I keep saying it, but an estate is always better than a SUV. My last estate was a super rare 2010 Alfa 159 ti 2.0 diesel which was a dream to drive and was an absolute motorway mile muncher. Can't understand the British obsession with SUVs.
@benheyman9166 I don't any of us want to be like the Americans. I have an estate and a suv. The suv is shorter than the estate and has a bigger boot and is definitely easier to get in and out of. I actually did put some larger tyres on the estate made I a fair bit higher and that did improve things a lot.
Also known as “a sleeper” 😊. SUVs are just the ultimate “I’m stupid” sign on one’s forehead, or my wife controls my finances I can’t buy the car I really want to transport me and my family around while have a bit of fun.
Advice to the owner: If your kicks when shifting from R to D and the other way, you can try the following actions. 1.Washing radiators (needs dimantling) 2.Change atf fluid. 3.Software update of the gearbox module. After every step gearbox behaved better, and after the update it stopped kicking when selecting gear.
I had a V reg V70 D5 estate with velour seats, they were like sitting in an armchair. When it died I bought a VW Passat B5 estate, but am happy to say that died and I'm back to a V70 estate again. Top spec almost as in the one shown, but an E-drive, 57.5mpg at 70mph on motorways, on a 300 mile run! Engine size of 1.6l, £35 road tax per annum, huge, comfy and back to feeling as safe as possible. Love it!
I own a Volvo XC70 D5 SE Lux Nav Automatic (2015) which provides AWD capability along with a raised ride height for improved ground clearance. I had the Polestar upgrade via a Volvo main agent and it now has 230 BHP and drives superbly. It really is a fabulous car and I doubt I'll ever sell it. Great video.
I have XC70 also, also with Polestar upgrade. I can say it's a great family car. This car has the greatest family car feature - after 5-10 km every one but the driver falls asleep.
Couldn't agree more. We've had our '13 V70 for over four years and put over 50.000 miles on it in that time. It's currently at 125.000 miles and thus far we haven't had any issues. Not one. And that's with the most crap engine/gearbox too, the 1.6 litre petrol Ford lump and the Powershift DCT. Sometimes I think about replacing it but every time I talk myself out of it. I just can't think of another car that will do everything equally well as our old trusty Volvo. It's like your favourite pair of jeans, you slip in them and you just feel at home. Great video Ben, keep preaching the superiority of the estates!
I own a 2010 XC70 D5 205 and it’s such an underrated car. Being in my 20s people have wondered why I chose to buy a crossover estate. It’s perfect for camping and taking me and all my gear far and long distances comfortably and effortlessly. I’d recommend to anyone.
I think for long time people were into lowering there cars, not normal people obviously. In 2000 I took a mk5 escort with 185/60/14 and replaced them with 205/60/15. In my view it was a huge improvement the handling if anything seemed better and the ride quality over bumpy roads was fantastic. More recently I fitted a mk2 focus 2008 with 215/55/17. Previously it had 205/55/16. they were a tight fit but nothing rubbing anywhere. I think whatever body style suits what the driver wants is what matters. I wouldn't mind putting kuga 235/55/17 tyres on my mk4 mondeo estate and also fitting a lift kit.
These can handle absolutely insane mileages. I saw one with 1.1 million kilometers on the clock. A lot of these in the Scandinavia as old taxis. Crazy mileages. Crazy.
Got one of these and it's bloody fantastic! D5 manual, just driven down to Spain in it with a roof box, air tent and 4 bikes on a tow bar mount and averaged 45mpg! did Calais to Perpignan on a single tank 😂 it's got a self levelling rear too which is great for heavy loads. I like that you don't see many about and we plan on keeping this one a long time. Dreadful turning circle though, lots of austin powers 50 point turns! Paid £2700 cat N from copart, it should never have been written off but I'm happy it did.
I had one as a company car, one of the best cars to own, comfortable, never ran out of space, ever! and the only car you could drive for four hours and get out feeling fine.
