Why choose XC70 over V70?

[kmcg]

Okay, this will seem like a dumb question because the answer is probably obvious to any XC70 owners, so I apologize in advance. I'm considering a base V70 2.4 and a base XC70 (both 2005) because there's this sell-down dealer incentive right now on base cars, and it puts them within my comfort zone, price-wise. The XC70 is only about $3k more than the V70, but my hubby is not convinced that we really need the XC70. We're also considering a 2004 Saab 9-5 linear wagon for $2k less than the V70; it has 8,000 miles on it.

So can anyone give me some great arguments on how the 2 compare? (Or how the 3 compare, if you have an opinion of the Saab?) We drive in the rain, a lot, and in the snow for ski trips about 5 times a year. We would use the car for a daily short-trip commuter, and for family trips that include 2 teenagers. The main differences I see in the 2 cars are: AWD, more powerful engine, electronic climate control, better seating material in the XC. Less important to me are raised suspension, roof rails, body cladding, although I do like the more burly look of the XC. Are there features I'm missing? As owners, how important are these various features to you? Thanks for you help!

[Coffeeman]

Having owned both the Saab & XC, I can tell you why I like the Volvo better. The Saab is a great, although aging design, vehicle. My main complaint with the Saab is torque steer, because of the front wheel drive setup, and cowl shake, because of the lack of front chassis stiffness.

Those aside, I'm sold on Volvo's safety over the Saab, the main contributor to this being all wheel drive, instead of the Saab's front wheel drive. If you are not into the XC70's cladding, ride height, baseball stitch seats, you might want to consider resale value when comparing the XC70 with the V70 AWD. In my research, used XC's seem to hold their value better than used V70AWD's.

[TrueBlue]

I've had all three, so here's my two euros worth:-

Agree with Coffeeman - I had a Saab 9000 aeons ago, loved it except for the torque steer and horrid gearbox.

Cutting to the chase between V70 and XC70 -

The base XC70 being the top of the range model is a much better spec than the standard V70.

Is the V70AWD a turbo model (haven't looked), if not then that's a whole lot of difference...
If it is then the difference is smaller..

For me the clincher - and here you almost have to build a decision table - but the clincher is that the XC70 gives yo a better ride than the V70 with its skinnier tyres, softer over potholes and more comfortable BUT without any loss of stability or steering qualities. I had to suffer a ride in SWMBO's V70 the other day and I missed my XC

Summary:-
Std non turbo V70 vs XC - no contest
turbo V70 AWD vs XC - a bit closer.
Not worried about $3k difference - XC better bet better spec.

Go for it man - There's no helpful V70 forum; doesn't that say something.
Footnote: over here XC70 is priced as a luxury top of the range car so V70AWD gives better value. Stateside the XC70 is the better value IMHO.

Happy sliding in the snow...

[XC70 fan]

Great replies, but you already answered your own question. Since you said "We drive in the rain, a lot, and in the snow for ski trips about 5 times a year.", the AWD is great for slippery wet roads as well as the snow. And the raised suspension and body cladding is perfect for snow driving. Although most people who knows how to drive in the snow would have no problem with a FWD vehicle, the extra AWD and raised suspension would give you a great advantage as well as piece of mind. Nothing wrong with the V70 though, it's still a Volvo.

[littlewaywelt]

I had a 92 Saab 900 Turbo convert. It was probably the best car I ever owned; eleven years, 150k miles, a roll over in which the car held up so well Saab sent engineers to examine and photograph the car, great in snow, and definitely out of the ordinary. I miss it nearly every sunny day or twisty road. I thought the car was a blast to drive, and the torque wasn't by any means unliveable. I drove a viggen a couple of years ago and even that with all its HP was very liveable as a daily driver or sporty car.

Re thh xc70 vs v70, the big difference is awd and ground clearance. Finding an awd v70 can be tough. If you don't need the couple of inches of extra ground clearance I'd go with the 70. Re holding their value, both absolutely stink, imo. I think saab was much better in this regard (at least my 900 was). If you don't need the awd def go with the 70. It's one less thing to brake and the v70 certainly does very well in snow. A few other differences are you can get the v70 in manual and I believe without turbo.

[Scrapr]

Well, I just traded in my 98 V70. After 6 years and 285k it is done. I picked up my XC 90 Monday. I love it so far. My V 70 was base model, non turbo and 2WD. I loved that car. We spent a lot of time together. LOL
My V70 was fine in the rain. What made me decide to go up to the XC 90 was the AWD. I drive over to Bend at least once per week. That means rain, snow or dry in the pass. I only chained up once this year. And I really wasn't looking forward to doing it any more. There have been only a few times where the State Police made everyone chain (4WD included). And with the XC 90 I should be done getting out in the slop to chain up. (can you tell I don't like it? LOL)

I notice in your original post you don't say if the V 70 is AWD or not. I am assuming not since that is what my base is. (only 2WD) If your ski trips don't require getting out I would go with the V70. Unless you like the amemities in the XC

[barrysharp]

We chose the XC70 over the V70 AWD primarily for the better ride comfort and visual more rugged looks. The seats also were more comfortable for us. My wife was most adamant about the ride quality. Not sure if the DSTC was available in the V70 AWD but it was avail on XC70 and we got itfo r the extra safety margin it provided.

