolsters, blue instrumentation backing, and a full complement of sun roof, climate control, heated seats, on board computer and premium stereo w/ indash changer put the V70 R above other Volvos, and Saabs, and in the league of Mercedes, BMW and Audi.

The Perfomance in incredible, in wet, dry, snow, slush, and mud, the safety features are wonderful for our peace of mind. If I had to do it again, i'd strongly consider the BMW M3 coupe I drove last week (it was going for the same price), but in New England, all-wheel drive is a god-send. Go put in the effort, seek out a V70 R, and buy it!

Similar Products Used:

BMW 530i, Volvo S60 T5, Volvo S70 T5, Audi S4

A classic, few cars look cooler after 10-20 years than an old Volvo. Safety (duh). One of only 3 wagons (Audi and Benz are the others, Ford doesn't count) to offer third back seat. Solid constuction.

Sure, it'll last forever as long as you stay on top of it. Deep down, this a quality car. Yet there are lots of things (door panels, brakes, door locks, frequent lubrication, etc, etc...) that would have cost me thousands were the car not under original warranty.

Yes, it's sluggish, but it's heavy and confident. That extra weight really goes through brake pads. I want so bad to love this car like I did my 240, but I just can't totally trust it. I guess I'd like to think of this car in the same class as a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz, but it's really not. Yet it was half the price (although the service costs are just as high) and it has a certain cachet (or should I say stigma) that comes with a European car. I guess you could say the snob in me is proud of the car, but my regular-guy side tells me it's an over-priced borderline lemon. Until something similar (and as safe) is introduced by a competitor, this car is pretty much it.

Similar Products Used:

Volvo 240 wagon, BMW 3-series. Mercury Villager (don't laugh)

comfortable seats for long distance driving,
power for overtaking
safety features - rear ended by a Toyota Corona - scratches on the plastic bumper but the front end of the Toyota was crushed - bumper on the floor, headlamps smashed, bonnet bent 90degrees

not enough torque at low rpms - poor accleration from standstill
eats Michelins HX pilots 10,000 kms for the front wheels, 30000 for the rears.
see below

My V70 had
1. 3 doors leather trim peeling off from the backing
2. yearly consumption of batteries 3 batteries in 3 years
3. lambda sensor warning light 3rd month - loose hoses to the engine
4. rusted (after 1 year) radiator and coolant loss - replaced the
radiator after 1 year.
5. cracked radiator hose - leaking coolant again after 2nd year- took
2-3 visits to discover the cause.
6. driver door hinge - creaked badly on opening and closing- welding
cracked at the door hinge base to the main body after 2 years warantee
7. period - charged $100 for the labour to remove the door to weld the
hinge.
8. multiple creaks and rattles - too much plastic used.
9. tailgate trim - panel falling off as the press studs unable to
hold the trim. - more rattles
10. rear suspension damper- leaking oil- may require replacement after
62000 kms city driving.

Another V70 owner a close friend who bought the car at the same time had the car die mysteriously on the Highway during
the lst 6 months. Restarted again mysteriously on its own 5 mins after
calling AA for help.
Also has its list of rattles, door trim problems. Got towed twice to the workshop.

Similar Products Used:

740 2.3 Wagon

Convenience features.

Very poor reliability. Have had to bring it back to the dealer for warranty repairs 5 times since I bought it (11 months ago). Problems with
electronic door locks, perpetual problem with ETS/Engine warning lights that I hope the dealer has finally fixed after 4 tries. This is really annoying because the warning light is lit up and you don't know if there really is a problem with the car.

I envy the other guys whose lease have already expired or is just about to
expire. I have to deal with this car for two more years. I definitely
do not recommend it.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Corolla - a lot less expensive, and far more reliable.

Powerful engine, good low rpm torque, spacious interior and luggage capacity, good all around visibility. VERY comfortable seating on a long drive.

Warped brake rotors, leaking roof, engine shutdown while driving(!), poor overall assembly, poor aftersales service (Volvo Thailand)

I paid around $55,000 for this T5 (that's how much they cost in Thailand, thanks to our gov.) and it's actually quite a reasonable price compared with BMW, Merc., or Audi of the same class. After two months, while I was driving on a freeway, the Lamda light came on, and two seconds later the car shut down. I lost power steering, and power-assisted brakes. Luckily I managed to pull over safely. My car wouldn't start, and had to be towed to the nearest dealer. Next morning the dealer called, said the car was fine - they found nothing wrong.

After a few months, a similar scenario happened again. Volvo found nothing. During the two years, these sudden shutdown happened more than 10 times, and Volvo couldn't find a reason for that. They sent a skilled electrician who's been with Volvo for 20 years to look at my car. He gave up after serveral attempts. Before I sold the car, I had the battery replaced, and the problem's gone!!!

Besides this shutdown problem, the usual roof leaks, warped rotors started bugging me after just one year of ownership and only about 10,000KM or so. Overall I'm really disappointed how Volvo has changed from its rather reliable RWD models to a rather lousy FWD ones. My friend's 850 T5 has similar problems(except the shutdown) and more so in other areas. His case became worse when the ABS light came on, and the dealer didn't reset it for him. A few hours after he picked up the car (from the dealer), his brakes failed (entirely) and ended up in an accident costing several thousands dollars. Luckily he and his passengers are fine. Responsible Volvo dealer refused to comment.

That's my version of the V70's ownership. It's not longer "Safety Comes First" like the older 240, and 740 I've owned. Maybe others are luckier than I am. I no longer own the V70, and probably will never buy another Volvo.

Effortless acceleration off the line or a roll-on at 80 MPH. Smooth ride even when loaded with five people and luggage for a one week vacation. Great cruiser at 80 MPH plus. Interior very quiet even with the roof vent open.

First time I've seen a cartridge in canister type oil filter since my '55 Ford. If you do your own maintanance get a fabric strap wrench to get the b***h off.

Driver's seat needs higher bolsters to help get you through those .95 G corners.

A real Q ship. Hauls ass. If I bought another one I'd special order and get a 5 speed and the heavier anti-sway bars.

Similar Products Used:

Mazda MPV

The best looking wagon out there.
Has plenty of room.
Seats are very comfortable.
Good passing power on the highway.
It's comforting to know that you are riding in one of the safest automobiles on the road.
The stereo sounds wonderful.
Outward vision is good.

Has a number of very annoying rattles. The moonroof, the front passenger seat, the rear fold down arm rest, the front and rear passenger side seat belt anchors.... they all vibrate and rattle at different speeds.

The automatic shift from 1 to 2 and 2 to 1 sometimes is very rough, got it checked by the dealer, they could not find anything wrong with the computer codes. I wonder if they even tested it out on the roads at different speeds.

Air conditioner takes forever to get to acceptable levels.

12V DC outlet has so far fried a couple of devices.

One of the best looking wagons out there. People that I have talked to admire the design and coworkers love to go to lunch in it as it's both comfortable and spacious.

The sunroof rattle was fixed by DeMontrond ( Volvo ) of Houston under warranty, but they failed to acknowledge any other problem. Morevorer they gave me a loaner with a dent on it and when I returned it wanted to blame the dent on me. So if you are in Houston and are interested in buying a V70 please look elsewhere. The service attendent himself confessed to me that the techs. they have know little about this car.

If you are looking for the prestige of a European wagon it costs much less than a BMW or Mercedes, even Saab. If possible wait for the next year model so that the minor kinks are worked out by Volvo.

Similar Products Used:

1999 Volvo S-80
2000 Nissan Maxima
2001 Infiniti I30
1994 Infiniti J30