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V70 vs Highlander vs???
I need a car that will hold the 5 of us (2+3 kids 7yrs on down), with occasional extras, and get reasonable gas mileage. Will suplement our 2000 Odyssey.
As I continue to boil down my car choices, it's narrowing between the V70 2.4 and the Highlander 4cyl 2wd.
- Nearly identical MPG (mid 20s avg)
- Nearly identical passenger spacing
- Nearly identical cargo (with 3d seat folded)
Where the Highlander is starting to win for me:
Cost, I can order a loaded HL for about $4k less than the V70 Mil Sales price.
Reliability - The Toyotas just have a better record.
About the only significant option I get on the Volvo vs. the HL is the Nav system (on mil order 2.4s), and it would be more of a "luxury" car, but I'm just not sure it's worth it.
By the way, the 4cyl HL gets about identical real-world MPG as the hybrid... it just doesn't burn 7 second 0-60 times (but I can get my speed fix flying jets by myself instead of in a car with my family onboard).
C'mon Volvo enthusiasts - tell me why I should get the V70 (aside from it sort of being a family tradition to have Volvo Wagons)!
As I continue to boil down my car choices, it's narrowing between the V70 2.4 and the Highlander 4cyl 2wd.
- Nearly identical MPG (mid 20s avg)
- Nearly identical passenger spacing
- Nearly identical cargo (with 3d seat folded)
Where the Highlander is starting to win for me:
Cost, I can order a loaded HL for about $4k less than the V70 Mil Sales price.
Reliability - The Toyotas just have a better record.
About the only significant option I get on the Volvo vs. the HL is the Nav system (on mil order 2.4s), and it would be more of a "luxury" car, but I'm just not sure it's worth it.
By the way, the 4cyl HL gets about identical real-world MPG as the hybrid... it just doesn't burn 7 second 0-60 times (but I can get my speed fix flying jets by myself instead of in a car with my family onboard).
C'mon Volvo enthusiasts - tell me why I should get the V70 (aside from it sort of being a family tradition to have Volvo Wagons)!
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Comments
More room, similar MPG and based on Volvo platform. I know it is Ford and this may deter some import owners but this vehicle is getting very good response from its owners. I have a Saab and V70 and just leased a Freestyle. Also have 5 in the family and haven't driven a domestic for 10 yrs.
oh - and less $$ than either Highlander or V70.
Oh, by the way, what they do sell overseas are some things I think would sell VERY well in the states right now. Evidently, the marketing gurus don't agree.
- Turbodiesels by just about every manufacturer. The Volvo V70 turbodiesel gets nearly 50mpg on the highway, high 30's in real-world combined driving. XC70s are available with the same/similar motor, and I think XC90s also. I asked the Volvo military sales rep in Germany if there were plans to sell them overseas - nope. Converting a European model to US standards very expensive and not a "sure thing."
- Mini-minivans (like the new Mazda5), including turbodiesels.
- Entry-level Mercedes sedans and wagons (again, with diesels as options) at affordable prices (very popular taxicabs), lower option classes. But there's no way that MBUSA will do this - would wipe the US side of the Daimler-Chrysler market off the earth. By the way, I rented their "minibenz" on a trip to Germany that seats 4 very comfortably and safely, 5 in a pinch, with luggage. I averaged 16-17 km/l (39-41mpg) with mixed driving, and that was with autobahn speeds usually between 130-160 kmh (80-100mph)!
I have high hopes for the Highlander, but only time will tell. At least Toyotas are built to last.
Thanks.
(Motor Trend: "2008 Toyota Highlander: Redesigned on the Avalon platform, growing larger in size to make room for the RAV4.")
(edmunds: "The Highlander will become even more humanized in its next version, borrowing plenty of cues from the FT-SX concept vehicle.")