In my area (Pacific NW) the XC70 has great resale value as well - not that we plan on selling anytime soon. :)

Good luck - you can't go wrong with the XC70 choice IMO.

[kmcg]

Thanks for all the great responses! I'm really glad I found this board. Yes, the base V70 I'm looking at is non-turbo and not AWD, so the XC70 would be much nicer for ski trips. My husband doesn't mind putting on chains, but I do. It sounds like people like the ride of the XC70 quite a lot. I did too, when I test drove it, but I liked the V70 too. They all seem great when the last Volvo I drove was a 1984 240 wagon! I'll add all the feedback into my decision; keep it coming if you have more to say! Thanks again!

[vtie]

I currently drive a XC70, my previous car was a Saab 9-5 Aero, and I often drive my brother's V70. Some observations:

* The biggest problem with the Saab was front wheel slipping while accelerating on wet roads. This could be even dangerous. There was traction control, but all this could do is interupt the engine power. Other than that, it was a truely great car, a lot more fun to drive than the XC70. Too much fun actually, according to the speed tickets...

* The difference in handling between the XC70 and the V70 are not very big. Both arn't sports cars. Personally, I would not say that the XC70 drives much smoother. The stock Pirelli STR tires are quite chunky.

* With the same engine, the XC70 consumers quite a bit more and has decreased performance.

* What I really like on the XC70, and what made me buy it, is the confidence it gives you that there won't be any (reasonable) road situation you can't handle. It behaves exceptionally well in bad conditions (rain, snow, unpaved roads, ...). The tires, AWD, raised suspension all contribute to this.

[Willy]

Hi,
This may not be true for you (or for your market), but the XC is better equiped than the V70, or the AWD. The metal barrier and leather interior are examples (the XC comes standard in a mix of textile and leather, so the upgrade to leather is "only" half as expensive). Other options can also be included in the XC, in my case, the way I wanted the car to be equiped even made the AWD a little more expensive than the XC!
Willy

[SYS]

XC70 is DEFINITELY sexier than its cousin. That alone should end all debates. :D

[Castle]

I can't top that last reason!

Since it appears you live in Seattle, there are several great reasons to choose the Cross Country over the standard wagon.

1. Turbo engine has much more power in the mountains than does a non-turbo engine.

2. AWD is a life-saver on icy and snowy roads.

3. The XC70 is taller and thus more comfortable to drive on SUV-filled roads.

I've owned five Saabs. In my opinion, they are better handling and more connected to the driver than a Volvo. But, I've never had the problems with the Volvos like I had with Saabs. And Saab resale value in most of the US is horrible. While the 9-5 is an excellent car, it is a dated design and only available in front-wheel drive. Once you own an AWD car, you'll be spoiled.

Tod.

[Scrapr]

My husband doesn't mind putting on chains, but I do.

Is that what he says? And you believe him??? LOL
I did test drive a V 70 turbo and wish that I had gone that direction.
Let us know what you decide

[skibo]

We chose the XC70 over the V70 AWD primarily for the better ride comfort ... My wife was most adamant about the ride quality. .
I was interested to read Barry's comment above. Although the consensus of this forum is that the XC70 rides very well, I find it to be a little too firm for my tastes. I'd always assumed that the V70 would offer a better ride, and that the ride of the XC version was compromised by the higher stance. I've never ridden in a V70, so I can't directly comment.

Of course, my 'baseline' is 25 years of driving a series of 4 full sized GM cars, and I sense that most forum members are used to driving SUV's, or cars of a more sporting nature. Two months ago I inherited a 1989 Oldsmobile Regency, and the difference in ride is pronounced - the Olds feels like it's riding on a cloud.

I guess it is all relative. Too bad there isn't some objective test value that can be used for this. I know that railway locomotives have a quantifible ride quality metric. The loco is driven over a track of given charecteristic, and the accelerations at the operator seat are measured and converted to a value from 1-5. Seems like the same thing could be done for automobiles.

[skibo]

Other items to consider are fuel economy (of course) and turbo lag.

Here again, the consense seems to be that the XC's turbo lag is undetectable. But, again, after 25 years of driving big displacement (but low horsepower) cars, I can feel it when starting from stops.

On fuel economy, I feel better now that I did 6 months ago when I got the XC - was getting 16 mph / 24 mph in the snowy winter months (compared to the advertised 19/24), and was pretty discouraged since the vast majority of my mileage is city. Now that summer is here, I'm seeing 19 / 26 and am better with it. But, the base, non-turbo V70 is advertised at 22/30, and so you might even 32 if your experiance scales like mine. 32 highway is a nice number for a good sized car - my tiny Civic only did 36.

