Bad Press?

[brissim]

....................
How do you all reconcile this discrepancy?

With any car brand you will always have your lemons. On reading your specific story the question that immediately comes to mind is what generation XC70 was your friend referring to? If her problems related to her '99 wagon - which was probably a first generation V70XC - how on earth can you extrapolate that to todays 3rd generation XC70 - they are two totally unrelated vehicles built on totally different platforms with totally different engines, transmissions and ... well everything. But still a good example of the "urban myths" that some car brand such as Volvo can collect over the years.

I wont call it a secret because to be fair it probably applies to most car brands - is that as long as you look after your car, have it serviced "by-the-book" by authorised and/or experienced personnel, you'll get a long life out of most cars. The last three Volvos we've owned have averaged 6-7 years and around 130,000km (80,000 miles) and across all three Volvos only two minor warranty claims. Out of warranty yes there have been some additional costs (brakes, replacement air conditioning condenser, engine mounts) but these are costs you would expect on most cars anyway.

Now obviously I'm biased - after all this is a Volvo forum - but I really would not be concerned about the long term reliability of todays Volvos.

Tony

ps - if you do buy the XC70 and the day after the warranty ends the engine drops out, please ignore this post.

[ORshepherd]

Tony

ps - if you do buy the XC70 and the day after the warranty ends the engine drops out, please ignore this post.[/QUOTE]

That made me LOL....for real. ANd I did look up when Ford started making them....1999 I think?!

Well, I did buy the Volvo! And I got a 5 year warranty, plus first month paid and Volvo gave me a better rate than my credit union. So Hurrray! One of my life's dreams in my driveway. The cargo room is superb...although I am already mourning the loss of my million and one cubbies and boxes and caverns in which to stash junk...(hmmm...maybe a change of habit is in order)...

There is a little gap in the cover of the console near the driver's right knee....The plastic seems a little warped. I'm going to see if they can fix that. She's a twin turbo and I love the drive.

sorry for the double photo....can't figure out how to dump one.

[Forkster]

Congrats on the purchase! Nice colour too.

[brissim]

Sounds as if you got a good deal - congratulations. FYI there's been 3 generations of "XC70s" - all of them jacked up versions of the V70 wagon.

1st generation - 1998-2000 - was called the V70XC.

2nd generation - 2001-2007 - often referred to as the P2 generation. Early years of this generation did have serious problems with throttle control. Both 1st & 2nd generation XC70s are purely Volvo product. Ford owned Volvo from 2000-2010 but had little or no involvement in the development of the P2 Volvos.

3rd generation - 2008+ - built on the Ford-owned EUCD platform (as is all current model 60,70 & 80 series Volvos). While also a jacked up version of the V70 wagon, the V70/XC70 had effectively gone up in size with the V70 now being the wagon version of the large S80 sedan. The 1st & 2nd Gen V70s was the wagon version of the midsized S60 sedan.

Also just a technical note. The T6 engine is not a "twin-turbo" engine. It is a single turbo but with a twin scroll turbo. A single twin-scroll turbo has fewer moving parts than a true twin-turbo and is considered more robust. Its one of the main reasons that BMW 5-6 years ago went from a twin-turbo arrangement in their N54 6-cylinder in-line engine to their current N55 engine which is single twin-scroll. BMW have just announced this N55 engine is being replaced with their new B58 engine which retains the single twin-scroll turbo arrangement. Which is my way of saying the apart from the absence of direct injection which the BMW engines do have, Volvo's T6 engine is in pretty good company.

Tony

[ORshepherd]

Sounds as if you got a good deal - congratulations. FYI there's been 3 generations of "XC70s" - all of them jacked up versions of the V70 wagon.

1st generation - 1998-2000 - was called the V70XC.

2nd generation - 2001-2007 - often referred to as the P2 generation. Early years of this generation did have serious problems with throttle control. Both 1st & 2nd generation XC70s are purely Volvo product. Ford owned Volvo from 2000-2010 but had little or no involvement in the development of the P2 Volvos.

3rd generation - 2008+ - built on the Ford-owned EUCD platform (as is all current model 60,70 & 80 series Volvos). While also a jacked up version of the V70 wagon, the V70/XC70 had effectively gone up in size with the V70 now being the wagon version of the large S80 sedan. The 1st & 2nd Gen V70s was the wagon version of the midsized S60 sedan.

