Volvo V70 (2000 - 2007) 2.4 170 SE Lux 5d Auto Owner Review

Came from a Mk1 V70 2.5D to this Mk2 2.4 petrol. I would say it's comparable in terms of pace although my diesel was a manual where this petrol is an auto, so no frantically changing gear trying to keep the diesel in its morsel of torque. Engine feels like it suits the car well, it keeps up with traffic and joins on the motorway without ever having to see the loud side of 4000rpm. 5-cylinder makes a nice noise when pushed and never feels notably fast or slow, just adequate (mine is the 170hp version although I understand the 140 is an identical unit just with a less spicy fuel map which can be rectified at your friendly local remapper). Fuel economy in relation to pace is just horrifying - the trip computer has an instantaneous MPG function but it makes me too unhappy to see 3-5mpg when climbing hills to ever use it. Average hovers around 22 with a mix of town and A-road driving. Combine the economy with the £460 road tax sodomy and you do not have a cheap car at all to run. I will say though that it rivals the new shape Civic's petrol engine as probably the smoothest and quietest engine I've ever encountered. You could balance a glass of water on the rocker cover and rev to the limiter without it spilling a drop, so 10/10 for refinement. Interior is lovely and well laid-out and road/wind noise is minimal - feels as well-built as BMW and VAG stuff of the era, and the HU-850 sound system is excellent for a factory-fit, it even has a proper active amplifier and an independently controllable centre low-freq driver. This great hardware combined with the meek whisper of the engine and the bank vault-like doors makes for a fantastic auditory experience with every genre of music. The leather seats are amongst the comfiest I have ever encountered and they're even heated too. I've driven a few of V70s of this shape and all feel very different in terms of roadholding - I understand the D5 and T5 have a slightly different suspension geometry to stand the greater forces, although the D5s I have driven all felt wallowy and disconnected in comparison to this petrol. All were very high-mileage examples though so probably required new shocks, ball joints and bushes all round as I understand the way-out-front engine puts a fair strain on the suspension. The petrol at 125k feels much tauter and more responsive to direction changes, although still not as two-faced as the Mk1 V70 in terms of handling prowess - my old coal-rollin' diesel was an absolute hoot on a B-road and gripped far better than a 20 year old rectangle had any right to, whereas this one feels a bit numb and remote. With that being said, I occasionally forget that I'm not in my weekend car and come at a bend at a speed far greater than the poor thing was really designed for, and discover it has a curious tendency to oversteer when pushed too hard, although I suspect the line between fun and death in one of these is very thin indeed. It has traction control, though, so it will usually save your life if you're taking the p***. It rides perfectly well unless the road's awful or you're doing un-Volvo-like speeds. I would describe the ride as comparable to a Saab 9-3, an E60 5-series and perhaps a touch softer than a 3-series, Audi A4 or a Vauxhall Insignia. Rolls like a bugger but it is a battleship after all.