V70: General - considering V70 D5 - Page 2

Tigerseye · Apr 29th, 2010, 17:16

Ah Rhinogolf - now that's an interesting one. I had the Accord Tourer on extended test drive before chosing the V70 and it is a superb looking car with real presence on the road. There was just one major thing I couldn't live with........the seats. Apparently Honda spent a small fortune designing them but, for me, I have not experienced discomfort like that since I owned an old Morris Marina! I thought it was just me but others that travelled with me said the same thing and when I had to speak to the marketing company pooling feedback they confirmed that many others had said the same thing. They may have changed the design now of course!

KiwiRob · Apr 29th, 2010, 17:19

Hi I swapped an E91 touring for the Volvo, I've also got two small boys, 2 and 5, the BMW was getting too small, my wife drives the Volvo, she loves it, I also enjoy driving it, it' a fantastic car on the open road it just eats the miles, I am seriously considering trading in my Mini Cooper Clubman in on a S40 or V50, I never though Volvo would appeal to me but I was pleasently surprised. I must admit I do hanker after a car with lots of go so I'm saving for a weekend blaster like a Caterham or the like.

Tigerseye · Apr 29th, 2010, 17:23

Familymangreg - I have the 185bhp D5 and find it great for me but, there again, I didn't have a 325 before! Onaverage I get around the 40mpg mark.
Just to throw in a couple of things to bear in mind for extras, I couldn't believe that a rear arm rest wasn't included and as it only costs an extra £35 or so I don't understand why it's not. If you have children (which I assume you do from your username) it is a must. Also I opted for the rear stereo control which can be really useful. It means that those in the back can listen to their music independently of those in the front and they can also choose different sources. e.g. if you are listening to the cd player they can listen to a memory stick or the radio.

familymangreg · Apr 29th, 2010, 17:34

Tigereye - thanks for the info. Bizarre £35 option, I often think it must cost the manufactures more to run these things as options than it would to just include them. The passenger airbag cut of switch is the same!

I'll look out for the armrest option, I actually thought the £35 was for additional cup holders in the existing armrest, rather than the full armrest, but I could quite well be wrong!

As for the rear audio source, I see some spec'd up with "Rear Seat Headset Sockets x 4", and a dealer described these as simply headset outputs for the same as the main audio, or are these what you are referring to? Anyone any thoughts / experience on this?

Tigerseye · Apr 29th, 2010, 19:54

Hi Familymangreg - it could be the same thing but mine only have two headphone sockets, but they do allow a different source of music to be heard ( sorry, probably should have mentioned that headphones were needed!). Of course, if your children have their own ipods they may prefer to use them and it probably wouldn't be worth paying the extra. That being said, it always raises comments from people getting in the car as they think it's very flash for some reason!

Oh, and one other thing you may be interested to know:- if you ever with to purchase roof bars e.g. for bikes or top boxes, you may well find that the cheapest way to do this is, amazingly, through Volvo as theirs were cheaper than Halford's when I looked (although I didn't need one in the end).

rhinogolf · Apr 29th, 2010, 22:07

I must admit you wont beat volvo for comfort but the accord is a close 2nd like i said earlier im a hackney taxi driver and i do need comfort when im in the car for my 10hr shift.If the V70 had been doing a better mpg i would still be driving1 but made the change and glad i did,better steering,handling,a lot less cabin noise.

s1monc · May 1st, 2010, 12:54

We test drove a 58 plate D5 185 geartronic R design last week, it actually felt quite quick & i was impressed with the short drive we had. My wife has a 2003 V70 R manual & i have a E39 M5 so we are used to having powerful cars but the D5 felt ok tbh. Because we already have a Volvo we were able to get 20% discount which brings down the price of a 2011 model 205ps R design 6 speed manual to £26800 with convienience pack,winter pack & sunroof. The 2011 model 205ps D5 is more fuel effiecient than the current 205 ps 2010 model & is a lower car tax band, £125 a yr.

I have had loads of BMW's incl M3's & M5 etc & 2 Volvo estates, i have never been in a car that has more comfortable seats than a Volvo. In one of the latest car surveys the V70 was number 1 out of 100 models for comfort, it beat everything ! It was in this months Autocar ( like a JD power survey).

