Faults:

Transmission went out at approx. 35,000 miles and needed to be replaced. Volvo would not cover any of the costs. Had to tow out of a remote area, 2 hours from home.

Plastic rivets in the doors fell out.

Headlights and tail lights need replacing OFTEN.

Guides went bad on the sunroof, which I had probably opened less than 10 times (told it would be approx. $900.00 to replace the guides)

Sunroof has rattled since about 10,000 miles and it continues to get worse.

Oil seal leaked while on vacation, and had to be replaced during the last week of extended warranty (3 days in shop in Reno).

Transmission, even after replacement continues to make clunking sounds. I won't take this car on long trips.

General Comments:

It has okay power when you put your foot into it.

I won't take it anywhere far from home, because it has broken down in some way on almost every trip I've taken.

I purchased this car for safety and reliability. Fortunately, I haven't had to test the safety features. Reliability is questionable.

Faults:

A power steering hose was replaced at about 70,000 miles, while still under the extended warranty.

A few software updates have been performed, mostly free of charge.

At 70,000 miles, the brakes and rotors needed replacing. I did find it peculiar that the rotors had worn and needed replacing, but they indeed had. Price was $700.00 for the entire brake job; 4 rotors, all new pads, labor. Expensive, but not horrendous.

At 85,000 miles, I replaced the front stabilizer link rods, as they were making a clicking sound. The rods were $85.00 for the pair, and I was able to perform this simple repair myself (easy as pulling a wheel unbolting the old part, and then re-bolting on the new part).

Most recently, at 100,000 miles, we have determined the transmission is failing. It has not been a sudden, catastrophic failure, but instead has gradually given several thousand miles of warning (delayed shifting response, and it slips occasionally - becoming more frequent with higher miles). Though this is indeed a frustrating realization, somewhat costly auto repairs do indeed happen. The Borg transmissions for the particular years of the XC70 2001 and 2002 were somewhat prone to this failure. Subsequent models with Swedish Haldex transmissions don't bear the same problem; only the Borg models.

Cost for a Volvo factory exchange transmission is $3000 plus labor. Wholesale or jobber price for a re-manufactured transmission from Volvo is $2,600, but you need to own a repair shop to qualify for the discount... and then there's labor. Total price for the job done right will be around $4000.

Though we're not happy about it of course, I often think of our friends' 2 Chrysler mini-vans, who have replaced their transmissions like clock-work at 50,000 mile intervals. Some are on their 3rd or 4th trans! The independent Volvo-only repair shop did indicate that owners who regularly service their XC70 transmissions every 30k miles are seeing no problems, even after 200,000 miles.

So, I do have to take some responsibility here (we've only had ours serviced once, at 50,000 miles). When we get the new trans installed, we'll have it serviced every 30k.

General Comments:

Our XC70 has been an entirely comfortable, pleasurable and accommodating car for our family for the past six years.

The climate control works very well, summer and winter; quick heat, nice cold air.

Its AWD system is the best we've ever had for snowy and icy roads; our car's unstoppable despite the weather.

It handles surprising well for its perceived heft. This is relatively heavy automobile, and it's amazes me how fast it accelerates with only a 2.4 liter engine. It's actually as fast as our John Cooper Works MINI Cooper S!

Road trips - this car's a dream, even with all 4 members of our family on board. Decent fuel economy (mid-upper 20's on the road), predictable to drive, and very comfortable and quiet.

Volvo has a reputation for safety, and it feels safe and solid to drive. It will out-handle any SUV or other cross-over I'd yet had the opportunity to drive. Brakes are very good and effective - never felt any fade, and the pedal braking force is well scaled ergonomically.

The seats and occupants' accommodations are the most comfortable of any car we've ever owned; seats are easy to get in and out of during entry/exit of the car, and for extended sitting on long trips they're non-fatiguing and are generally proportioned and shaped properly.

The power and heated seat option has worked great now for 100,000 miles so far. The built-in child jumper seats on the back bench worked great for our 2 daughters when they were little ones, as did the 3rd seat, rear-facing in the back compartment. The sound system is marvelous!

We love the dash lay-out, from the controls to the cup holders.

Overall, Volvo designed this car excellently. Very satisfied with it.

When we considered a Volvo XC70, we were also considering the Audi Allroads. Test driving several Volvos, from demos with 10,000 miles on the odo to 80,000 miles, the higher-miles cars didn't feel tremendously different than the 'young' ones. This in part is what compelled me to decide on the Volvo above the Audi and Subaru. I really do think they're designed and built to last for many, many miles/years.