Also just a technical note. The T6 engine is not a "twin-turbo" engine. It is a single turbo but with a twin scroll turbo. A single twin-scroll turbo has fewer moving parts than a true twin-turbo and is considered more robust. Its one of the main reasons that BMW 5-6 years ago went from a twin-turbo arrangement in their N54 6-cylinder in-line engine to their current N55 engine which is single twin-scroll. BMW have just announced this N55 engine is being replaced with their new B58 engine which retains the single twin-scroll turbo arrangement. Which is my way of saying the apart from the absence of direct injection which the BMW engines do have, Volvo's T6 engine is in pretty good company.

Tony

What does the P in P2 stand for? And thanks for that clarification...I was basically thinking about the 2 tailpipes...but that shows how much I don't know!!

[ORshepherd]

Congrats on the purchase! Nice colour too.

thanks! love the color...esp with the light interior

[volvobuff]

Also just a technical note. The T6 engine is not a "twin-turbo" engine. It is a single turbo but with a twin scroll turbo. A single twin-scroll turbo has fewer moving parts than a true twin-turbo and is considered more robust. Its one of the main reasons that BMW 5-6 years ago went from a twin-turbo arrangement in their N54 6-cylinder in-line engine to their current N55 engine which is single twin-scroll. BMW have just announced this N55 engine is being replaced with their new B58 engine which retains the single twin-scroll turbo arrangement. Which is my way of saying the apart from the absence of direct injection which the BMW engines do have, Volvo's T6 engine is in pretty good company.

And just for the record, the T6 engine was designed by Volvo, but it was actually built under contract by Ford in their engine plant in Wales. This OEM arrangement was an artifact of the years when Ford owned Volvo. The Welsh plant also produced the late and unlamented 3.2, the non-turbo version of the same six-cylinder engine. Whereas the T6 was largely bullet-proof, its 3.2 stablemate had a long and increasingly more troubled history of high oil consumption. My cars were apparently wholly typical in that regard: my trouble-free 2012 XC70 T6 was acquired as a Volvo-subsidized dealer swap when I dumped my 2010 V70 3.2 after a year and a half because of an unrepairable oil consumption problem.

[volvobuff]

thanks! love the color...esp with the light interior

So you got the Sandstone Beige interior? It does look really nice with the Twilight Bronze exterior, although I preferred the combination Espresso/Sandstone interior in my XC70. I also think the 18" Zephyrus rims are really handsome. You might want to think about getting the inexpensive reversible floor mat for the cargo area. Rubber side up for dog show use, upholstery side up for non-canine applications. Or just leave the rubber side up all the time, which is what I do. The additional traction stops heavy objects from sliding around. FWIIW, you can carry at least fifteen cases of wine in the cargo bay with room to spare. I keep a supply of bungie cords in different lengths in the storage compartment under the floor for ready use. Now how about posting some pics of your happy dogs in the cargo bay of their new kennel on wheels?

[brissim]

What does the P in P2 stand for? And thanks for that clarification...I was basically thinking about the 2 tailpipes...but that shows how much I don't know!!

No idea what the P in P2 stands for. P2 was the name of the Volvo platform that underpinned all the mid-sized and above Volvos of this era (ie 60, 70, 80 & 90 series Volvos) until replaced by the Ford EUCD platform in new models from 2007 onwards. This in turn is being replaced by the Volvo-owned and developed SPA platform with the new XC90 being the "first off the rank".

Tony

[budrichard]

I have purchased new and still retain an XC70 of each generation.
Each seems to be less and less reliable and I think the design cycles are now shorter than the reliabilty cycles.
Each has been a superb performer both on and off the road (each has OEM skid plate).
The 2011 is driven by my wife and only has 23K miles with no problems.
The mileage for me is dismal and I'm waiting for the E-Drive AWD or no new wagon whatever they call it!
I don;t require performance but safety, comfort and mileage.
We shall see what Volvo offers. My next AWD wagon will be purchased on the basis of the safety systems and design.
Hopefully a Volvo but no problem if something else.-Richard