2000 Volvo V70 XC SE AWD 2.4LPT

Summary:

Run... run fast... don't look back. KEEP RUNNING!!!

Faults:

Fuel pumps (both in tank), antenna at ignition switch, AWD, ETS.

General Comments:

I had 2 Volvos before owning this car... the V70 XC. At first it was very nice... still is really. Nice looking, clean lines, very very comfortable especially on long drives. Upholstery is great... lasts and does not wear easily.

There are a few things that make this car very undependable:

1) ETS: Electronic Throttle Sensor. This part made by Magnetti Marelli is just not quality. They can malfunction at any time sending the car into limp mode... so you can limp to a dealer to have it repaired. limp gives you 25 mph... awesome! now, fortunately after all the petitions, VOLVO repairs the ETS free of charge.

2) AWD: overly sensity AWD is great in the snow... it really is... no question. If you get a flat tire while driving, call AAA. If you use the donut it blows the viscous clutch, the bevel gear overheats, blows the fluid seals and all of a sudden you hear a whining noise: you have just blown your bevel gear... prepare for $3000 check to the mechanic. Rotate tires every 5000 miles (oil change) to keep the tires as evenly worn as possible.

3) Fuel pumps... there are 2... in the tank. To remove tank the entire suspension subframe has to come out. Seriously...

Nice car, badly designed AWD. Pray you don't blow it, which you will by 120,000... guaranteed! :)

Volvos before 1998 are all excellent, durable, top notch cars. Then Ford came along and destroyed the company's name.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th November, 2009

10th Nov 2009, 13:55

While the AWD system on early (your) Volvo was a terrible system, I am not convinced that Ford destroyed this company.

I seriously know it was Volvo themselves who were the cause of their own misfortune.

Sure Ford owns Volvo, but they are still responsible for their own designs and R&D as they always have. The only thing Ford does is provide them with more funding and in turns borrows some of Volvos technology for their other products.

Sure Volvo was a great car company many years ago, but that was because they were simply mass producing outdated, primitive RWD designs that everyone else (BMW, MB etc) had already perfected. Then the automotive world left Volvo in the dust and sales slumped.

This is where it gets interesting. Considering many in the target market for Volvo was getting to old to enjoy the simplicity of Volvo's (too old to drive, or just died from old age) they decided that the best thing to do was to totally change everything Volvo stood for in an attempt to remain competitive.

As a result you get the horrible electronics, and unreliable cars such as the XC, the early S80's etc.

12th Nov 2009, 04:53

The above comment is unfair... yes, Volvo have changed their image... but their cars are definitely no worse than anyone else's! I've had old style Volvo's (my first car was a 340!!!), which were fantastic - but so are newer ones too!

My current 2005 S60 R is a AWD and is almost perfect... my fiancees car is a 2007 V50, which also does an excellent job.

None of my Volvo's have caused me any headaches, which is just a bonus considering nothing comes close when it comes to reliability, comfort and safety FOR THE MONEY! I'm proud to be driving Volvo's... and I'm 28!

2000 Volvo V70 T5

Summary:

Ostensibly a stable horse, but a race horse if limitations are tweaked

Faults:

Power output drops considerably on some drive applications.

Roaring sound in the cold air intake system.

General Comments:

The V70 is a city car. It has low ground clearance, and looks too stylish to ever qualify as trail-rated. By stylish, I don't mean the V70 will sissy out on more difficult drive applications.

More than once I have noticed a slight drop in the V70 power output on the trail. I replaced the stock air intake of the engine, and limited as the V70 is by its low suspension, that did the trick.

Its spacious cabin and leather seats, moreover, make the V70 accommodating on cross-country, especially for children.

My V70 sports a T5 engine, which boasts of a 300bhp power output on average. Not what makes a trail-rated car better equipped, but the V70 is all right in the city streets, and tolerable on the trails.

I've worked with people at www.swedishpartsshop.com, a Volvo parts dealer, and almost inconvenienced them, really, trying out and exchanging shocks just to get the correct suspension setting for my V70. I found out I could not make it more of an off-road car.

Combined with the V70's all-drive capability, the T5 reminds me of what a "civilized" RV will look like, if there is ever going to be such a thing. But, had someone offered me an RV in exchange for my V70, I'd stick it out with my car. It is "the" family car.

With plenty of cabin space, and the safety features that Volvo is known for, I say the V70 is a nice attempt at combining the functionality of an off-road vehicle and the luxury of a city car.

The low ground clearance of the V70 makes a stable horse out of a race horse.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th February, 2007

10th Feb 2007, 06:14

The roaring sound in the air intake could well be the air con pump - I noticed it recently on a V70 2.5. Great car though!