Own a 2004 v70 T5 bought in 2005, just done 200k. Just bought a E43 estate to replace it but can’t bring myself to sell it so now is a dedicated dog mobile. Most comfortable car ever driven
I got the T4. Never selling that car. It’s the only car I’ve ever done monster miles in and not felt the need to stretch like a yogi at the end of the journey.
I had a V70 1.6 D fleet car in 2010 , surprisingly good car for a 1.6 Diesel that car pounded the motorways of Britain for 4 years and never missed a beat, had a towbar fitted too and would pull a display trailer at 800kgs with ease, not overly powerful but fast enough and just enough Torque to keep you up with traffic. It did get the standard servicing through Volvo who were second to none. It saved me a fortune in Company Tax over my previous XC90 which guzzled Diesel and was high in Company car tax.
Oh gawd no, not the 1.6D 😂 Completely serious... The one I had (in a C30) cost more to run than my D5 (in an S80) - despite being more economical on fuel, the myriad engine problems made it a horror to own... The D5 is better to drive, better soundtrack and not really any more expensive to run - for me it'd be a no-brainer what to buy again
Same here! Just put tons of money into mine… I m sad it s not the D5, but the 1.6 somehow pulls the behemoth. Of course, if you’ve got more than 2 people in the car it’ll struggle, but the fuel consumption is worth it
Hi Ben. Hope your doing good. That's one beautiful Volvo Estate. I love the color. I wish mine was that fast. I have a 1990 Volvo GLE Turbo diesel estate in green. It's about 122 horse power. But I didn't buy it for speed. I bought it with 40,000 original miles. I love how it rides and love the rear windows. I loved the video. Stay safe and take care.
Pickle is so cute at the start, big yawn and then a long nap 😊 Volvo are such strong propositions! You can get some sporty numbers with the 5 cylinder petrol versions. You drove my ST, so imagine that with some engine mods in these estates lots of choo choo 🏎️💨
Spot on! We fell in love with Volvos when we bought an XC90 a good few years ago. We needed the 7 seats as my wife was a childminder. That was such a comfy old bus! We made the mistake of trading it for a Ford Kuga when my wife changed jobs, but I really wasn't impressed with it. So, that was sold and we bought a V60......the perfect blend of practicality and comfort for our family (the kids are 19 and 15.....and our Springer Spaniel!). The safety aspect is great, but I really love the fact Volvo also focus on comfort over sporting dynamics. Lets face it, most of our driving is the humdrum day to day stuff and comfort is much more important than on-rails handling! Ours is more of a Mum's Car though as it's my wife's daily, but I love driving it if we're doing long weekend trips. I have 2 Mustangs, so I get my thrills with those, but the Volvo is a great member of our family! It was also revealed this week that Volvo are putting the V60 and V90 back on sale in the UK! They canned them last year but Volvo have realised there is still a market for their wagons. Whilst I'd never buy a brand new one, it does mean there will be good used Volvo estates available for years to come 🙂
I had the 136bhp, D3, diesel auto. 50mpg+ 62 plate V70. The last of the 5 pots and was simply a wonderful way of getting up and down the country. But I'll be controversial here and say we had a VW Touran at the same time, and that was the family car. A far better "family car" in every respect.
I've had a 2007 Volvo XC70 D5 Auto Lux spec since 2019, test drove many SUVs and estates, went for the XC70 and don't regret it at all, it's a keeper. low miles and dealer history when I got it, all I've spent on it is consumables and servicing. Estate cars are the future, they'll be back, hopefully I'll still be driving my Volvo :) What swung it for me over the SUV was easier roof access, even though mine is a bit higher than the std. V70. Perfect car.
