XC70 D5 - Trying to avoiding the "agricultural" feel...

[Sotosound]

Is everyone ruling out the D3 161bhp and D4 163bhp 2-litre 5-cylinder engines?

The 5-cylinder 2-litre diesel is a sweeter unit than the D5 and was available in V70s and in the 2WD XC70 DRIVe. (My son has the latter and loves it.)

With 163hp (the same as the first D5), and with 295 lbs/ft of torque (the same as in the 2008 AWD XC70 D5), isn't it worth a thought?

If you get a later example (with the faired-in satnav screen) you also get the Sensus infotainment system, which is a goodun.)

Here's a very well-equipped example: -

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...o=2014&fromsra

[Kev0607]

It may be worth a thought, but just to chime in with regards to bhp figures... I have a D5 163bhp (S80 2007) and my Dad has a D5 185bhp (V70 2008), but the difference between the two is night and day. Its doesn't seem much in terms of bhp figures on paper, but in reality, 22bhp makes a big difference.

I wouldn't buy a 163bhp again. Its adequate, but by no means is it quick. I'd go for a 185bhp any day, or the newer twin turbo D5's. 161bhp and 163bhp D3's and D4's with the 5 cylinder engines, despite being less clattery and better on fuel than older models, are still on the limit of power due to the size/weight of the car (in my opinion).

Going back to the original post... D5's aren't quiet engines, not at lower speeds anyway and all have the "grunt"/"growl" noise. If you want less agricultural sound, then the newer ones with the twin turbo's are "better" (better being the key word, there's still noise!). You need to be looking 2012 D5 onwards (they would be 215bhp, but double check).

If you want less noise/better refinement overall than even a newer model would give, then you may need to go down the luxury route with another brand. I don't think any of the Volvo engines are particularly quiet. its an old design that has been tweaked through the years, but true refinement was never really addressed. 5 cylinder engines are imbalanced by design.

[Bonefishblues]

The D5 was introduced in 2001, so designed in the late 1990s c 25 years ago. It is a fundamentally unbalanced design. It is what it is, therefore - but at least it's not a 4 cylinder!

(Although I confess that our Panda 4x4 has a 1.3 Multijet which kind of suits it...)

[Sotosound]

Having owned a manual 2003 V70 D5, I can say that it was quite adequately powered. When I test drove an automatic of the same vintage, I found it to be a lot of fun to drive.

When I was looking to replace my 2003 D5, I nearly bought a 2008 V70 D5 Geartronic but backed off because it didn't really offer me anything that my 2003 V70 offered apart from a frustratingly poor stereo, turbo lag, and a gruffer engine sound. So I bought something else instead.

I now own a late-2014 V70 D4 Geartronic with (gasp) a 4-cylinder VEA diesel engine. That engine, however, has balance shafts and is smoother and quieter than the 5-cylinder engines. It's also faster than the 2008 D5 that I tested and has a better stereo plus the Sensus infotainment system. The only issue is the risk of high oil consumption, which some early VEA engines suffer from.

I've driven a 2011 V70 D3 with 161 bhp and, to me, it was powerful, responsive and fast. It also exhibited less turbo lag than my own VEA-engined D4. I would expect a 2013-14 163 bhp 5-cylinder D4 to be equally good, having the same 295 lbs/ft torque as my own VEA D4.

Even the 2012 136 bhp D3 that I drove was a lovely thing to drive, albeit I didn't stretch it at all.

My engines to avoid would be the Ford 1.6 and 2-litre diesels. All the others are worth a test drive.

[Pidgeonpost]

I'm used to the sound of our D5 and quite like the growl of the engine. We came to the D5 from the BMW 3.0 straight 6 diesel which was a peach, and it took a while to get used to the sound of agriculture!

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Sotosound

Having owned a manual 2003 V70 D5, I can say that it was quite adequately powered. When I test drove an automatic of the same vintage, I found it to be a lot of fun to drive.

