Volvo V70 Wagon Experience

bodble2 · October 2003

FWD with traction control and a good set of snow tires will handle 98% of what you'd likely face in urban and suburban roads, and probably 85% of
what you'd face anywhere, anytime, unless you go off-road. Afterall, it wasn't that long ago that most people were driving in all sorts of adverse conditions with RWD and a couple of bags of sand in the trunk.

AWD is for that intangible peace-of-mind, and a certain amount of "cool" factor!

dfasulo · October 2003

After spending 4 years with an AWD Audi I wouldn't be without AWD in a family car (sports cars are another matter). Frequently, ice builds up across an area of an intersection, so that either both front or both rear tires are on it. With AWD, this is not a problem. Launching in slippery conditions is still simple. The only problem with AWD is it will make you into a lazy driver, because it requires no skill to get moving and stay straight, except in the most extreme slippery conditions (then you should probably just stay home no matter what vehicle you have).

Just remember that AWD is no substitute for winter tires. AWD might let you accelerate, but it won't help much with stopping or turning. Just ask those SUV drivers you see in the ditch during every winter storm.

You can get a Volvo 2.5T AWD if you want AWD without all of the extra plastic cladding and cost of the XC.

I have the Volvo Nav system and think it's great. Someone just posted a huge evaluation with lots of pictures on the R forum of swedespeed.com, if you're really interested.

blockislandguy · October 2003

There's not much to add to this that wasn't posted by bodble2 and dfasulo other than one personal observation. Winter driving conditions can change dramatically from hour to hour, generally improving all morning long and getting significantly worse after 7PM because what melted earlier is now frozen, darkness, maybe new precipitation, black ice, etc.

If you live north of I90 or north of NJ and want to go to work early, maybe stay late, and stop somewhere on the way home before you head into the barn at 8PM or so, AWD is the only way to fly. Its a real productivity tool when everyone else is leaving work early to rush to get home before it gets worse. I figure, no joke, that AWD gives me many more productive hours each winter. I can get in early, not get alarmed about impending weather, stay late, always get out of the parking lot alone after everyone else has left, get in a workout after work, drive home in solitude, etc. Could I do all this with a set of spare wheels and good Blizzaks ($1000)? Probably. But I'd rather be in control, not the weather.

ext25 · October 2003

http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosconsumer/0310/01/g03-273302.htm

Volvo wagon tops for family

XC70 occupants wrapped in safety

ext25 · October 2003

volvomax · October 2003

If you can swing it go for the XC70.
Better resale opportunity, as well as the peace of mind of AWD.
The V70 AWD is a waste of $$$, same price as an XC70, but w/out the increased ride height or the mud-snow tires. Resale not as good as an XC70.

3rd seat can be installed at any time, so you could always put one in later. Its meant for kids over the age of 3 anyway.
Boosters are available as a stand alone option.
Fairly popular option for the wagons.
The nav system works well, not a streamlined as some.
There are some good deals available now, overseas is nice if you have the time, or want a specially configured wagon.

Good Luck!

lancerfixer · October 2003

"The V70 AWD is a waste of $$$, same price as an XC70, but w/out the increased ride height or the mud-snow tires. Resale not as good as an XC70."

Some of us like the standard ride height, though. If you can afford a new V70 AWD, you can afford Blizzaks, too. :-)

dsandrowitz · October 2003

Assuming we find a deal that makes sense, I am still torn between a V70 AWD or an XC70. I am kind of surprised that there doesn't seem to be a reason for the V70 AWD to basically be the same price as the XC70. Am I missing something in the long list of standard features? They both offer all the options that we want, so what gives? Does anyone feel that there are perceptible differences in the way the two wagons drive?

I would go after a clean, good condition used wagon, but we are firm in our desire for VNS and I can't find any used wagons that have it installed. So, its new Volvo or bust.

If the third row seat can be added later, is it possible to add the booster seats later as well?

newbaby3 · October 2003

First my question. Has anyone removed the dash sticker warning about the airbag/injury to a child? Hopefully it is not permanent. I would like to remove mine but I hope to not be left with a sticky mess on the dashboard. I picked up my car earlier this week. I sense that the dealer will not touch this issue, due to potential for litigation.