[redwagon04]

Our XC70 is really my wife's. What she likes is the slightly higher stance of the XC70 and feeling a little higher up (she is only 5 ft tall). Also, she believes that the XC70's bumpers hide scuffs, bumps and scratches (chipping from the winter sand/salt) a little better than on the V70's painted ones would, plus with pulling strollers etc out of the back all the time ......

And of course the AWD.

[Pasi]

Ride comfort is much better with XC compared to ordinary V70, especially on poor road surface. In my opinion, that is.

[vtie]

I was interested to read Barry's comment above. Although the consensus of this forum is that the XC70 rides very well, I find it to be a little too firm for my tastes. I'd always assumed that the V70 would offer a better ride, and that the ride of the XC version was compromised by the higher stance. I've never ridden in a V70, so I can't directly comment.


I have an XC70 but also often drive a V70, and imho the V70 has a smoother drive most of the times. Smaller road artifacts are taken better by the V70. Only when the road gets really very bad, the XC70 drives better.
But I have to add that my XC70 has the nivomat automatic levelling, which seems to more stiff than the normal configuration.

[carl]

Don't minimize the importance of awd for rain and snow. Yes, front wheel drive is good, but for a couple of thousand dollars this should be a no-brainer. Accidents do happen, especially in rain and snow, and even though the odds are way in your favor use your brain for this decision. BTW, also buy the DSTC for about $700. If you don't, then why not buy a Subaru?
Just my opinion,
Carl

[KILOFINAL]

I had a 2004 V70 SE and loved the car. Prior to that I drove a 1991 940GLE. This week, I traded in my leased V70SE for a 2005 XC70 Titanium Edition. I just love the XC70. So far, the car has been great. Mind you, the V70 felt smoother. It might have been because the car came with 17" factory mags.

Nonetheless, I think the XC70 is the perfect car for the type of weather we have in Southern Ontario. Regards....KILOFINAL

[ritchj]

Had the XC for 44K miles - great ride, etc., but I always thought it needed about 100 more HP. I pick up my new '05 V70R (with 92 more HP) in three days.

[pting]

We chose the XC70 over the V70 AWD primarily for the better ride comfort and visual more rugged looks. The seats also were more comfortable for us. My wife was most adamant about the ride quality. Not sure if the DSTC was available in the V70 AWD but it was avail on XC70 and we got itfo r the extra safety margin it provided.

Coming from a 1995 BMW M3, I liked the ride of the V70 better. :) But from the brief testdrive, I can't really say if it actually handles much better, just that you felt more of the road. I found that after owning the M3 with its exceptional performance, I really don't expect other cars to handle the same way, and so somehow I don't miss it. Weird.

I looked for a V70 AWD, but there were none available. And then the 2nd dealer we went to was having a fire sale on 2004 XC70s, and we got one for $9000 off list, cheaper than FWD V70s were going for.

I actually think the XC70 is -too- smooth. Our 5 1/2 month baby has a hard time going to sleep in it. :)

[Jorge-789995]

All these subjective opinions... I guess I'll add mine. My last car was a 9-5 Wagon S which corresponded to the linear with leather, sunroof and automatic. I really liked the Saab. I always have though. I think the leather on the Saab was better. I think the safety of the Saab and the Volvo are virtually the same. I don't see one doing much more than the other in that respect. The thing that I did not like about the Saab was that I felt it was too fancy/plush/luxury oriented. I know that may sound like an odd criticism, but I want a car that is well built with a mind toward utility. The cargo tracks in the Saab were nice, but the fact that the XC70's front passenger seat folds flat to haul extra long objects is even better. In my opinion, the XC could be even more utility oriented to incorporate more tie downs inside and out. Bottom line, I like my XC better than my Saab and I think the suspension has held up better.

One more comment - this one will probably be somewhat contorversial. I think awd is over rated in 99.9% of the situations you will ever encounter. You have awd while accelerating, but as someone said in another post you have no wheel drive as soon as you pull your foot off the gas. And further you still only have 4 wheel brake, and all cars have that. I think that awd makes many people drive faster than they should in the first place. There are a few folks on this site that drive in area's where awd actually comes in handy. If it comes down to a confidence thing, then awd becomes worth it, but if you absolutely have to have awd to get somewhere, then maybe you should ask yourself the larger question of if you should even be on the road in those conditions. That said, I sure do like beating the meathead next to me at the light in snowy conditions -albeit 3 times a year.

You can't go wrong with any of those cars. Let us know what you end up with.

Keith

[carl]

One more comment - this one will probably be somewhat contorversial. I think awd is over rated in 99.9% of the situations you will ever encounter.
Keith

Yes that's also true about airbags, but I haven't heard anyone here saying that they're going to sell theirs on ebay. Will you be the first?
Just my opinion,
Carl