Home News Reviews Volvo XC70 D5 AWD Review. The Faithful Family Retainer

Volvo XC70 D5 AWD Review. The Faithful Family Retainer

Readers of the reviews on this site may have noticed a trend in the cars given to me to test. ‘Left field’ may be an accurate view. However, the controller (AKA Andrew) decided that I should review good towing cars.

IMG_20141103_132135

 

The reason is simple; being a collector of classic Italian exotica, one tends to get them moving by pushing, towing trailering or occasionally driving them! Usually in that order!

 

My existing ‘Towing Car’ is my trusty (it works) VW Passat 4.0L W8 AWD auto with 275BHP and 260ft lbs.

 

The usual rule for towing is to take about 80-85% of the cars certified maximum towing weight as the comfortable limit. Hence the Passat limit for a braked trailer is 2200kg and 1760-1870kg would be comfortable. My car trailer weighs 555kg and, amazingly, my Italian exotic cars have not oxidized all the metal away. However, older Italian car weights, like engine output claims, were not ‘reliable’ indicators. Allegedly, the Lamborghini Espada weighed about 1450kg dry. However, with a minimum of 120 litres of fluids at capacity, the real weights were about 1600kg plus.  Accordingly, any car that can tow 2200kg, or in the case of the Volvo 2100kg, is going to toil with that type of combination.

 

I have towed my and other car transporter type trailers thousands of miles all over the UK. As a general rule, I prefer AWD, as it gives greater distribution of road power and stability; a heavy car, as it is less prone to being ‘wagged’ by the trailer.; auto, as the torque converter takes the strain better than a clutch; and masses and masses of torque, as revving to high engine speeds is less controlled for towing.

 

The XC70 had the 215bhp 2.4 Five Cylinder diesel engine, with Volvo’s Geartronic auto 6 speed box. Critically for towing, it has 310ft/lbs from 1500-3250rpm. I averaged 32mpg over the test, which had a fair mix of motorway and town driving. Claimed Performance is 0-60 in 7.5sec and 130mph max; both seem attainable, but not the point.

volvo xc70 d5 engine

 

In general driving the XC70 is acceptably fast if kept within the torque band. It can accelerate hard from rest, but needs a foot to the floor approach to make it go. Normal driving at low speeds predictably catches you below the 1500 torque shelf. The turbo spins in smoothly and makes the car effortless to drive. This isn’t a sports car and doesn’t pretend to be. However, you would be surprised at how it could keep up at 80% of a fast car speed, at non prison making driving speeds.

The engine is quite gruff at low speeds and pull away, but goes on to a nice 5 cylinder thrum and growl at higher revs. Above low speeds it is quiet refined and comfortable.

 

The XC70 supplied had M&S tyres fitted. It had electronically adjustable suspension, being between sport and comfort, although I couldn’t detect the difference. There was an advanced setting too, but I couldn’t figure this out at all! It is a big heavy car, being about 1925 kg; about the same as my Passat.  The XC70 feels most comfortable and at home on open wide roads and motorways, where the torque band can be used fully. Due to its raised ride height and gearing it slows appreciably above advised motorways speeds. High speed stability was ok, but a bit wayward, in particular in moderate cross winds, but again not the point of this car.

 

Volvos were designed for the snowy icy Scandinavian market. Going back to the old Volvo 144 and 244’s of the 70’s, those cars were designed to be easy to handle when sliding and were. More recent Volvos were FWD and tended to understeer. The XC70 like most AWD cars understeered at first, but it tightened quickly and easily on lifting off the power. The steering is light and not too informative. I didn’t tail slide the car, but suspect that it would be easily catchable in snow and ice. It is basically a safe, easy handling car, designed for easy use not speed. Your gran could drive it fairly quickly. It would be worthwhile if some other manufactures remembered that and not try to make a car to serve every driving purpose, thereby loosing its principal design function. I still prefer function over style.

 

The purpose of the test was as a tow car and to compare it to some newer models and some others coming out shortly. The Volvo supplied tow hitch and kit is typical of removable units, but with a built-in lock. The car was stable and the auto box coped well. The wave of torque low down made it a better towing car than my Passat .It develops peak torque higher up and can be flat below 2000rpm. The brakes were well up to coping with double the cars weight, although no one towing anything ever tries emergency stops except where their life depends on it! Overall the car was stable and competent. Having the raised ride height does make the car less of a concern on bad surfaces, but one has to remember a trailer is rarely the same.

volvo towbar

If anyone has heard of or read the book 50 Shades of Grey, one may believe that older things may work with more consistency and style! (Any young people wanting to throw themselves at me please form an orderly queue). The same really applies to cars at the end of their model life, as the XC70 is. By now the factory will have resolved any build or quality gremlins and made ‘in build’ changes, most of which aren’t publicised. That manifests itself in a car in which everything works well, feels built from granite and simply does what it claims to do. That end of life rule applies particularity so to small volume cars like Ferraris. The downside is that some design issues grate which would be designed out in a newer car.

 

As with all Volvos it is full of safety features. The XC70 had brake assist to warn of impending collisions, lane departure warnings, adaptive cruise control that apply the brakes, blind spot assist etc. The car is fairly ‘Blonde’ proof as one would expect in selling to the home Scandinavian market! As this degree of modernity is strange to me, I just wonder if it is too much and that drivers will rely on those ‘safety’ features rather than activate their brain? Used in conjunction with normal driving safety techniques it certainly assists. However, complacency and laziness are endemically human characteristics. That coupled with the car/ SUV upsizing trend to ensure mutually assured destruction in crashes, and the increased sale of blonde hair dye, worries me.

 

The XC70 is a size up from any Passat and feels it. It has ample accommodation for 4 to 5 adults and a massive boot. The test car had every extra including heated ventilated front seats, a good Harman Karman Stereo and was a very comfortable place to be. In the recent bad weather the car predictably heated up very quickly and kept  cozy, like any car not designed in Italy!

 

The car also has various ‘soft road’ functions like hill decent. On a brief muddy lane adventure it coped well. However, raised ground clearance, M&S tyres and AWD should see most peoples’ horse box tows and muddy field trips accomplished with ease. Cars, or more particularly SUV’s with stupidly skinny tyres, will struggle, hence my point of style over function.

download_20141114_144038

 

If you scan current Volvo dealer ads the XC70 is being sold off with massive discounts. All indicative of end of life sales and struggling to keep up with perceived more modern cars. The new XC90 has just been launched which will invariably steal sales. Hence this car really only makes financial sense as a nearly new. However, it is likely to outlast you, such is the built quality! It also all works, works well and will be a faithful servant to you and your family, just like the proverbial old family retainer. Not flash, but you can rely on it to do exactly what it is designed to do, day in, day out ,no matter what the climate throws at you.

 

Volvo struggles with image issues which it is trying to overcome with exciting new models. Safe, sound, sensible, reliable, working and whatever other words you want to use to get to 50 words of grey, really explain this car. Sadly too many style cars and SUV’s steal sales as people don’t see quality when it’s in front of them. Or indeed me. Now where is that queue?

Previous articleHow Tesla Builds Cars – Changing the Car Factory Forever
Next articleJaguar Heritage Experience Review
Collector of Italian cars, Litigation Lawyer; Volunteer: Chairman of UK Ecoli charity H.U.S.H; CAB Legal advisor; and children's swimming teacher.