Volvo XC70

One of the best cars I have ever owned – This has been one of the most reliable fuel efficient and safe vehicles vehicles I have owned and is my second Volvo but have driven others owned by friends. I have owned it for about five years, it has done 216000 Kim’s 140000 of which are mine Show details

Best Car I have driven – This car has been amazing, comfortable, fast when needed, amazing grip (AWD) on gravel and great on snow. A very comfortable long distance cruiser, having travelled from Tasmania to the Kimberley and then back again. And finally Tassie back up to FNQ. Never missed a beat. Show details

check a few things before buying – Be very wary about the transmissions in these. They have a tendency to flare shift between 2nd and third. it seems like the box getsi confused. this can cause the transmission to BANG into third which can cause major transmission issues. first thing is to check the colour of the fluid, as volvo said it was a "fluid for life" which is far from the… Read more

truth. flush the fluid, and do a little repair on the transmission called a b4 servo cover update. this update stops 90% of the problems in these cars.

Also check the front lower control arm bushings, they have a tendency to wear out causing the car to wander under braking. change the oil every 7500 kms, using synthetic oil. my car is an 04 model and i just changed the battery, it was the original one from new, not a bad effort!!

the cars drive beautifully, the doors close with a thud. They have a feel that no other cars seem to have. They power from my 2.5 turbo 5cyl is brilliant, although it can get a little thirsty. I average 10.5L per 100, but on highway trips with no hills it can drop to 8.

if you can service the car yourself, buy one! but make sure you check that transmission!!! and even if its good, do that b4 servo update!

Awesome Cross country – I love my cross country xc70what a great ride beautiful seats roomy wagon and the engine is fantastic keep up the services and drive steady and you have a wonderful AWD. Very happy and I have had a 850 se wagon which was the Best but this one is shaping up to be just as good  Show details

XC70 LE D5 2008 – I've purched my XC70 in 2008 and now after 180.000Km and 3 kids, is still going strong!!! Apart for the usual service I had to replace the battery once....fuel wise I get 8.8l/km in the city and 6.9l/km on th freeway (between 750/1050 km out of a full tank).I love the comfort, luxury, and huge boot, and I must say that the the car is very, very reliable and well built !!! ........I'll buy Volvo again without hesitation!!  Show details

Just bought my second XC70 – First bought an XC70 in Feb 2008 - one of the first three of the current body shape into Australia (it was a press review vehicle). Impulse buy - wife wanted a car better suited for towing than our fading Tarago - "now!". Very short of time... It was the first car I looked at and I just bought it... Spent a morning in Paramatta and it was mine.… Read more ·  1

What a stroke of luck.

We have loved that XC70 for 6 years. Very comfortable on long trips which we do a few of, exceedingly spacious with a huge, flat rear load space with the seats down. Nicely understated luxury. Seats are rightly legendary. Has a very solid feel on the road. Some reviewers talk about the soft suspension and sway in corners... I guess that they are pushing it like a racing car.... Irrelevant in my mind. Its soft suspension and weight are what give it a fantastic ride and sustained comfort on a long trip.

The car was reliable for quite few years but started to become a bit expensive to maintain last year (2014). Some of the maintenance issues included failure of the centre console, leaking sunroof and finally a suggestion of oil in the water. So you could say that's not good, and you would be right, but our overall experience with this car has been very positive.

When seeking to replace it I took several months (unlike my first time), did lots of research and drove many cars, including Touaregs, Audis, Mercs, Ford, Subaru and Toyotas - a lot of nice cars among them. But after all that work I was simply unable to find a car that gave me everything the XC70 gave - so I just got another one - same body shape and engine - there is nothing else quite like it.

Other good points

* Safety (Volvo needs no introduction there)

* Towing Capacity quite high for a normal wagon

* Very good on dirt and can take a bit of the rough

Excellent car but – Need to keep servicing up to date to avoid issues and drain/refill transmission every 50,000km with correct fluids. Better feel on the road than any Australia built car.  Show details

Help re Gearbox and other mystery cost over 100k – I have a 2005 XC and love it so far. Good bits are, very comfortable, powerful and same as other review positives. Bad, I only get about 420 k out of a tank. I am reviewing if I should sell or hang onto the car and hopefully do the long haul and as I am in my late 50's and do not want to spend more money on a car and hope to get 300 plus K… Read more ·  1

plus. I have mates who have had XC50 that have 300 plus with very little go wrong and would like to think I can achieve the same with out expensive gearbox or other costly repairs... Has any one had gearbox trouble or other problems?