Volvo D5's are a bullet proof engine although It falls victim of ULEZ. MPG can't rarely be matched. I just picked a P2 V70 but with the 2.4 T5 NA engine. Can get close to 40 MPG and it is ULEZ compliant for a 22 year old car. Not bad and just as fun to drive. Love the video, especially that 960 cameo 😉
Loving your work!! I’ve got a v70 d5 se premium lux on a 59 plate, just gone over 180,000 miles. Picked it up for £4k last year. It’s been amazing, puts a silly little smug smile on my face when I get in it. Went to golf earlier, 4 sets of clubs and 4 trolleys in the boot, no bother. So, so comfortable. Really can’t fault it.
They are the way to go, just make sure the cambelt and auxiliary belts are replaced along with a service and fresh auto gearbox fluid. Then it'll keep going and going. It's timeless safe and practical quality - and you're not hated in it.
Thnx 4 a great video! We had a gasoline XC70 2002 some time ago and loved it, had to sell it 'cause we moved from Finland to Norway. Considering buying another one soon.
I run an XC60 of a similar age with the same D5 engine and transmission. It's on 242,000km now, but these engines are good for over 500k before needing a rebuild. I just had the AT fluid changed, due to some lumpy gearchanges and that's solved the problem. These are good tow cars, but it does take its toll on the AT fluid. Interiors are just superb, comfortable heated seats and very hard-wearing, better than modern prestige German cars of similar age and mileage.
A V70 D5 took our family across Europe to Hungary from the North of England in one drive, alternating the driving between me and my dad over 25-30 hours. It was so comfortable and easy to drive the 1500 ish miles. The air con did stop working in 30C+ weather but other than that it was a bliss to travel in 😂
Get what you say, great video, great car. One point in favour of the SUV - the elevated driving position does give you a feeling of safety and improved visibility.
I think the police started using SUV cars because. When they were in a pursuit the criminal would often put there car into reverse and come right over the bonnet of the police car and through the windscreen. It's a lot less commen for this to happen in an suv. So it's actually safer not just perception. Also has anyone else noticed that if your surrounded by SUV's in a normal car all you can see is door handles. Of the other cars.
It increases blinspots and they handle far worse and far more likely to roll over so they provide no benefit other than an elevated driving poisition. You do hit a key point though these cars are all bought on feelings and illusions rather than actual facts and common sense.
@@chrishart8548 People will say you're sexist if you say this but the SUV crossover nonsense has been driven by women wanting them and buying them or forcing their gutless husbands to buy them for them. Despite the brilliant advancments in engine technology, aerodynamics and tyres cars are actually emiting 10% CO2 than they were 10 years ago because they've all gotten fat, bloated, overly tall and overly heavy including the big wheels which increase unsprung mass. It means sensible yet decent to drive cars like, Ford Fiesta or Focus and many other small city cars like the Aygo/108/C1 and the VAG city cars have all been killed off. You want a good car get an old German Diesel pre 2005 or get basically any Japanese petrol car.
Glad you mentioned the paint! I had a V70 T6 in the same colour, and yeah, not seen a car with the same metallic depth anywhere?! Swapped it for a more modern Volvo because…er…running costs but damn I miss that thing. Also agree with the turning circle - makes such a real world difference!
I have had two SUV’s, a Mitsi outlander PHEV and a VW Tiguan R Line, the Mitsi cost sod all to run and the Tiguan was just lovely but both had the same issue they were not that big really and the boot space for the size of the car was only ok. You still cannot beat either a big saloon or estate for the ultimate in practicality.
I have a skoda enyaq and I'm blown away by the amount of space inside the boot is huge loads of space in the back for passengers. I came from a mondeo estate but this thing is way better and it's shorter so better for parking . easier to get things in and out not being so low down.
Glad to see Volvo has seen the light and started to produce petrol estates again ! The Police, for one , will be delighted . One thing you need to remember is the load height is lower than a suv so you get can your dogs in easier . Especially as they age
They had not stopped selling them to the police to start with, it was only the UK retail market they stopped selling to, the rest of europe could still get them at retail.
absolutely right, after testing a big SUV and an XC70 I went for the Volvo as I need to be able to put a roof rack on the top, much easier putting stuff on the lower roof and much easier loading the boot, the XC70 is the perfect height, a bit higher than a normal estate, but not as high as an SUV. mine's a keeper.
