2000 Volvo V70 T-5 SE 2.3 petrol turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Seriously quick, but very comfortable family car

Faults:

Five light bulbs (front and rear) have needed replacing.

This is a car weighing nearly 1.5 tonnes and accordingly tyre wear is heavy and expensive.

Central locking system failed (repaired under warranty).

Excessive noise from power steering system (repaired under warranty)

General Comments:

This is a very quick car whether using the auto or manual box (mine has geartronic).

It has plenty of room for big dogs and four adults and is a supreme motorway cruiser - very quiet and comfortable.

It is superbly appointed with high quality materials and every conceivable luxury imaginable (although our American friends may dispute the quality of the cup holders)

I am maybe considered a fairly quick driver so fuel consumption is rather heavy at around 24 mpg.

Two thefts resulted in broken side hatch windows which are very expensive to replace when you include the replacement of the surround trim (£540 each time).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th April, 2004

10th Aug 2004, 13:45

We Americans love the car, but hate the reliability. The cup-holders have been the least of my worries.

2000 Volvo V70 XC 2.5 turbo petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A practical alternative to the SUV

Faults:

Controller for the cooling fan failed at 20,000 miles.

General Comments:

The car was extremely comfortable.

Not the best handling car, but it is better than most 4X4's.

But best of all the construction of this car saved me from serious injury when I had a major accident.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th February, 2004

2000 Volvo V70 S 2.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Quality car for gliding around, no boy-racers should apply

Faults:

Moisture in rear lower light cluster.

Pale coloured seats easily show marks.

General Comments:

First impressions are of a soundly-built, smooth car with a high level of comfort.

Not as quick as I expected, but engine is very quiet.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th February, 2003

2000 Volvo V70 Classic 2.0 Litre Light Pressure turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The best family car bar none

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car!

General Comments:

I love the Volvo V70 for several reasons.

The first is the comfort of the car for driving. The Volvo seats are superb and excellent for long distance driving. The cabin is cosy and well designed with a clear dash and easy to use controls.

The second reason is the usefulness of the car. The boot is huge and the car can easy cope with 5 adults and luggage.

The third reason is the quality and finish of the car is excellent. The cabin is well screwed together and the external paint finish is fantastic.

Performance is good when the car has warmed up and is at speed, but the Volvo' acceleration can be a little sluggish from traffic lights in urban areas.

Refinement is good and ride quality is good - however the handling of the car is a little unenthusiastic when it comes to bendy roads or high speeds - understeer sets in early and you can feel the chassis flex a little as the car protests such treatment!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th April, 2002

2000 Volvo V70 GLT from North America

Summary:

An expensive lemon

Faults:

The cup holder has broken twice.

A bracket holding the front left turn signal light broke (causing the light to pop out of the front grille area and dangle by the electric line).

The seat belts often don't retract fully (which caused the buckle to poke a hole in the door leather when the door was closed).

The cover for the driver's seat adjustment controls has broken twice and keeps falling off.

The button on the gear shift lever kept sticking and had to be replaced.

The windshield wiper fluid pump needed replacement.

Plastic covers which cover where the front seats are attached to the floor board near the back seat keep falling off. The carpet-like upholstery keeps pulling out from under the plastic moulding near the passenger side door.

Some kind of flap valve associated with the air conditioning/outside vent switching doesn't close properly (which causes the air conditioner to pull in outside hot air even on recirculation (in Texas, not good)).

Some kind of coating has begun to peel off the front and rear bumpers (Volvo says it's my problem because the paint is only warrantied for one year).

General Comments:

Too much time spent at the dealership.

I can't believe that for a garage-kept car with only 23,000 miles, that the paint (or whatever kind of coating) is already peeling off the bumpers (ridiculous for a $40,000 car).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st November, 2001

10th May 2002, 18:24

Hi.

Not sure if this is the same as your car, but what the heck.

We have a 92 960 wagon. We got it new. The car is blue. I noticed that after a year or two that a blue film was peeling off of the area just below the front bumper. At first I was peeved. Then I found out that it "supposedly" is just there for cosmetic purposes, and that it is not there for European models. I was told that the delaerships usually remove it prior to delivery. Not sure how much of that story is true, but I wouldn't doubt it. I wound up peeling it off and to tell the truth, the black looks better than the blue film. And it doesn't scratch.

You other problems seem a damn shame for a 40k vehicle. Have been considering getting an XC, but am just not sure.

We have owned 4 Volvos over the years, and have generally pleased with them overall, but I'm wondering how the "ford effect" is going to pan out.