We are now trying to sell our V70R so we can order a new D5 but going to keep my M5 & golf trackcar for a bit of fun !

familymangreg · May 1st, 2010, 13:20

Good to hear thoughts from another high performance BMW driver s1monc. I think our next move should be a test drive in a 185PS and a 205PS to see if there is much difference. I notice you're near Canterbury, don't suppose the 185PS R Design you test drove was a Passion Red car currently on sale at Lipscomb Volve in Canterbury?

From what everyone is saying in this thread, I'm very tempted by the comfort and practicality of the V70.

s1monc · May 1st, 2010, 19:05

Yes it was the Passion red one at Lipscomb. We would have bought it but we don't want geartronic. When we order a new one it will be in passion red it looks really nice in that colour.

Simon.

familymangreg · May 1st, 2010, 19:32

Agree, they look fantastic in Passion Red. I worry slightly about resale values of red though. I spoke to Lipscomb quite a bit about that car over the last few days. I live in East Yorkshire, but was prepared to make the trip to buy it, only they offered me about 2.5k below book (parkers and glass's) for my car and would shift only a matter of a few hundred pounds on the Volvo. At 1.5 years old and 16k miles, that car is over priced at the minute. You could get a new one with the same spec, plus the newer 205PS engine for only 6k more.

For anyone buying new without a Volvo and 20% saving, take a look at drivethedeal.com, they are offering around 13 - 14% saving on a D5 R Design.

I've spoken to a fare few dealers over the last week (Volvo, Audi, BMW) and wasn't at all impressed with Lipscomb.

Apr 29th, 2010, 19:54	#15
Tigerseye Junior Member Last Online: Jan 15th, 2013 20:51 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hull	Hi Familymangreg - it could be the same thing but mine only have two headphone sockets, but they do allow a different source of music to be heard ( sorry, probably should have mentioned that headphones were needed!). Of course, if your children have their own ipods they may prefer to use them and it probably wouldn't be worth paying the extra. That being said, it always raises comments from people getting in the car as they think it's very flash for some reason! Oh, and one other thing you may be interested to know:- if you ever with to purchase roof bars e.g. for bikes or top boxes, you may well find that the cheapest way to do this is, amazingly, through Volvo as theirs were cheaper than Halford's when I looked (although I didn't need one in the end). Last edited by Tigerseye; Apr 29th, 2010 at 19:59.

Apr 29th, 2010, 17:16	#11
Tigerseye Junior Member Last Online: Jan 15th, 2013 20:51 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hull	Ah Rhinogolf - now that's an interesting one. I had the Accord Tourer on extended test drive before chosing the V70 and it is a superb looking car with real presence on the road. There was just one major thing I couldn't live with........the seats. Apparently Honda spent a small fortune designing them but, for me, I have not experienced discomfort like that since I owned an old Morris Marina! I thought it was just me but others that travelled with me said the same thing and when I had to speak to the marketing company pooling feedback they confirmed that many others had said the same thing. They may have changed the design now of course!

Apr 29th, 2010, 17:19	#12
KiwiRob Junior Member Last Online: Dec 8th, 2013 19:54 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Molde	Hi I swapped an E91 touring for the Volvo, I've also got two small boys, 2 and 5, the BMW was getting too small, my wife drives the Volvo, she loves it, I also enjoy driving it, it' a fantastic car on the open road it just eats the miles, I am seriously considering trading in my Mini Cooper Clubman in on a S40 or V50, I never though Volvo would appeal to me but I was pleasently surprised. I must admit I do hanker after a car with lots of go so I'm saving for a weekend blaster like a Caterham or the like.

Apr 29th, 2010, 17:23	#13
Tigerseye Junior Member Last Online: Jan 15th, 2013 20:51 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hull	Familymangreg - I have the 185bhp D5 and find it great for me but, there again, I didn't have a 325 before! Onaverage I get around the 40mpg mark. Just to throw in a couple of things to bear in mind for extras, I couldn't believe that a rear arm rest wasn't included and as it only costs an extra £35 or so I don't understand why it's not. If you have children (which I assume you do from your username) it is a must. Also I opted for the rear stereo control which can be really useful. It means that those in the back can listen to their music independently of those in the front and they can also choose different sources. e.g. if you are listening to the cd player they can listen to a memory stick or the radio.