I too wanted a V70 AWD but was told that it had to be special ordered. One interesting reason that a sales person mentioned is that the awd system is in short supply. XV90s have the same system, as do some S60s. It would seem to make sense as the AWD system would be a rate limiting step for producing XC70 but not the V70. I don't believe that resale value will be much better XC70, especially since the V70 awd is so rare and it is far more attractive than the "rubbermaid 70".

volvomax · October 2003

The supply issue has been settled w/ Haldex.

The real resaon there are no V70 AWD's is because
1 it is a special order car
2 The public prefers the XC70 by a wide margin.

Dealers stock what sells, and the XC70 outsells the regular wagons by itself

2003 year to date ALL V70's 8,934
2003 year to date XC70 12,880
Source Volvo Cars North America.

We can't keep used Cross Countrys in stock and the V70's just sit.
Remember, sometimes cars are rare for a reason.

dsandrowitz · October 2003

You sound like you are a dealer, so I'd like to ask you a question. Will it be difficult for me to find a loaded 2004 XC70? When I say loaded, I mean an XC70 with VNS, Touring Package, Premium Package, Versatility Package, and DSTC?

My ability to find a new XC70 like this or my ability to get one in a relatively short period of time is going to factor into my decision about which car I buy. I don't have the luxury to wait a few months for a car and I will not be able to schedule an overseas visit to do an OSD.

Any info would be appreciated.

kwarnold · October 2003

Hi,

Like you, I am in the process of getting an XC70. Volvomax, being a dealer, obviously knows best as he lives this market on a daily basis. But I will share my experiences, FWIW...

You asked about the booster seats, and from an earlier post I believe you have one small child. The $300 booster seats, in my opinion, are a totally brilliant option that are worth every penny. We have three small children, all still in some form of carrier or booster seat. (Oldest is almost 6 and is almost ready to "graduate" out of the booster seat, but it is still close.) That option on the XC70 was a major influencer to me as I love the idea that I can put 2 of my 3 on the built-in seats and then tuck them away when they are not needed and I need to take clients, etc. There is NO reason to not get these out of the gate - plus I am sure they can't be added later like the 3rd row seats.

As for the heavily-optioned version you describe, my experience here in central Ohio is that dealers ONLY stock one flavor of XC70: Premium, booster seats, Touring Package. Basically comes out to about $38,835 to $39,500, depending on paint color. Both local dealers said the same thing: They ONLY get that combination in unless it is a special order (~8 weeks). I wanted the upgraded stereo added and he said the liklihood of finding one was going to be "next to impossible."

Overall the XC seems to be a good vehicle and from a resale POV much better than the normal wagons, as has been stated elsewhere.

Good luck! Keith

4jdb · October 2003

Does anyone know how to adjust (up & down) the headlights on my 2001 V70? Clearly one is adjusted higher than the other, and I can't seem to find the adjustment mechanism. Is there a good reference site for this kind of thing (one with pictures)?

bodble2 · October 2003

Maybe it's supposed to be like that. Is the left one lower? Maybe it's like that to avoid blinding oncoming traffic?

volvomax · October 2003

The standard XC is Prem, Tour, Boosters, and sometines Xenon.

The car you want will be Very hard to find.
Nav can be dealer installed, although the cost increases. DSTC can't.
Dealers shy away from expensive XC70's because of the XC90

volvodan1 · October 2003

I am at a fairly small dealer and we usually keep 2-4 V70's in stock vs. 6-10 XC70's. The nav,dstc, and also prem audio are rare options. Except for the first year or two of the S80, we have not sold a nav system until the XC90. It would probably be 8-12 weeks to get one. Good Luck.

dsandrowitz · October 2003

If I want to get a XC70 with all the stuff I previously listed, I guess I have to order it and wait for it to arrive or to do OSD. Is this right? I live in the DC Metro area and there are plenty of Volvos on the road, but only 3 or 4 dealers my area. While they seem to have decent inventory from what I can tell, I have no idea if they have the car I want or not.

If I have to go to Sweden to get the car, I will probably not buy a Volvo.

