V70: Engine Anyone got/tried/considered the 1.6D V70?

[Flanaia1]

Think I can comment on this one as I have had 3 x V70. My first one a D5, the last one a 2.0D and my current vehicle a 1.6d.

If you want performance then the D5 is the one to go for drive it hard and mpg is around 38 -42 drive it sensible and you will clear 50 mpg. Engine by todays standards is agricultural, noisy and unrefined, I would not have another D5 until they get the engine to the same level as BMW. I drove the new one last year before getting my 1.6d and it was just as bad.

The 2.0d V70 great car does everything it says on the tin fuel economy similar to D5 so in terms of performance/economy theres not a lot between these two cars, 2.0d is quieter on the motorway but does not have the low down torque of the D5 so overtakes take a little longer, In my opinion the 4 cylinder 2.0d is also outdated and no where near as nice as it's 5 cylinder 2.0d cousin.

My current car a V70 1.6d drive SE has currently done 27,000 miles in just a year and is a great car although it has had some problems which required long dealer stays. It took them 3 goes to get the sensus correct and it was not until there was an upgrade available that it was fixed altogether. After its first service they killed its performance after 2 weeks in the dealer they finally found they had fitted the wrong fuel filter, not the cars fault but Volvo dealers are very variable in knowledge and quality of service. On average my car does around 54mpg much better than the other 2 I have owned, drive it sensible and it will easily clear 60 mpg. The down sides and there has to be some putting a small 4 pot lump in a big car are minimal, as already pointed out overtakes have to be planned a little more in advance but the 3rd gear on the 6 speed manual is a very useful flexibe gear for country overtakes. The car is settled smooth at at home on the motorway and even when I came back from France with the car fully loaded with 4 people luggage and lots of wine it still coped admirably well although dropping fuel consumption down to 48 mpg which is still reasonable. I have also had my car on the German autobahn and it cruises at well over 100 mph with ease, also had it on the Nurburgring with a lap time of just over 12 mins and it handles beautifully through the tight twists and turns.

In summary If I were buying another V70 now I would be testing the 2 litre 5 cylinder back to back with the 1.6d drive. You get a lot of kit for your money but if your criteria is great fuel economy and low road tax then the 1.6d is the one to go for not that much different in terms of power but with significantly lower running costs

Hope that helps

[Clan]

excellent write up , a lot of people like that D5 sound though it seems as if volvo have engineered this in or at least NOT engineered it out

[tt82]

Amen to that Clan. I love the sound of my D5, its fantastic compared to most other diesels.