Old volvos are amazing cars. I had S60 2.0 turbo and XC70 D5. Incredible comfort, durability and quality. The new 4 cylinder Chinese volvos are crap compared to old genuine swedish volvo.
Have a v70 6spd r-design 2013 witn 2.0 5cyl diesel. Did sweden-denmark-germany and back 4.8L/100km. It has 400000km on the clock and still going strong. Interior and exterior still looks very good.
Nice vid mate. Ive got a golf estate for the family, but this looks great. Estates in general are not being pushed much by manufacturers these days, getting harder to find them these days ...
Best Diesel estates are the Skoda Superb and Octavias the Golf estates are good too. Toyota Corolla is also a brilliant estate to buy if you don't want Diesel. The only good crossover to exist was the Skoda Yeti and that got cancelled, it's a strange world we live in.
Had a D5 2011 reg , all the toys including ventilated seats…sold it a couple of years ago with 250k on the clock as travelling in London the ULEZ was going to hit me big time…what a great car.. really miss it
It is roomy and looks better than any suv. But I am not buying any car that is not a hybrid or fully electric. I am very happy with my Toyota Auris touringsports hybrid. Though it is a bit small inside and road noise is substantial at high speeds.
A friend owned a V70 D5 when his second was born, and I can confirm a 6 foot adult can sit between two child seats in the back in relative comfort. Sadly theirs (which was not the best-kept example ever) developed a number of electrical gremlins that were starting to rack up repair bills, and they were doing almost exclusively urban driving, which was not great for economy so it was let go. But my friend does still have an overall positive memory of his V70, and a lot of it was around how luxurious and comfortable it was. His two Pickles could easily nod off (too easily sometimes).
Great cars and, as you say, sound really good for a diesel (and dare I say much better than most 4pot petrols, too). If anything, my advice would be to avoid the autoboxes - they're not the most reliable of things at higher mileage unless they've been routinely flushed (and many won't have been because Volvo advised against). Beyond that... Honestly, any of the 5 cylinder diesels is a great shout in one of these - whether its the Euro5 D5 like this one, the earlier Euro4 D5 (swirlflaps aside they're very little trouble at all) or its detuned version marked "2.4D) - or the destroked variants, 2.0l 5-pot diesels marked D3 or D4. Great cars and you're absolutely right about them being far more practical and far better value than SUV's. (Speaking of value... Still a big boot but not quite so practical, but the saloon version, the S80, is one of the best bargains on the road IMHO - significantly cheaper than a V70)
Had my 2011 V50 from new and I'm in no rush to replace it with anything more modern. Only niggle is that it isn't LEZ compliant, so I have to use the Vanquish (yes, really) if I need to drive into town.
Ben when I saw you the other day and mentioned my wife’s XC90 is a very good practical car, having thought about this the older XC90 with the Yamaha V8 would be a awesome fun to run the family around in. 😊
Brilliant video I have a 2014 v60 D5 R design 179k cost me 4k last year in 171k . Dad has a v70 d5 r design. Fantastic bomb proof cars. Safe and practical. Also a dad of 1 myself . The Germans should really take a visit to Sweden and see how car seats are made they do not have a clue. Went from Saab to Volvo and their seats were also far superior to all the German seats like for like....all the Saab's were trouble free too near on.
Totally agree about the seats. I once drove an S60 from Warsaw to Lancashire none stop and still felt fresh at the end of it. My current V70 is no different. I had a Passat before and going from that to the Volvo was like going from an office chair to a full on sofa! 😂
I have a 2014 Honda Civic estate. 1.6d engine, standard hand brake and manual box as well as Honda reliability. Also 80mpg on the motorway is amazing.It’s the best car for me and my family
Own a 09 plate D5 auto….absolutely sublime. Coming up to 137,000 miles. Great torque from the 185bhp 5 cylinder engine. Good fuel economy and excellent reliability. Just plenty of oil changes and cambelt every 100k. Perfect family car!
estate / station wagons are amazing. SUVs & light tanks are just huge & inefficient. the closest most SUVs gets to off-roading is parking at a gastro pub in the countryside. I had access to a volvo T5 back in the day. it was a lot of fun.