So, does anybody know of another vehicle that isn't an SUV or a Minivan that offers the same kinds of features (especially the third row and booster seats)?

dfasulo · October 2003

I'm also in the DC Metro area. As much as I hate to recommend DarCars Volvo for anything, I will say they have a healthy inventory and would be a good place to go for a test drive, at least.

volvodan1 · October 2003

Why not go for a clean 01 or 02? Sure you'll spend more getting the nav system put in (I'm guessing $900 - $1000 more), but you'll probably save $8,000 - $9,000 off new . Plus you'll get a certified warranty which depending on the model year and miles and also miles per year you drive, may be a better warranty than new. Also, as volvomax said, you can have the 3rd row installed when/if you need it. On 01 or newer pre-owned XC70's it should be reasonably easy to find one w/booster. Prem. audio will be rare and dstc almost non existent.

dsandrowitz · October 2003

Yeah, I have looked at the used and certified pre-owned stock of XC70s in the area. Some of them look like good choices, but I guess I'd need to be clear on what it would take to get a navigation system installed in the car. If it doesn't already have it, it seems a little crazy to have someone basically cut a slot in the dash to install a retracting screen. But, I can't imagine a easy solution to getting the system in a car that isn't just a hunk of electronics bolted on the outside of the dash.

Anyways. I guess if I can get most of what I want in a pre-owned car, it would still be a good option. I just need to check on the whole navigation thing.

blockislandguy · October 2003

Winter is just around the corner and I'm looking into a set of winter tires. But I've got some considerations. The Tire Rack seems to be pushing Blizzaks as their package (tires, stamped wheels, wheel covers, all mounted) tire du jour. If you want another brand, say Dunlop Winter Sports, the stamped wheels are then sold separatetely, i. e., not in a package, at $48 per wheel plus wheel covers ($28 for four). The Dunlops are much more than Blizzaks and in any case now the package is being priced separately so it adds up. Quickly.

Because I am leery of the expected life on Blizzaks (I only got a two seasons--15K-- out of them on a Jeep) and want to try something else, I'm thinking that if the TireRack stamped steel wheels plus wheel covers are about $56 each (incidentally, this is cheap compared to local junk yards!) plus some significant shipping ($80 or so?), why not look locally for some used or take-off 17" alloy wheels from a T5 and run the tires I really want to run? If I run the same size tire (215x55) with the 17" taller wheel, won't I have more ground clearance, be more winter capable, look a little different, etc? Or, can I run even larger tires (e. g., 235x55's)?

Questions:

1)Will the 17" T5 wheels mess up the AWD? (The local dealer parts guy thought so; I think not).

2) Can I use another 17" alloy from a different car that will still fit (I guess the offset is "43") the XC and be more readily available and cheaper?

3) What does the board think is the best winter tire?

a)CR says Dunlop Winter Sports,

b) some of the Volvoistas, especially the Canadians, say Hakkapaleta's,

c)people on other boards talk about Michelin Artic Alpines (I think that France should be immediately approached to donate 100 complete, mounted and balanced sets of these, shipped freight prepaid by Federal Express to the US Special Forces for use on their Hummers in the Afgan mountains before another container load is handled in a US port) and

d) most of the Volvo dealers push tire/wheel packages from Gislaved (sp?)yet I've never seen a report on them. I think that Volvo sells these because of their historical relationship with the company, not out of any superiority issues (i. e., that they are really better for the Volvo customer). I have the impression that the stack of Gislaved's all mounted and balanced by the dealer's front door is probaby the highest profit margin transaction in the whole store.

Whaddya think?

volvodan1 · October 2003

If the dealer is decent there should be no diff. between factory install and dealer install. You should be successful in your search as long as dstc become non-necessities. If you find one with em great, but you're mostly going to find prem,tour, and booster

volvomax · October 2003

The hole in the dash is already there, all you have to do is replace the cover.
There is alot of work involved in installing a Nav system, but any Volvo dealer can handle it without any problems.

Since I live in Arizona I really can't help you w/ snowtires, sorry

robr2 · October 2003

Tire Rack seems to charge $48 per rim no matter which tire you choose so I'm confused as to your concern on the package price.

