1997 Volvo S70 T5 review from Portugal

3 months ago the transmission broke against a tuned Honda Civic VTI.

This car IS reliable.

This car has punch.

I've previously owned a 95 Civic 1.5 90hp, and when I drove the S70 it was shocking.

The 240hp 2.3 Turbo engine is a charm.

Until you get it to more or less 3500rpm nothing happens, but pass that and the car just explodes in a blistering acceleration, crushing you against the seats, and by the time you notice it is already at the 6500rpm limiter, begging you to change gear!!

1st it gets you to almost 70km/h, then shift to 2nd and it gets you to more or less 110km/h. When you shift to 3rd the car takes you in an instant to almost 180km/h, 4th passes 230km/h, and 5th can take you up to 260km/h.

It is quite, quite fast.

The comfort is very good. The previous owner had installed everything. Leather seats, electric windows, electric seats, A/C, cruise control, etc, etc. Long distant trips are made without problems.

The economy on other hand is bad. With the petrol prices rising almost every day, it is hard to maintain this car, even if you drive it at low speeds. Here in Portugal we pay a LOT for petrol... We pay 2,3412 dollars (1,5€) per liter..

I had installed Koni Sport Suspension on this, because the original Suspension was too soft. You could feel the car wandering a bit in a fast turn. Still, with the Koni it is comfortable.