Built for a purpose... No1 criteria... Comfort & space – My BZ MY12 XC70 D5 was specifically ordered in white with cream leather seats and an array of options that are simply not available elsewhere...eg. Laminated glass all round. The best cargo barrier system around... I have opted for the stereo upgrade, subwoofer and all. That alone puts me in heaven... My car is a mobile office and I regularly… Read more

travel long distances. I live in Hobart, Tasmania but am a regular on the ferry and travel frequently to Sydney, Adelaide and various rural centers in between. This is where this car shines like no other... It replaced a Volvo XC90 which I liked but I'm even happier in this.

You just don't tire in one of these and everything is where it should be... Instrumentation is simple and clear.

This car will fail a test drive around the block but will come alive once you live with it.

I have a special dog cage system set up as the woof travels along quite often. I think it is the easiest "dog car" to own.

The boot space is user-friendly and resists the Audi or BMW "lifestyle-wagon" mantra... I want a wagon for space... The E-class is spacious too and having spent 2 months and 8000km with my parents E350CDI 4matic (in Germany) I am surprised that I still prefer my Volvo.. again mainly for comfort! The Mercedes is a more agile and faster car; but it, even as a E250CDI, costs nearly twice as much as the Volvo over here in Australia.

The adaptive cruise option I do like; though, I like systems (like the Chryslers have them) that you can switch between adaptive and non-adaptive cruise as sometimes, due to angles, the cruise control is too keen to alter your speed. . Or, in light freeway traffic you will have to concentrate as to when you change lane as to avoid the adaptive cruise control slowing you down to match the speed of the car you wish to pass.

Overall just a great companion for long trips... one I'd happily buy again.

Regarding fuel... I have had 6.3l/100 a few times over long distances (Adelaide-Melbourne) and generally get about 8l. The car has the Polestar option. Comfort and space, great options list, safety, Adaptive cruise can be annoying at times, space saver spare

Terrible car – We have had this car for 4 years with 45,000kms on the clock. Cruise does not work down hill, battery leaks (replaced twice), the car had major troubles after one service where if you moved the left seat, all the electrics shorted - no windows, no lights etc - fixed three times but no permanent solution still (except - "do not move the seat",… Read more

fuel consumption in the city is woeful - not much better on the open road, no USB port, gas spewing out of the aircon unit - god - it is just so average for what you have to pay - I am now on a first name basis with the local NRMA guy and he said his number one calls outs are European cars - least call outs? japanese - I had a Subaru for ten years prior - I am going back! considered safe, comfortable ride, its a Volvo - people steer clear of you! 1 day after the 3 year warranty expires, you will get troubles, very expensive to service - take out a second mortgage!

Excellent – Overall a fabulous, sensible size car. It is the best 4WD I have driven. There is no other 4WD on the market with the fabulous size boot and ability to change from 5 seats to 7. I would not swap it for any other car Smooth drive, luxurious, heated seats, big boot, airconditioning in the boot, seven full size seats, easy to drive, all cd's load… Read more ·  4

in the dash instead of the boot like most cars, side mirrors are big, drink holders are sensible size, tow bar is very neat, rear parking assist. Turn is ridiculous, you have to do a 10 point turn instead of a 3 point turn. To turn the fan on in the boot you have to turn it on in the boot. If you turn the air con off and want it back on again, you have to get out the car and turn in on in the boot again. It is too easy to knock the window wipers on and accidentally turn on the fog lights. If you put anything on the front seat the car goes nuts as it thinks there is a person sitting there without a seatbelt on.

The best car in the world!!!!! – I have the very last of this shape (April 2007) and there is no doubt in my mind that this vehicle is one of the best in the world. I have driven all sorts of cars at all sorts of price ranges but this eclipses most for so many reasons. Safety, Performance, Build Quality, Reliability, Practicality and Design. From the rear child booster seats to… Read more ·  2

the battery location away from the engine bay to promote battery life, the low pressure turbo engine with brilliant performance and economy. The build quality: one drive in this car and you'll soon appreciate the drive characteristics and the quality just oozes. I can't say enough good things about this car. All the qualities that just don't scream out but just quietly become noticed when you need them, for example the illuminated drink holders in the middle console. The main thing to look for is a good low K model that hasn't been abused and has had all it's services on time. The lemons are out there, I found one that had 60000km on the clock but obviously had been abused, no accurate service records and drove like it had done 200000km. Get a pre-purchase inspection from a Volvo specialist. I used a private Volvo Mechanic who was fussier than I, worth the $90!!! Build Quality, Safety, Performance, Design and Running Costs. The extended factory warranty cost $2700!