I like the Michelin Arctic Alpins. Great on dry roads and they've never left me stuck in Boston to Cape Cod to Maine winter driving on my Ody. I've put about 15K on them over 3 winters (appx 11/15 - 4/15) and expect them to last another 3.

blockislandguy · October 2003

Robr2, thanks. Your're right about the $48 plus wheel covers regardless of tire BUT the real deal they are pushing seems to be the bundled package of four Blizzaks on four wheels. Everything else is ordered a la carte. That's why I thought that ,gee if I'm going to spend $56 (wheel and cover), why not try for some nicer looking, 17" alloy takeoffs for (hopefully) not much more ($75?) money.

I think I'll try the Artic Alpines. Is your ODY AWD or FWD? Cape Cod to Maine or Block Island to Bangor in February is the acid (artic?) test. Can you get Artic Alpines at Sears? Thanks for not pointing out that they probably don't come in the load capacity for a Hummer.

robr2 · October 2003

Now I get it on the bundles. I presume that Tirerack emphasizes the Blizzaks because Bridgestone does a great job of advertising them. They must sell tons of them and I wouldn't be suprised to find that they have them pre-mounted and ready to ship.

My Odyssey is FWD. I bought the Alpins from Tirerack on steel rims for around $600. I got quotes from Direct Tire, Hogan Tire, and BJ's. They were all more than the Tirerack even with the shipping. Direct Tire was over $1200 for the set and I didn't like their Tiffany's attitude!! In essence: "yeah we can get those lousy Michelins if you want to be cheap but we highly suggest our $1600 winter tire package."

I didn't try Sears or NTB - worth a shot.

Good Luck.

gldport · October 2003

Any earlier post specified a V70 with DSTC. what is that?

lancerfixer · October 2003

Dynamic Stability and Traction Control.

foxgo · October 2003

IS that worth getting? My Volvo V70 just arrived (taking delivery in a week or two, after I get my act together with the disposal of my VW lease).

I was thinking about DSTC, since the V70 is not an AWD vehicle, to give some added safety in bad weather conditions.

Does anyone out there actually have the DSTC that can give some input?

tvuongpham · October 2003

Hello everyone.. I am thinking about purchasing a Certified V70 T5.

I have read the entire town hall discussions over the past couple of days...

I feel that most of the disappoinments of the car is related to high expectations of a car with this price tag new....

I am a newbie... What should I expect to get out of owning this Volvo?

What kind of owner experience should I expect? I am realistic to know that a car is
firstly an expense not otherwise. Cost of ownership is not just gas, oil and tires...

Thoughtful ownership involves maintenance. Heck any car is a carefully engineered mass of moving parts. And moving parts are subject to the laws of physics.. things can break down eventually.

That being said... oh and also most repairs aren't done at home.. The computers in the vechicles today make that difficult plus the other specialized tools as well.

What can I expect in owning a T5 2001 with 29,000 miles and that is certified????

Are there potential lemon warnings? Are there "chacteristics" specific to this year and make/model??

pitfalls?

Advantages: well safety if first most, performance ties that -- all at a cost. sure lower MPG, it is a heavy car right??

Any thoughts/comments are welcome.
Thanks!
v.pham

johnaida · October 2003

I bought this 2001 V70 T5 new and am one very exasperated owner.

At 20,000 miles following problems started.

1. On accelerating moderately from a stop automatic gear upshifting takes place normally. When fifth gear is selected it stays in the unlocked mode. The revs slowly drop from 2000+ RPM to 1500 RPM over a period of 1  2 seconds. Then, the car shudders for a couple of seconds. I assume this is due to successively locking and unlocking the torque converter. Finally, it unlocks and the revs increase once again to 2000+ RPM while remaining in fifth gear. The car is now going faster and when lock-up finally takes place again the revs. remain above1500 RPM. (I know which gear the car is in by momentarily selecting manual before and after the conditions I describe):
2. Occasionally, under very light throttle in top gear it seems that the road is very rough and the car shudders. When manual transmission is selected the road once more becomes smooth. I believe the shuddering is due to a rapid hunting in the transmission.
3. Occasionally, when coasting from fifth gear to a stop a shuddering takes place at about 10 MPH. I do not know what gear is selected at that time.

