Musings about my XC70

[Kix]

So today I had to drive a client's W204 2010 Mercedes-Benz C Class. It must be said, that Mercedes was always my first love having grown up with them and I have owned a few vintage ones myself. I would be lying if I said I didn't consider the W204 before I bought my wife's current S40 D5.

Back to the one I drove this morning... Granted this example has had a hard life and it has 140k km on the clock, but when I compare it to my XC70, it is a massive disappointment.

This was the C180BE which means it has the 1.6 Turbo engine. It is hopeless. Also, the interior, though screwed together rather well, hasn't aged gracefully. It just doesn't feel like a plush, luxurious place to be. At all. The seats are hard and the leather has gone hard from probably standing in the sun a lot. The ride was also bumpy and unforgiving.

The Mercedes will probably last, as they say the W204 was built to the same standard as the legendary W124, but I've just returned from the shop with my XC70 and it is such a nice place to be. To me the dash layout and design look more modern (bar the slot for the cassette tape) and pleasing to the eye.

All and all, to me, the Mercedes is just not worth the extra money and even if the prices were in line, I'd probably still end up with the Volvo.

[vtl]

So if you drove same age W204 with appropriate engine, clean and cared leather, refreshed suspension and steering, you'd still think it's a step backward compared to P2 XC70? I'm assure you P2 is not a pleasure to drive if it was neglected

[Kix]

So if you drove same age W204 with appropriate engine, clean and cared leather, refreshed suspension and steering, you'd still think it's a step backward compared to P2 XC70? I'm assure you P2 is not a pleasure to drive if it was neglected

Thing is, there was nothing wrong with the Merc, mechanically. Suspension, steering, drive train, all seems to be in perfect nick. After driving Volvo's for so long, I think it might have changed my idea of what being wafted around really means. The Merc just failed to "waft".

If I compare it to my S40, (granted my S40 is top of the line, and the Merc was a C180) the only thing I like more on the Merc is the steering, it's lovely and light for parking and weights up very nicely as speed increases. That's it. Fit and finish on my S40 is on par if not better, and my car now has 100k km on the clock and looks miles better. The S40's interior in true Swedish minimalism has also aged well.

[JRL]

MBZ (and all German cars) = very hard seats.
Volvo = best seats in the industry

This is the silliest rant, drive GOOD examples of both.
I've been in Volvos with horrible, hard seats too, ones that were not taken care of

[Antherzoll]

Apples to Oranges?

Volvo = best seats in the industry

Great for long trips. You can get up and walk after a 6h+ drive. I drove all the way to Winnipeg (~2200km, 21hours) only to stop for gas and felt great afterwards.

[guymon]

I owned a 89' 300TE before my XC.
Volvos seats are the best, along with the paint job. The Mercedes MBTex, while not real leather could take a beating, but they were hard seats.
Working on the Volvo, while not horrible, is not as nice as the Mercedes was. Volvos are just a little quirky in how they engineered everything. Not bad just... different. I'm still at a loss as to why the love affair with the 5 cylinder. I'll always have a spot in my heart for a straight 6.

Those is just my rant/musings

[troyhyde]

Mercedes seems to have gone the route of hideously priced and complex engines that frequently have catastrophic failures, even at very low mileage. They like to change them every year to render the breed not linear or consistent and never "tested through the years".

Going all the way back to the Benz 240 and 300 diesels, these were different cars. Totally bulletproof and simple and drove nicely for their era.

I like the idea that the Volvo 5 cylinder engine has been around since '93, taking on improvements as they were learned / made affordable to engineer into the cars. A nearly 25 year run for an engine design is almost unheard of anymore.

[JRL]

Just a really silly thread

[billr99]

MBZ (and all German cars) = very hard seats.
Volvo = best seats in the industry

This is the silliest rant, drive GOOD examples of both.
I've been in Volvos with horrible, hard seats too, ones that were not taken care of

Boy, I don't know. I've had a bunch of cars and the best seats I've seen are in Audis or BMWs with the M-Sport seats. They are longer on the bottom cushion or are adjustable that way and support your legs better. As far as better all around, I'd have to vote for the ones I had in a Merkur Scorpio. They were amazing. Better than a Benz but the leather held up as well as MBtex.

But I guess it all depends on what shape your butt is, eh?

Cheers,

Bill

[troyhyde]

Bill, always great to have nice butt cupping!