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- Volvo V70 D5 2.5 TD SE
- jazzRS360's review
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| Performance | 9/10  |
|---|---|
| Practicality | 9/10 |
| Reliability | 9/10 |
| Value for Money | 8.3/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 8.3/10 |
| Overall Rating | 8.8/10  |
By jazzRS360
on 4th Jun 2006
| Year Manufactured | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Length of ownership | Insurance vehicle- 1 week |
| Doors | Estate |
| Performance | 8/10 |
| Practicality | 8/10 |
| Reliability | 9/10 |
| Value for money | 8/10 |
| Overall value | 8/10 |
 jazzRS360's recommendation | |
Sumptuous cabin on the top model, sips fuel, comfortable seats, lengthy equipment list, handsome but subtle, a mature choice, superb for long journeys.
Auto gearbox a little notchy to get into 'drive,' cabin not as spacious as I thought it would be, lacks the image of a Mercedes or BMW.
My Mercedes E320 V6 Avantgarde estate had some pretty dismal engine problems and went for a repair, and so I was kindly given a dark blue 2006 Volvo V70 D5 Diesel for the meantime. Another executive estate was useful as I could draw some comparisons.
Design wise the V70 is a handsome beast, and on this top Executive model, it came with decent alloys and a classy-looking interior. There is nothing radical to the Volvo's cabin, but everything is laid out pleasantly, with the centre console tilted in favour of the driver. It certainly beats the fake wood that is featured in my Mercedes. The seats are creamy leather, and the whole cabin has a genuinely relaxed and upmarket feel to it. What did surprise me is that although feeling plusher than my Merc, the cabin seemed actually smaller. Figures may well dispute this, but the second row seemed to have nowhere near the same legroom as in the Mercedes.
On start up there is a noticeable Diesel clatter (to be expected) and the auto box was a tad notchy to stick into reverse and then into drive. However, things brightened back up on the road, where the diesel claps vanished and the auto box seamlessly shifted. The V70 is certainly a relaxing place to be, and even in D5 guise, reasonably quiet and superbly refined. The engine sound is nothing near the lovely growl of the Mercedes 3.2 V6, but when pushed the D5 plant does emit a deep, aggressive growl that has fellow motorists a little surprised. Torque was brilliant- there was a shed-load of low down grunt which the Merc could only dream of, and this made short work of traffic light getaways. For this top-spec version, there figures suggest 185 bhp, which is good, although the torque turns that 'good' into 'significantly impressive'. Although no BMW 530D, the D5 isn't short on power, and on the motorway it accelerated briskly even at very high speed. It felt 90% as quick as the Merc while returning far more pleasing fuel figures.
Handling is even commendable. Although no hard-drivers car, the V70 does lug itself around nicely, and the chassis, although lacking in outright agility, does keep things stable and composed in corners. Couple that to the massive low-down torque and we have here a surprisingly capable B-road vehicle.
Overall I'm very impressed with the vehicle. There is plenty of equipment and comfort, yet enough ability for the moderately keen driver. The D5 engine is a real peach, returning good fuel economy with impressive pace. All it lacks, to be fair, is the swish image of a Mercedes E or a BMW 5-series. If that isn't important to you, than the V70 D5 is a seriously good all-rounder.
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Peter Bulman
on 12th Dec 2006
miller100d
on 14th Jan 2007