After endless dealer discussions and a new transmission the problems continue to worsen.

This is absolutely unacceptable for this class of vehicle.

Am I the only person with these problems? Can anybody suggest a solution?

Oh, and did I mention: The door locking system is unstable. Sometimes the drivers door unlocks/locks itself. Apparently the dealer has never seen such a thing before.

kwarnold · October 2003

I am about to complete the purchase of a 2004 XC70. Overall things look good except for the info my sales rep told me about the factory/dealer-installed CD Changer. He told me that to add the CD changer to the standard factory stereo that it will be about $1000!!! This seems totally outrageous but he said that it entails adding a new panel in the rear cargo area, several hours of labor and downloading info into the stereo to activate it.

Is this true? Is it really that the case if you want to have a CD Changer? I am disappointed that pretty much every XC70 only comes in with the standard stereo and to get the upgrade you have to order from the factory. (I don't have the luxury of waiting - I have to get a car this week.)

Does anyone have any insight into the options for adding a CD changer to the factory changer? I want to keep things as stock as possible.

Thanks a lot, Keith

cpike1 · October 2003

I had the same problem with the door locks having a mind of their own and locking/unlocking by themselves. In fact, the doors locked while my engine was running and I was outside the car.

After Volvo on-call came out and took care of that, I took it to the dealership. They weren't shocked (acted like they had seen this more than once), and replaced the locking mechanisms on both the front doors. I haven't had the problem since.

Hopefully you can get the dealer to change your locks with too much hassle.

dardson1 · October 2003

I've had them all.......in dash 6 cd changer, a 12 cd changer in the trunk, a multi-unit in the glove box......in the end, the one I like best is in my truck.....a single in-dash changer. I keep a holder in the door pocket with 40 cds. Low-tech and easy enough to change. All the multi changers get complicated and are less reliable. Simple is better. Save your money.

camydog · October 2003

camydog · October 2003

Sorry, hit the enter key and not the tab key.

Volvomax, I have not tried to remove the center arm rest in the back. Good idea. I'll let everyone know how that turns out. It is really an issue now because the inlaws are visiting from the states.

As for could the armrest cause harm to an infant? Absolutely. The child seat base is only about 2 1/2 inches high, and the seat sits down into it, adding only another inch or so. The arm rest could come down in combination with the seat flapping up since it is only mounted in the rear to the seat belt. It's possible.

955- Door locks- We had the same issue with our '01 T5. The dealer replaced the drivers lock and both key fobs. All is well now.

No real transmission problems. I am not a geartronic lover but that is what we have. My wife and I do wish the car was a manual very often.

Have to agree with 956 about the CD changer. I have both a single and a changer in my truck and we normally only just the single. The V70 has a single player and that is fine. Don't miss a changer. To each their own.

Has anyone had their hood or other body panels repaired or replaced due to hail damage on their Volvo? I am waiting on the insurance company to send an adjuster. Wish us luck.

volvomax · October 2003

If the car is certified don't worry about its initial condition.
Major service intervals are every 30k.
The upcoming 30k service will have been done under the cert. program if the car has 29,000 miles on it.
Tires are high performance so they wear out every 25-30,000 miles.
Oil changes every 7500 miles, or sooner if you feel the need.
There are no "lemom" warnings.
The headlight wiring upgrade should have been done.
MPG is a function of your foot. Drive responsibly and the car should get @ 20 mpg city and @ 28 mpg highway.
Good Luck!

CD Changer
Yes you have to wire for the changer, which involves gutting a good portion of the interior. Also, new panels have to be installed in the cargo area because the changer sticks up out of the floor. Adding an aftermarket changer is virtually impossible given the software needs of the Volvo system.
A 4cd stereo could be installed in the dash, although I don't know if its really any cheaper.

mbnewhampshire · October 2003

Just curious what any former or current Volvo V70 (or V40) owner has to say about their past experiences with these cars. I will be in the market for a car in the future and have decided a wagon is a practical vehicle and in this case a safe and luxurious one. Any testimonials about lengthy repair records (or lack of) or the like? Comfort? Performance and Handling?