Apr 29th, 2010, 17:34	#14
familymangreg Premier Member Last Online: Apr 14th, 2024 21:17 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: York	Tigereye - thanks for the info. Bizarre £35 option, I often think it must cost the manufactures more to run these things as options than it would to just include them. The passenger airbag cut of switch is the same! I'll look out for the armrest option, I actually thought the £35 was for additional cup holders in the existing armrest, rather than the full armrest, but I could quite well be wrong! As for the rear audio source, I see some spec'd up with "Rear Seat Headset Sockets x 4", and a dealer described these as simply headset outputs for the same as the main audio, or are these what you are referring to? Anyone any thoughts / experience on this?

Apr 29th, 2010, 22:07	#16
rhinogolf Junior Member Last Online: Feb 16th, 2012 16:05 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: YORK	I must admit you wont beat volvo for comfort but the accord is a close 2nd like i said earlier im a hackney taxi driver and i do need comfort when im in the car for my 10hr shift.If the V70 had been doing a better mpg i would still be driving1 but made the change and glad i did,better steering,handling,a lot less cabin noise.

May 1st, 2010, 12:54	#17
s1monc Member Last Online: May 20th, 2024 22:26 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kent	We test drove a 58 plate D5 185 geartronic R design last week, it actually felt quite quick & i was impressed with the short drive we had. My wife has a 2003 V70 R manual & i have a E39 M5 so we are used to having powerful cars but the D5 felt ok tbh. Because we already have a Volvo we were able to get 20% discount which brings down the price of a 2011 model 205ps R design 6 speed manual to £26800 with convienience pack,winter pack & sunroof. The 2011 model 205ps D5 is more fuel effiecient than the current 205 ps 2010 model & is a lower car tax band, £125 a yr. I have had loads of BMW's incl M3's & M5 etc & 2 Volvo estates, i have never been in a car that has more comfortable seats than a Volvo. In one of the latest car surveys the V70 was number 1 out of 100 models for comfort, it beat everything ! It was in this months Autocar ( like a JD power survey). We are now trying to sell our V70R so we can order a new D5 but going to keep my M5 & golf trackcar for a bit of fun !

May 1st, 2010, 13:20	#18
familymangreg Premier Member Last Online: Apr 14th, 2024 21:17 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: York	Good to hear thoughts from another high performance BMW driver s1monc. I think our next move should be a test drive in a 185PS and a 205PS to see if there is much difference. I notice you're near Canterbury, don't suppose the 185PS R Design you test drove was a Passion Red car currently on sale at Lipscomb Volve in Canterbury? From what everyone is saying in this thread, I'm very tempted by the comfort and practicality of the V70.

May 1st, 2010, 19:05	#19
s1monc Member Last Online: May 20th, 2024 22:26 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kent	Yes it was the Passion red one at Lipscomb. We would have bought it but we don't want geartronic. When we order a new one it will be in passion red it looks really nice in that colour. Simon.

May 1st, 2010, 19:32	#20
familymangreg Premier Member Last Online: Apr 14th, 2024 21:17 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: York	Agree, they look fantastic in Passion Red. I worry slightly about resale values of red though. I spoke to Lipscomb quite a bit about that car over the last few days. I live in East Yorkshire, but was prepared to make the trip to buy it, only they offered me about 2.5k below book (parkers and glass's) for my car and would shift only a matter of a few hundred pounds on the Volvo. At 1.5 years old and 16k miles, that car is over priced at the minute. You could get a new one with the same spec, plus the newer 205PS engine for only 6k more. For anyone buying new without a Volvo and 20% saving, take a look at drivethedeal.com, they are offering around 13 - 14% saving on a D5 R Design. I've spoken to a fare few dealers over the last week (Volvo, Audi, BMW) and wasn't at all impressed with Lipscomb.

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