Hi guys, I am the proud new owner of an Electric Silver V70 T6, and I though I might offer my impressions on the new car. I received the vehicle a few days ago, and have since already put a few hundred kilometers on it.
I set out to purchase a wagon as cycling is a favorite past time of mine, and I need something with a lot of space. Large offroaders were out of the question as I hate the way they handle. Considering this, I quickly drew up a list of wagons consisting of the V70, 530i touring, E350 estate and the Audi A6 Avant. Having taken all of these vehicles for extensive test-drives, I was most impressed with how far Volvo has come in building a competitive vehicle for the market. In terms of price, the Volvo was 30-50 thousand dollars AU cheaper than all the other mentioned makes, and lost absolutely nothing in its quality feel or presentation.
Fit and finish wise the Volvo was a strong first for me. I was truly amazed at how well put together this car feels, and the solidity to everything in the vehicle (which probably goes someway to explaining the excessive weight of the vehicle). In stark contrast the Merc felt positively cheap, and the BMW tinny in the weighting of all the major controls. Only the Audi got close, and even here the Volvo was still ahead. Comfort wise the Swedes still do it best, with lush leather and fantastic seats, although a little down on rear seat space to the larger E-class, although probably on par with the BMW and Audi. Cabin design is a real scandanavian hallmark, and I can't get enough of the intuitive design of the Volvo dash and cabin. Extremely easy to use and it looks great. The Volvo navigation system does take some getting used to, and is outdated in its design, but it does look so cool popping out of the dash.
Drivetrain wise the Volvo is every bit the equal of the Germans here. Fantastically refined, with perfect smoothness right up until the 7000rpm redline. I was amazed at the similarity in the sound of the Volvo inline six to the BMW six. The Volvo is so well insulated it rivals the Merc for refinement, and is definitely one of the quietest cars I have driven in a very long time. The 6 speed automatic was smooth in the Volvo, although a little but slugish sometimes, although quite responsive in sport mode. Performance is excellent, with zero lag, which was a very pleasant surprise. Interestingly despite the power advantage the Volvo has, factory specs suggest the Germans are quicker, although the Volvo felt more so on the road. Fuel economy is not a Volvo strong point though. Figures suggest a 11.3 litres per 100km is obtainable, although I'm not getting anywhere near that (more like 14L per 100km), and other owners I know haven't either. It's early days yet, but I believe this to be a very optimistic figure. (sorry you will have to do the conversions guys!)
Handling wise, the BMW was my choice for a sporty drive, and the Merc for outright ride quality. I found the Audi to be a little bit of a dissapointment, although it felt solid, the knobbly ride quality became annoying at times and it didn't handle as well as the bimmer. Volvo has come a long way in tuning a decent chassis, and I was quite impressed. The car seems quite light on its feet for something pushing 2 tonnes, and the 4C technology has come a long way since I last drove a V70 R a couple of years ago. It's still not perfect though, with comfort being too wallowy, and advanced crashing a little, but it is now quite a decent system, and I find myself changing the settings when I hit nice winding roads, or really bad patchy roads which we see a lot of in Australia - which means the system does work. Steering feel does need to be improved though, wooden steering seems to be a common trait in modern Volvo's, and although it probably doesn't matter in a family hauling wagon, A bit of steering feel would brighten up an otherwise (slightly) dull driving experience immeasurably.
Well there ya have it. I haven't covered everything but that gives you a bit of a taste of the V70 T6. I believe this is a car that should definitely be brought to the USA, as it is an extremely good package. To be honest, the V70 is a fantastic car in very many ways, but truly does need the T6 engine to brighten it up. Whilst it is very capable, I could see it being a little boring without the bigger engine.
Just for referece, the vehicle is a V70 T6 with family pack which includes the Navigation system, and rear DVD entertainment system. Standard T6 goodies including 4C, 18inch wheels etc.
I set out to purchase a wagon as cycling is a favorite past time of mine, and I need something with a lot of space. Large offroaders were out of the question as I hate the way they handle. Considering this, I quickly drew up a list of wagons consisting of the V70, 530i touring, E350 estate and the Audi A6 Avant. Having taken all of these vehicles for extensive test-drives, I was most impressed with how far Volvo has come in building a competitive vehicle for the market. In terms of price, the Volvo was 30-50 thousand dollars AU cheaper than all the other mentioned makes, and lost absolutely nothing in its quality feel or presentation.
Fit and finish wise the Volvo was a strong first for me. I was truly amazed at how well put together this car feels, and the solidity to everything in the vehicle (which probably goes someway to explaining the excessive weight of the vehicle). In stark contrast the Merc felt positively cheap, and the BMW tinny in the weighting of all the major controls. Only the Audi got close, and even here the Volvo was still ahead. Comfort wise the Swedes still do it best, with lush leather and fantastic seats, although a little down on rear seat space to the larger E-class, although probably on par with the BMW and Audi. Cabin design is a real scandanavian hallmark, and I can't get enough of the intuitive design of the Volvo dash and cabin. Extremely easy to use and it looks great. The Volvo navigation system does take some getting used to, and is outdated in its design, but it does look so cool popping out of the dash.
Drivetrain wise the Volvo is every bit the equal of the Germans here. Fantastically refined, with perfect smoothness right up until the 7000rpm redline. I was amazed at the similarity in the sound of the Volvo inline six to the BMW six. The Volvo is so well insulated it rivals the Merc for refinement, and is definitely one of the quietest cars I have driven in a very long time. The 6 speed automatic was smooth in the Volvo, although a little but slugish sometimes, although quite responsive in sport mode. Performance is excellent, with zero lag, which was a very pleasant surprise. Interestingly despite the power advantage the Volvo has, factory specs suggest the Germans are quicker, although the Volvo felt more so on the road. Fuel economy is not a Volvo strong point though. Figures suggest a 11.3 litres per 100km is obtainable, although I'm not getting anywhere near that (more like 14L per 100km), and other owners I know haven't either. It's early days yet, but I believe this to be a very optimistic figure. (sorry you will have to do the conversions guys!)
Handling wise, the BMW was my choice for a sporty drive, and the Merc for outright ride quality. I found the Audi to be a little bit of a dissapointment, although it felt solid, the knobbly ride quality became annoying at times and it didn't handle as well as the bimmer. Volvo has come a long way in tuning a decent chassis, and I was quite impressed. The car seems quite light on its feet for something pushing 2 tonnes, and the 4C technology has come a long way since I last drove a V70 R a couple of years ago. It's still not perfect though, with comfort being too wallowy, and advanced crashing a little, but it is now quite a decent system, and I find myself changing the settings when I hit nice winding roads, or really bad patchy roads which we see a lot of in Australia - which means the system does work. Steering feel does need to be improved though, wooden steering seems to be a common trait in modern Volvo's, and although it probably doesn't matter in a family hauling wagon, A bit of steering feel would brighten up an otherwise (slightly) dull driving experience immeasurably.
Well there ya have it. I haven't covered everything but that gives you a bit of a taste of the V70 T6. I believe this is a car that should definitely be brought to the USA, as it is an extremely good package. To be honest, the V70 is a fantastic car in very many ways, but truly does need the T6 engine to brighten it up. Whilst it is very capable, I could see it being a little boring without the bigger engine.
Just for referece, the vehicle is a V70 T6 with family pack which includes the Navigation system, and rear DVD entertainment system. Standard T6 goodies including 4C, 18inch wheels etc.