I can say I've seen many of these wagons on the roads, lending me to believe they are popular for a reason. I have heard good and bad things about the competing Audi A4 Avant. Comparisons or advantages between those cars, besides the obvious size difference, would be appreciated.
Any other wagon suggestions are appreciated as well.

blockislandguy · October 2003

Dardson 1, thanks for injecting some sanity into the discussion of CD players. Glove box, trunk mounted,"gutting the interior", 6CD, 12 CD changers, $1000 "upgrade", etc. etc. this is all nuts.

Go with the single in-dash unit and put your road collection in a small box. Take the money you would have spent and buy some winter tires and wheels. (Incidentally, with the big push given to tire/wheel packages, there are a number of good deals in the "shopper" type publications for used sets. Disregard the claimed mileage (Blizzaks don't wear well) and evaluate the deal as though the seller was offerring simply a set of wheels.)

dardson1 · October 2003

What's wrong with the base 168hp 2.4? I looked back on this site at the 93 240 wagon. I remember the old wagon (weighed a bit less than the new ones) as a very desirable vehicle. It had a 114hp 4cyl. engine and people managed just fine.
If I'm willing to skip automatic air and a power driver's seat, a base model with automatic and a 2.5T are same/same. All the good stuff about a Volvo for $2300 less. Anybody out there sorry about buying the non-turbo version?
For the record, I live in a small city with a tiny Volvo dealer who never has more than 15 Volvos on the lot and 2 or 3 loaded up turbo wagons. I've had no opportunity to drive a base V70. I tend to think the buying public has lost it's collective mind over horsepower. The 168hp engine ought to push a 3300lb vehicle perfectly well. It hasn't been long since a 5500lb Chevy Suburban had a 200hp engine. Any thoughts?

foxgo · October 2003

I made my decision to get a 2004 V70 2.4 for exactly the same reasons! I did not want to spend $90/month extra to get an XC70, so I went for the base V70 2.4. I added in the usual required packages (premium, climate, booster seats, metallic paint) and I got it for an affordable lease price.

In a perfect world I would have loved to get the XC70 with more hp and AWD, but I did a couple of test-drives and the 168 hp is more than adequate for my needs. It had more pickup getting on the highways than my 1.8T Passat wagon that it is replacing. As some previous posts mentioned, 98% of the time you will never need AWD. Up until 10 years ago, everyone was driving heavy, RWD sedans and AWD was not available (other than 4WD for heavy jeeps)

I am taking delivery on November 1st (why have a brand new car in my driveway for Halloween, to be a target for eggs and other mischief?) so I will be able to report back on my satisfaction in a few weeks.

Hopefully my new car will not be plagued with some of the problems mentioned in earlier posts (auto door lock problem, transmission shifting, etc).

modernm · October 2003

Hi faxgo can you share some experence you had with passat. what make you switch from passat to v70.

I am considering these 2 wagons and can not decide.

thank you

foxgo · October 2003

I did not have a great experience with my Passat, to the point that I am abandoning my lease 2 months early (at my cost) to get into the new V70 wagon.

My two biggest issues are the 'drive-by-wire' acceleration and the brakes.

Drive-by-wire. This means that instead of a direct linkage from the gas pedal to the engine, a computer senses the pressure on the gas pedal and decides what gear the transmission should be in. This causes a nice little pause (I have been told this is NOT a turbo-lag issue), that is very annoying when you are stopped a a stop sign or trying to accelerate onto a highway. For 1-2 seconds you feel like you are in a dead stop, with zero acceleration! If you are considering a standard-shift Passat, this will not be a factor. I have been told that Audi, Mercedes, Volvo (and other European makers) all have similar issues with the 'drive-by-wire' technology, although I cannot see that to be the case. I cannot see Mercedes drivers tolerating such a poorly designed acceleration issue!