When I was looking to replace my 2003 D5, I nearly bought a 2008 V70 D5 Geartronic but backed off because it didn't really offer me anything that my 2003 V70 offered apart from a frustratingly poor stereo, turbo lag, and a gruffer engine sound. So I bought something else instead.

I now own a late-2014 V70 D4 Geartronic with (gasp) a 4-cylinder VEA diesel engine. That engine, however, has balance shafts and is smoother and quieter than the 5-cylinder engines. It's also faster than the 2008 D5 that I tested and has a better stereo plus the Sensus infotainment system. The only issue is the risk of high oil consumption, which some early VEA engines suffer from.

I've driven a 2011 V70 D3 with 161 bhp and, to me, it was powerful, responsive and fast. It also exhibited less turbo lag than my own VEA-engined D4. I would expect a 2013-14 163 bhp 5-cylinder D4 to be equally good, having the same 295 lbs/ft torque as my own VEA D4.

Even the 2012 136 bhp D3 that I drove was a lovely thing to drive, albeit I didn't stretch it at all.

My engines to avoid would be the Ford 1.6 and 2-litre diesels. All the others are worth a test drive.

What litre is the engine in your V70 D4 VEA?

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

What litre is the engine in your V70 D4 VEA?

2 litres, but it gives the impression of being bigger.

Only when revving it hard do you know that it's a four-cylinder engine, and even then it's just sound. There's no harshness.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Sotosound

2 litres, but it gives the impression of being bigger.

Only when revving it hard do you know that it's a four-cylinder engine, and even then it's just sound. There's no harshness.

How do you distinguish if its a Ford unit or a Volvo one? Is yours a euro 6?

With regards to oil consumption, I've heard/read that the D4's can suffer from this problem. How bad is it? Is it a case of just a top-up of oil every so often, or are we talking potential massive oil consumption?

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

How do you distinguish if its a Ford unit or a Volvo one? Is yours a euro 6?

With regards to oil consumption, I've heard/read that the D4's can suffer from this problem. How bad is it? Is it a case of just a top-up of oil every so often, or are we talking potential massive oil consumption?

The Ford-engined version was badged "2.0D".

The Ford unit stopped being used in 2010 after Volvo was sold, and that was the end of the "2.0D" version. At that time, they introduced the first version of the 5-cylinder 2-litre Volvo diesel engine, and they initially badged it "DRIVe", without the "D3" notation. Shortly after its introduction, they started to badge it "D3".

Here's the Parkers Guide page for the 2.0D: -

https://www.parkers.co.uk/volvo/v70/...d-se-5d/specs/

Here's the Parkers Guide page for the DRIVe-badged car: -

https://www.parkers.co.uk/volvo/v70/...)-se-5d/specs/

My car is a 2015 Model Year V70, i.e. several years too young to have been given a Ford engine, and the engine is indeed Euro 6.

Visually, the 2.0D and my D4 are also miles apart.

In terms of oil consumption it can vary from no top-up between services, to 0.5 litres every 1500-2000 miles to 0.5 litres every 250 miles. There are no hard and fast rules.

[tommyweaves]

Originally Posted by Sotosound

Is everyone ruling out the D3 161bhp and D4 163bhp 2-litre 5-cylinder engines?

The 5-cylinder 2-litre diesel is a sweeter unit than the D5 and was available in V70s and in the 2WD XC70 DRIVe. (My son has the latter and loves it.)

With 163hp (the same as the first D5), and with 295 lbs/ft of torque (the same as in the 2008 AWD XC70 D5), isn't it worth a thought?

If you get a later example (with the faired-in satnav screen) you also get the Sensus infotainment system, which is a goodun.)

Here's a very well-equipped example: -

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...o=2014&fromsra

Original D3 was my first thought!

I test drove a MY2011 D3 and D5 in late 2010. The D5 sounded really rough compared to the newly introduced short stroke D3 which felt much smoother and a lot less agricultural. I put in a factory order for the D3 and and have never regretted that decision. Whilst the BHP figures were quite different the torque figures were surprisingly close as I recall.