Volvo question

JCMatthews

Tour Guide
My wife and I are thinking about buying a Volvo XC70. However, we have three kids. They fit just fine in our Tundra DC, but the crossovers we have seen are horrible in the middle of the back seat. It is as though the auto manufacturers did not plan to ever seat three in the back. So my question is to any XC70 owners, is the middle of the back seat comfortable for extended periods of time?
 
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mapper

Explorer
As an xc70 owner I feel obliged to check in. Not sure what era vehicle you are talking about, mine is a 2005 so it is smaller than current xc70s. Also, I hardly ever use the back seat and don't know if I've ever had 3 back there. It is wider than many similar wagons, like Subaru. If I were you I'd look carefully at an 2.5T XC90. If you go that route familiarize yourself with xc90s be sure to know about the issues with the original T6 model transmission issue. Unfortunately almost all used xc90s I see are T6s
 

WagoneerSX4

Adventurer
All of the XC70's have comfy backseats. Being the youngest in my family, I should know, since I was the one stuck in the middle all the time.

However, I agree with mapper. If fuel economy isn't too important, definitely go with an XC90. It's just a better vehicle in every way and you get so much more car for the money. STAY AWAY FROM THE T6!!! It kills me to say it since its such a beautiful engine, but sticking a GM 4spd on it was the worst decision they ever made (thank ford for picking one from a random parts bin). My dad just sold his T6. It was modified with an ECU upgrade an an exhaust. Needless to say, he grenaded the original tranny... twice. The third time he completely upgraded it with a tranny kit that is made for a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (yeah, it's the exact same tranny). It involved stiffer shift springs, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The difference was night and day, but was it worth $4k? No way.

The Yamaha V8's are great, but the 2.5T's are also little workhorses. They got better as the model years go on. Stay away from the first few years.

I'm just not a fan of the P2 XC70. It's a Buick. The newest ones are a step up, but completely not worth the ridiculous price tag. I drove the twin turbo, didn't do anything for me.

And don't even get me started on the AWD system. We went through 2 angle gears in under 100k, and we finally gave up and I took out the rear driveshaft to make it FWD.
 

dddonkey

Adventurer
I dont know if this will help but the wife and I were looking at the volvos and ended up with a Mazda. We looked at the XC 60, 70, and 90. The 60 was ok but no good with threes car seats (2 boosters and one rear facing), the 70 was about the same and I really liked the room. We them looked at the 90 and it was great but I just could not spent the money for it with the options that I wanted. We ended up with the Mazda cx-9 that is basically the Ford explorer. I got it with every option minus the AWD for like 30K out the door. I was not too picky so I got the last 2012 model they had and it has more room than the two volvos did for less money.
 

WagoneerSX4

Adventurer
It kills me to say it, as I'm a HUGE Volvo fan (currently own two, family still owns 7 together), but if you're in the new car market today and you come out with a Volvo, you've done something wrong. There are just WAY better options in every single category. Their engine tech is way behind, in the last couple of years their customer satisfaction can almost make land rover chuckle, and their 'safety' options are freakin' expensive nobody is checking the boxes! I swear even the best thing about them, their seats, have gone downhill. Volvo used to be the brand that boasted about repeat customers. You don't really hear them advertise that anymore do you? Ford just used and abused them and left them for dead. I think I have such a bad taste in my mouth from Volvo because I'm the one who constantly has to fix my family's cars all the time and my dad bought all the worst models in the last couple of years. He bought a first model S60R in '04 (Volvo ended up buying it back from us before we could claim it as a lemon - it had THAT many problems), XC90 T6 (transmission and electrical failures galore), and '03 XC70 2.5T (grandma's Buick LeSabre with as much character as dry toast). Needless to say after that run we gave up with Volvo and we drive Suzuki's (yeah they went bankrupt but they have some of the best quality and most reliable vehicles on the market).

I still stand by my statement that in the used car market the XC90 is still the most car you'll ever get for the money if you stay away from the T6. One of the most ergonomic interiors with the best seats ever put into a vehicle, great chassis, great engine, great overall family car. Heck, if you're not a serious off-roader it would even be a great overlander. Dare I say it eats up the miles even more comfortably than a G class or a land rover.
 

mapper

Explorer
Check in on the Toureg thread or the ML320 thread. Both those have low range and it seems the 320 does pretty well on fuel economy. I overlooked it when I decided on an xc70. Not saying it would be my choice but a similar vehicle with low range would be great.

And I totally agree on purchasing a Volvo new...not smart. I don't like new car purchases in general but the depreciation on the Volvo can be a bit awe inspiring. XC70s are starting to fair a bit better now that they are shaking off the bad memories of the 2001 and 2002 models.
 

SoCalMonty

Explorer
Avoid the first generation, the 4WD system in the early cars can be problematic. After that, they went Haldex and all was right with the world. I know the limit on the drivetrain is about 360whp at the dragstrip on slicks...that's about where the diff tries to escape. :)

The 5 cylinder is fantastic.

Good, solid car.
 

mapper

Explorer
I agree with Wagoneer's comments about the xc90 vs xc70. I went back and forth heavily on the two when shopping. Ultimately went with the xc70 for the slightly improved fuel economy and the lack of 2.5 powered xc90s on the market...T6s abound but WAYYY too may horror stories for me. The xc90 will be a better choice for someone who wants room for the kids. As someone who wrenches on all my cars, I will say I appreciate the relative simplicity of the platform, especially given the comfort it delivers. Everything I've torn apart thus far has been an easy job, and I've torn apart a lot because I bought my car as a salvage title that was hacked back together. It lingered for sale for a loooong time so the price was phenomenal. I basically re-did all of the repairs to be sure I found and addressed every little hack and shortcut.
 

yossarian19

Observer
From a former Volvo mechanic... just don't.
First gen awd was junk. T6 head gaskets and transmissions blew. Parts and labor are expensive. Wheel bolts suck. DIY repair will be harder than other brands. T5 motors are OK but nothing special. Suspension / chassis parts wear out at an alarming pace. Go OEM parts or lemforder.
Honestly, I'd avoid European cars unless you just need the interior refinement and have cash to burn on an ongoing basis.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
 

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