Brakes. When pulling out of my driveway in reverse in the morning, the brakes would not work. This is not a good thing! After several trips to VW (they thought I was crazy since they could not replicate the problem in their shop), they brought in the white lab-coat guys. Suddenly, people seemed to know about this problem and there apparently are many VW drivers who have the same problem, and a TSB/recall is in the works. They probably would have tried to cover it up, like they unsuccessfully did with the ignition coil recall, but too many people were complaining! There apparently is a problem with the master cylinder seals losing brake fluid pressure, and this happens when the car has not been used for an extended period of time (i.e. overnight). I was told to let the car idle for a couple of minutes before driving away, that I should not be in such a rush to throw the car into reverse when starting the engine. That is an unacceptable answer, and to this date they have not yet come up with any parts to fix the situation. My wife is afraid to drive it, every time she gets in the car she does not trust the brakes!

VW also was very underhanded trying to cover up such a major recall as the ignition coils. If our local Fox news channel had not exposed the issue, they probably would never have admitted the widespread defective ignition coil problem!

I can't tell you how the Volvo experience will compare, since I have never owned a Volvo prior to the one I am getting next week. But I must say that I will never get another VW, and since they are related, I would never take a chance with an Audi product either!

k7hp · October 2003

962/963 ... If I had it to do over again .. with the abysmal drive train and drive by wire aspects of the V70 2.4T .. I would have bought the plain V70.>>

965 .. I wish you luck .... the drive by wire and lags and shudders and unexpected aspects of this drive train are most annoying to me ... I live in Phoenix so never see snow but I have spent many years in snow and if I was in snow country I would be dreading the upcoming season .. There appears to be almost no way to ease off a standing start (except the "winter" transmission setting) ..

I have been to dealer several times and am going back .. I get the exact things you describe ... the lag as the system decides what its going to do , especially when pulling out then nailing it to accellerate in traffic .. scares the bejeebers out of you , sometimes its almost a 2 second delay while it makes up its mind to go ..

I am going to work on the dealer again , because I have now driven it almost 4000 miles and am beginning to think it could be as simple as a bad /intermittent throttle sensor ... as a "scratchy or noisy " potentiometer ..

Good Luck ... apparently they are not all as bad as the one I got ... Hank

dardson1 · October 2003

That is very interesting. Our '01 Lexus lease is up soon. After spending many nights reading the Lexus board with hundreds of posts complaining about the 02/03 ES300 transmission, I decided I might look around around for something else.
I have no idea if the new Lexus is drive-by-wire but the owners' complaints are similar to yours........shuddering at specific speeds, slow to downshift, scary feeling when they stomp on the pedal and nothing happens for a second or two, and generally confused about what the driver wants.
Are you saying the Volvo turbo models are drive-by-wire and the base models are not?

volvomax · October 2003

All Volvo models are drive by wire now

dardson1 · October 2003

looks to me like all the V70's from the base to the top model have the same 100w sound system. Yes or no? I see no options for a sound system upgrade. According to the stereo guys on this site, they downgraded it to a 7 for being difficult to use but said the sound would otherwise be a 9. I can live with hard-to-use if it sounds like a 9. As a most-for-your-money shopper, I'm getting close to deciding the base V70 is heck of a deal buyable for $30k.

rollie · October 2003

I don't know where you've been looking but Volvo has a couple of upgraded audio systems for ALL Volvo models. For the V70 I think AudioMax is now the name of the upgraded system and it includes an extra amp, sub-woofer, 9 or 13 speakers (not sure which high-end option is available for the V70), and Dolby Pro-Logic II. The sound is fantastic if you are using a CD. The best you can hope for with the radio is 3-channel.

The highest end audio surround sound systems for Volvo have DynAudio speakers which are beyond anything I've heard in a car (including Logic7 and Mark Levinson - of course these two and Volvo's system are all Harman derived systems.)

I highly suggest you gather your favorite dynamic CD and arrange a test at your local dealership.

Good luck.

-rollie
rdollie@att.net

mbnewhampshire · October 2003

Even the standard-shift models are drive-by-wire?

Is this drive-by-wire concept in virtually all luxury cars? Does any one company actually have it perfected?

volvomax · October 2003

Yes, even the manual cars are drive by wire.
As for perfection, hard to say.
The systems that are out now are much better than what was available 2-3 yrs ago.
People will just have to get used to the feel of the drive by wire system, and its different feel.

Volvo V70 Wagon Experience

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