On a whim, my wife and I test-drove a V70 one day on our way home from test-driving a bunch of crossover's (Highlander, Pilot, Forrester). We immediately knew we'd found our next car. It was much more comfortable to sit in (seats and ergonomics), quieter/smoother riding, the interior plastics and switchgear felt much higher quality, and the safety engineering/philosophy is unmatched. This is a car that pampers as well as it protects.
Yes, the V70 was a little pricier, but we got it for $200 over invoice and took advantage of an end-of-year promotion (free Premium Package - leather, dual auto climate control, driver seat/mirror memory, moonroof, wood trim).
We've had no real problems with it (just 2 burned out lightbulbs (common problem) and a reflash of the trip computer) and looking back now, we are still glad we didn't get the Toyota. I'd make the same choice again if I was shopping today.
Good luck!
P.S. We have the rear-facing 3rd row seat and use it all the time. When our kids (9 and 6) aren't back there, it serves well as a grocery/shopping bag supporter, equipment compartmentalizer, and secret stash area.
Looking to get smaller/better mpg, but have expectations - again: fun,comfort, safety and some of the 'toys'.
Hope to act soon. Right now, looking at leftover 2006 Volvo 70R (reliability/repairs??)...2007 Subaru Outback XT (lots of fun to drive, now has VDC and a few tech upgrades new since 2005)...VW Passat (reliability?)...9-5 Sportcombi (what-no side curtain airbags??)...and, 9-3 Sportcombi (biggest concern is lack of AWD - even with stability control, will it match the other awd models in the huge amount of winter driving I do?).
All thoughts and experiences will be much appreciated.
We also had some specific reasons to get the V70. We have 2 80 pound dogs and needed room in the back for them. The squared off rear made the V70 the best choice in a wagon. We also wanted a low jump in/out height, again for the dogs, so didn't want a higher vehicle like the Highlander, or even the XC70. Just goes to show that choosing a vehicle can be a very personal matter that statistics/specifications can't always capture.
Finally, we love driving the car. Its mainly for my wife, and it puts a smile on her face every time she drives it - which is good for me too.
All that said, we have friends with Highlanders who love them - for their needs.
We have had canine auto restraint harnesses for years and I think this is an advisable safety measure both for the dogs and for the humans in the car. Almost always we have the rear seat folded down flat and we tether the large dogs to either the stout U-shaped catch that holds the rear seat back or to the cargo tiedowns. I wonder if the cargo tiedowns are designed to hold an 80-lb dog in a 10g or 20g collision.
My wife recently bought a 2007 XC90 and, because of the higher floor height, it is considerably more trouble to get our 13-year-old 70-lb border collie into and out of the XC90. The collie reaches up to the level of the floor through the left rear door and then I lift her hindquarters and she scrambles in. For the last year or so I have had to do the same thing to assist her into the V70.
Egress is more difficult. I detach her tether from the auto restraint harness and grasp the top of the harness with my left hand. I put my right arm under her abdomen and swing her out head first by rotating my body CCW (to my left), but this strong-willed border collie struggles everytime. She cannot stand not being in control.
Our fit 35-lb 9-year-old mix breed can get in and out of the V70 easily and, if he has secure footing even, from the XC90. But in the cramped confines of the garage I assist him a little entering and a lot exiting the SUV. When I grasp his harness and support his abdomen he just goes limp and lets me place him on the floor. I don't want these dogs to jump to the slick concrete floor of the garage from the height of the XC90.
A good additional tether point for a medium to large dog would be a tether diagonally up from one of the cargo tie-down loops on the back of the front seat track (i.e., near the floor). This might limit motion of the dog in case of a rear or side impact. I'm not doing this yet, but I'm thinking about it.
Our smallest dog, a 6-year-old 15-lb Russell terrier, rides on a pillow on the armrest between the two front seats and is tethered to his auto restraint harness to the inboard seat track loop of the front passenger seat.
I don't for a minute think these restraints are protecting the dogs to the same level as the human occupants, but I think this does a lot to protect them and us. Put it this way these canine restraints would almost certainly save the dog in a 5g crash and might work in up to a 20g crash.