No you’re not just romanticising. I’ve had experience of some Volvo estates (240, 760, V40) and I think they’re superb. The 760 (it was actually the V90 facelift, but I don’t want to confuse it with the more recent car) was one of the best cars I’ve ever driven. Estate cars are brilliant - I’ve always preferred them to a saloon and definitely over an SUV. You don’t need to sit so high up - it’s a bit of a status thing, and reinforces that ‘I’m in my safety bubble’ attitude that seems to make our roads so aggressive these days. I’d take a Volvo estate over a modern SUV anyday.
My previous car was a Mk1 Volvo S60 post face-lift, my current car is Mk2 Volvo S60 post face-lift, and my only grumble about both cars is actually the turning circle - which I would regard as 'not great.' Having said that, it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Loved my old car, love this one.
Nearly bought one of these a few months back but ended up buying a 2014 Passat Estate instead just because the right car came up at the right price. My wife has a Gen 1 XC60 with the 2.4 D5 and 215BHP and it's great. It's done 175,000 miles and still drives like new. Apparently that's considered delivery mileage for that engine.
I had a 2012 V70 D3 R-design for a few years and loved it. We have a holiday place in the highlands and it used to eat up the miles and we were able to transport so much stuff up there including a massive couch. Would have loved the D5.....but hey ho. Seats were so comfortable and car was light years ahead of the rest of the market in terms of safety features
I can agree with you that a station wagon is much more practical than any SUV and another plus is in N.S.W Australia you can park in a loading zone but you cannot park an SUV it doesn't matter if you are delivering something infact l own a 1997 Toyota Hilux ute and l regularly park in loading zones although l am not delivering any thing just doing private things
Not had a v70 but have had both a v60d5 and a s60d5 done loads of miles in both without a spot of bother. Was great cars while my little one was growing up.
IMHO real true V70 stopped with the P2 platform 1998 -2008 then they moved to the Ford platform... the one you're testing that is a compromise and I heard the Volvo engineers had hard time fitting their engineering into this other smaller platform. Anyway, as for Comfort, Safety, Practicality there is no question with these V70 whatever generation. And durability is no compromise, my V70 D5 163 HP from 2006 has passed 310 000 km and it's just running as it should. You can't find a rust point despite the predecessor was living in a ski resort in the Alps, not any oil drop anywhere under the bonnet, diesel consumption very low for such a car ( 5.6 liter/100km on journey, 6.5 on daily commute) and the space inside ! Personally I did as you show in the video, slept into the trunk during a 1 week roadtrip ;-) It's my first Volvo that I bought "3r hand" last December, and I'm just having a smile driving it 😀
I have a 2009 v70 with the same engine as this car but i dont have the satnav screen which i think is a good thing as i think it ages the car and doesn't really work that well anyway , theses engines are really good too work on, as in changing all the fluids and filters , so i save money and do it myself and at least then i know the car is getting all the proper oils and fluids .that clunky gear change is because the transmission oil has not been changed or not often enough and might benefit from a soft transmission oil drop instead of a flush , keep on top of belt changes , change suspension parts when needed like any other good car that you want to keep amd the car will just keep running smoothly and reliable . 210 000 miles on mine now and it runs like new and for every reason mentioned in this video ( great video by the way ) that is why i drive a Volvo v70 2.4 d5 and try and look after it , They are a fantastic car that goes well under radar of non car people .
I ditched a brand new (18 months old as I sold it) Fiat Tipo Sport last year, as it was the worst car I ever had... Bought the same car Simon has here (met him around 12 years ago as we drove C30s) and I don't even regret it, even though I had to invest a wee bit... But stunning car to drive and effortless travel... Best way to get around. I have no kids, but hobbies demand space. A fully (MTB) as well as kit and clothes all fit in the rear without having to take anything apart, other than the front wheel off...
