V70: General considering V70 D5

[familymangreg]

Hi all,

First post and coming to Volvo as a newbie. My BMW 335i Coupe is proving harder and harder work with my two young boys and I now need to get something more practical.

A few points to which I would be grateful of any comments:

1. Has anyone experience both the 185 and 205 PS variants of the D5 engine. Any thoughts on the difference in their ability / character? Any fuel economy experiences on each?

2. Navigation system. I'm familiar with both MMI from Audi and iDrive from BMW. Anyone else experienced either of these and the Volvo system and able to make comparisons between them?

3. Bluetooth. I'm amazed at the number of 2008-2010 SE or R Design models I see for sale that haven't been optioned up with Bluetooth. Does anyone have any experience of the Volvo add on Bluetooth system (after market). How well does it integrate with the vehicle (controls, information display, audio, phonebook access etc).

4. In relation to the above, does anyone know if it is at all possible to have the factory integrated bluetooth system fitted after market?

Any thoughts on the above (or other buying tips / options to look out for) would be much appreciated.

:wq

[Bernard333]

I worked in a company that used V70s extensively , I still have my 163bhp D5 which I consider to be economical . Have been on a few long journeys in a 185bhp D5 and although the engine feels more powerful and a bit quieter the economy was poor but that wasnt helped by the driver ( not me ) whose driving style was such that nothing overtook us on one 700 mile drive but even so I was surprised to see a final figure of 33 mpg for the complete journey which in mine would have been well over 40 mpg with the same hard driving . I like diesel V70s but if I decide on a newer one in the future I will not be buying the 185bhp version. According to this forum the poor economy is due to the diesel particulate filter but whats worse the particulates or the extra emmissions from a car which uses 30% more fuel than its predecessor ?

[familymangreg]

Thanks Bernard333 for your thoughts on economy. A Volvo dealership has just confirmed that the 185PS was replaced by the 205PS, rather than them running in parallel as my previous mail my have incorrectly alluded to!

[Bernard333]

I think your right , in my case I am reasonably sure I will be looking at a second hand V70 in the future , my days of needing new car reliability are over . I think the 205bhp as well as obviously having a lot more power seems to have better fuel economy than the 185 so thats the one I would be going for . Its amazing how most of the manufacturers offering diesels are now heading towards the 200bhp mark in their offerings , even Kia has just launched a 194bhp diesel engine , I am wondering if a time will come when they all catch up with BMW diesel outputs ?

[familymangreg]

Originally Posted by Bernard333

I think your right , in my case I am reasonably sure I will be looking at a second hand V70 in the future , my days of needing new car reliability are over . I think the 205bhp as well as obviously having a lot more power seems to have better fuel economy than the 185 so thats the one I would be going for . Its amazing how most of the manufacturers offering diesels are now heading towards the 200bhp mark in their offerings , even Kia has just launched a 194bhp diesel engine , I am wondering if a time will come when they all catch up with BMW diesel outputs ?

Sure thing. There is one particular car I'm looking at right now which is on a 58 plate and ticks all the boxes, other than the fact that its an R Design rather than SE R Design (which I don't think looses much as it has additional nav, bt phone, winter pack etc) and its the 185 rather than 205. I wonder how much the performance deficit the 185 really is.

Agree that BMW really has set the benchmark with Diesel and I feel Audi isn't far behind. But performance aside, I think you get an awful lot more car for your money with a Volvo and I'm really attracted by the comfort and practicality.

[Sanzomat]

I have experience of both Audi and Volvo diesels but only the 2.0 4 cyl ones. My A6 2.0TDi was generally rubbish - dreadful oil consumption, noisy, harsh, lots of problems. The Volvo 2.0d is better in most respects and although the car is heavier the fuel consumption is about the same (I'm getting between 42-44mpg). My V70 is the SE RDesign one but I ordered just as the name was changing (mines a sept 09 reg but was delivered to the dealer early august 09) the only difference between SE RDesign and the previous RDesign is the rear armrest with cup holders was a £35 option before but the SE version had it as standard!

I'm very happy with my V70 and find it a much better car than than the A6, not just in terms of practicality but also general driving too, the handling/grip is fine (my A6 always felt a bit nervous, especially in the wet) for a heavy car with only a 2.0d it pulls strongly. Its smooth, quiet and the seat/driving position is perfect - 700 mile plus days with no aches or pains. I've never had a BMW so can't make any comparison with those.

[familymangreg]

Thanks Sanzomat, this has helped me put a little bit more of the jigsaw together. A Volvo salesman said the other day that Volvo are always changing their specs and options, and it can be difficult to follow, he wasn't wrong!

So incase it helps others, this is what I've worked out so far. It was May-June 2009 when the D5 went from 185PS to 205PS. In addition, maybe at the same time, what they called R Design became SE R Design with limited (see Sanzomat's post) change to the options included).

I'll report back if I find out any more!

[KiwiRob]

You could also look at the new 175hp 2.4D, the difference in performance between it and the 185hp D5 is not noticeable and the economy is better.

[rhinogolf]

Ive just switched from the volvo v70 D5 to a Honda Accord Tourer>After having 2 v70's and 1 S80 all D5 i cant belive the diffrence in economy im saving £5.50 to every 100miles im a taxi driver so that = a new car in 4yrs and to be truefull it drives better turning circle is better and hopefully realiabilty will be also.Ive gone from 29miles to the gallon to over 40 and thats town driving

[familymangreg]

Thanks KiwiRob and Rhinogolf for your thoughts, all very interesting. An Accord Tourer is something I haven't looked at.

I'm starting to worry a little bit about the performance I'd get in a D5 185. I appreciate that any estate which is cheaper to run than my current car is going to come with a performance sacrifice, but I'm not sure I can let the sacrifice be that big! I've also received a trade in value from a Volvo main dealer in Kent 2.5k below book, against a 1k over priced D5 185, so I'm a little disheartened with Volvo over that.