3rd Nov 2014, 21:17
I must confess that changing from a Volvo to a Hyundai baffles me! True, Hyundai are making much better cars now, but even so!
I recently sold my 2005 V70, which has close to 296,000 miles on the clock and was spectacular for a car with those miles. Never broke down and was supremely comfortable. Upgraded to an XC90, which so far is proving a class act in what it's designed to do.
I did look at a Santa Fe and it was an OK car, but the quality wasn't there. No 'little' touches that I'd miss after a Volvo, and certainly nowhere near as comfortable. It is a cheaper car, but my family travels with me and the Volvo gives me something the others can't - piece of mind! Especially when it comes to safety, and no one can put a value on my family's lives. All cars have to meet current safety regulations, but some take it that much further and my XC90 is one of those.
As for stereos - Past V70 owner, find a Volvo fitted with the Dynaudio system (like in my wife's V50) and it will blow your socks off!!!
2nd Dec 2014, 05:15
You're right about previous Volvo audio systems. My '99 V70 had the best they made for that model year (not sure what they labelled it). My teenage kids preferred to sit in the car in the driveway to listen to their tunes. And that's saying a lot, since I had a state of the art $8k stereo system in the den.
But, I stand by my previous statement. My Santa Fe was a better car than the 2004 V70 I had. I will never get over the Volvo's tiring and inaccurate steering that made every trip, short or long, a chore. On the other hand, once the seat back was replaced, the comfort was just as good as the '97. And, it was reliable.
26th Nov 2020, 08:19
Just for future readers. The original owner complained about the driver's seat. It turns out, the owner left another review about his future 2007 Santa Fe, and in that review he mentions he is a tall person, I quote "I'm a large person (6ft, 3in.)". That was the problem, right there. The 2001-2007 V70 (and S60) were not designed for tall drivers. I'm 6ft tall and I can say it's not the most comfortable driving position: I am missing a few inches to comfortably stretch my legs at the pedals, and also the seat is quite low to the floor which has my legs sitting at an angle which I don't find that comfortable; true for most tall drivers, especially as you get older :) The seat itself is comfortable.
As for the steering feeling, he is right, this car has a 'busy' steering on the highway. Not everybody is aware of this, but there are cars out there that require little steering 'attention' while cruising - these are very relaxing to drive long distances, while other cars, such as V70 had a steering that keeps you 'alert' about driving. Not related to tire make, pressure or alignment. It's just the way the steering and perhaps suspension components are designed.
Finally, Volvo did start to cut the cost with the 2004 year, so they replaced the steering rack from SMI to ZF which is less refined; they also replaced the headlights (actually in 2005) to the ones with plastic lens which were really bad at changing bulbs. They fitted a new CEM (that got problems from water corrosion), new radio units, the 650 and 850 series which were rather problematic, and so on. On the first V70 and S60 years, from 2001-2003, Volvo used the SMI rack. The steering of the cars with the SMI racks was simply unbelievable. Something I don't think many people experienced. It was unbelievably smooth and weighted. The 'weighted' attribute took a whole new level on that steering. It wasn't just that it felt well. It felt like a mechanical device that had some sort of balance to it, not related to the way the car was driving. Like an electronically programmed device that was so pleasant to rotate, you would simply want to drive the car alone for the steering sensation. I'd say the steering alone was in a class apart compared to the other components of the car such as seats and engine. The problem is, the SMI rack has a design fault causing it to... yes you guessed right, to become heavy and numb, taking away all the one of a kind feeling it had when it was new.
1st Jan 2013, 05:09
Did you have your front end aligned as you should have when replacing tires?
If so, could this have been the reason for the poor steering?