I've no kids, just 3 big dogs, I've a volvo v90 cross country and every time I think I might change it, I realise why bother. I'd need to pay far more than I'd get selling it in order to replace it with something that can do what it can do. Boot is huge, has adaptive cruise control, android auto, blind spot, every safety feature you can think of, a lovely pan roof, heated seats and steering wheel, beautiful interior and gives 7.0l/100km or under no matter what type of driving I do. Cheap to tax and relatively cheap to insure. Seats are as good as you'll find anywhere. I'll be keeping it for a long time.
that vertically raising screen is not the same as the earrlier VH platform Astons. They share the screen from the V50/C70 of that era. The underlying navigation system is the same but the screen is not. Later VH Astons had a different (non Volvo system) anyway.
Hi ben iI absolutely love estate cares I have had 4 year old 1999 ford Scorpio ultima 2.3 when I was in my late 20s I had a ford explorer v6 ,a mondeo titanium x sport estate a 2018 skoda superb 2.0 190 tdi dsg sel executive estate, now that was a brilliant car but my favourite estate car was the sierra cosworth estate F20YBT that I built a few years ago . If you Google the registration number you will see the car it also featured on Adam Smiths you tube channel. With well over 400 bhp on tap and a full joe Stevens HARTPOWER race engine it had grace space and pace and the looks to match . Can't beat a decent estate car 👍
Volvo D5s are fantastic. I prefer the smaller P1 chassis V50 as they handle far better, but they are just so comfy and relaxing but actually shift very well when driven hard and smoothly. The best thing though is that they’re generally dirt cheap and run forever. D5 with a remap is generally as quick as a stock T5 too, but without the ruinous fuel economy. In fact my missus wasn’t even driving long before I got her the V50 and she went from hating driving to racing a Corsa VXR off the lights.
Excellent review of an excellent car...👍...any buyer needs to be aware that the auto gearbox can play up sending it into limp mode...it's an expensive fix....buy one but keep a little aside £ 2 k probably...to sort it out .. Have owned two in Spain for camping and love them...they are still cheaper than a white appliance ( post 2015 )...full history essential..👍
I was just getting interested in this proposition, when I realised our current kiddie wagon does all this and more. It's a 2006 Ford S-Max Titanium 2.0 TDCi.
I think they look cool and not old fart at all. Most wagons look cool and it's a shame that very few manufacturers make them anymore. One with these, and their other models of this era, is that the very cool for the day centre console can't be updated with new tech/stereos. But apart from that, if they're reliable, I've started looking!!
That V70 is nearly identical to mine right down to the two tone interior. Mine is a 2012 model with the updated satnav system which I think is well worth having. Brilliant car and does everything I need it to. I will say though I think Simons trip computer is lying to him. Theres no way hes getting 50mpg with the geartronic transmission. Low 40s is really the best you can expect with the D5 engine.
I love my V8V and it makes my daughter and me giggle every time, however my real dadcar is my F31 335D Touring. Fabulous, fabulous thing- as quick as the Aston point to point, in fact probably quicker. Not a moron magnet. Frugal. Massively capable. First time I’ve ever had a car and been unable to identify anything that I’d rather have by way of a replacement. You’d have to be mad to want a crossover.
Nice car but in Holland for a diesel like this, we pay over € 1.600,- roadtax per year. And there are some areas where dieselcars are no longer allowed.
They claim a big boot in crossovers, however this space is volume going up to the parcel shelf. What you need is floor space for which an estate is way superior. I think the measure used in reviews should be the m2 of the boot floor not the cubic space that’s usually quoted.
Ditto..now have a 2017 XC60 D5 (not the same D5 as the V70). I have had several V70’s and XC70 and loved them more than the XC60. They should never h e have stopped making them. Progress? Debatable.