Good – We bought our Volvo 6 months ago when our new baby was coming home from hospital and have had a rocky start. We have had little things like the ambient temperature control (there was dirt in one of the side mirrors), seat control (turned out to be a computer programming glitch) and the emissions light came on a week after we bought it (apparently… Read more ·  1

it is the spark plugs not being genuine volvo parts?)

These are all things that Volvo diagnosed and wanted to charge us many $$$'s to fix, we took it to our mechanic who looks after our bmw 7 series and he has fixed all in much less time and money. Finding dirt instead of having to replace parts has saved us thousands of $$$'s! Easy loading the pram, keyboard, large boxes from office works! I love the customised seating positions, and easy drivability. I like it now...read on to find out why... Expensive to get little things fixed through Volvo in the city. As it is getting older, little glitches are starting to appear.The finish is not as classy as the BMW. Volvo Fortitude Valley are very nice to deal with but are unhelpful at diagnosing the real problems, charging exorbitant prices for labour and genuine parts. Our Mechanic in Brendale (bris. north)(www.bmts.com.au) is amazing if you have a european car and don't want to be ripped off.

Terrible – Had to replace transmission 2 years ago was off the road for 6 weeks. Transmission has just gone again not worth repairing scrap value for the car only. I've had a 240, 850, V40, 740 & XC70. I have always been a proud Volvo owner until now. Volvos response when the Transmission went was bad luck. Having been broken down on the side of the SE… Read more

Freeway one too many times I have given up on Volvo.

Scrapping the Volvo and buying a Lexus. Very comfortable well laid out car. Service very expensive. Only one dealer in Adelaide. Spare parts always a problem with delays from Melbourne.

Excellent – This is our second Volvo wagon, the previous one we disposed of after 25 years. We have found Volvo's to be good safe, comfortable, reliable cars. With the rear seat down there is enough room to carry as single mattress and base. The 2.5 turbo is quite responsive and it is a very nice car for general touring. It is quiet inside and has a luxurious… Read more

feel in our LE model with sun-roof, leather seats and timber trim. Comfortable, pleasant interior, solid feel. Fuel consumption average, servicing quite expensive (like jazzyq123 we've ditched Volvo servicing for a local guy).

Good – Bought our 2003 model second-hand with 105k on the clock. Currently 125k and haven't had any issues. Very comfortable, quiet, sturdy and so far, reliable. Fuel consumption: City averages 10.5 Lt/100 km. Country/freeway averages 9.0 Lt/100 km on freeway trips. Great load space. Fabulous seats, great dash and controls layout, though not sporty the… Read more ·  1

handling is fairly nimble and confident. Good fit and finish. Child booster seats are excellent for under 10 year olds. Climate control works well with rear vents. Heated seats are great in winter. Turbo 2.5 litre is quite responsive and fine for overtaking and hills. Service costs on the high side, especially through dealer network. Parts can be quite expensive. Best to find a good mechanic who can do Euro cars and has the computer code reader device required to reset the service clock and diagnose issues.

Excellent – Coming from a Ford XR6, I expected to miss its responsiveness and road hugging handling through corners. However, the XC70's 2.5ltr light turbo engine delivers responsively and impressively at all speeds and the obviously increased corner roll is offest by the exceptional road holding via the AWD system. Driving in the wet is simply stunning and… Read more

secure, and its general design features more than adequately meet the everyday demands of each member of a growing family. Fun to drive, smooth and reliable, this car is perfect for our growing family of 4. The inbuilt child booster seats in the rear are marvellous, the flat load area manages those awkward occasional loads easily, and the AWD ensures any weather conditions are handled with ease. Fuel economy is also impressive, with over 700kms per tank regularly achieved on country runs (using premium unleaded), even with Climate Control operating at all times. No warning indicator when lights are left on low beam and ignition key removed.