1998 Volvo V70 XC review from UK and Ireland

Jammed boot lock.

Faulty interior light/door lock switch.

Faulty ABS/TRACS unit.

Transmission `bang`

Faulty FNS brake caliper.

Front passenger door speaker works intermittently.

No lift in tailgate struts.

Numerous rattles, squeaks and vibrations.

The prime reason for buying this vehicle was for its comfort and practicality. In terms of comfort it was 100% successful. In terms of practicality it could have been 100% successful apart from one major achilles heel. Suffer a puncture in a XC 100 miles from home at night and you are faced with calling out the RAC or risking damaging the transmission by fitting the spacesaver spare. Then, dependent upon tyre wear you will probably need to fit 4 new tyres not just one to ensure equal tyre wear is maintained or risk damage to the transmission.

Performance was most impressive, allied to the surefootedness of the admittedly good AWD system.

Fuel consumption regularly ranged from 20mpg around town to over 34mpg on a motorway run. From a heavy 2.5 light pressure turbo engined vehicle I found this to be extremely good.

The estate is undoubtedly versatile, but the load area is high and narrow. For maximum versatility you need to stack everything up to the roof.

As a drivers car I thoroughly enjoyed the XC. Coccooned in supremely comfortable seats with power-a-plenty under your right foot, listening to the music from the excellent sound system it was a very pleasant place to be.

The biggest problem for me was the constant fear of puncturing and sustaining irrepairable damage to the transmission and the constant chorus of strange noises and vibrations which could never be satisfactorily traced by the various technicians that looked over it.