Volvo’s V70 has been the archetypal estate car for years, following on in a long tradition of Volvo estates that started with the Amazon in the 60s, one of which I happened to see yesterday.
But it’s time now to think of today, and that means bearing in mind that a new generation V70 has just been launched. While that might seem an irrelevance to used cars buyers it does, of course, mean that dealers will be shedding demonstrators and there will be other good, late plate stuff around as owners swap to the new car.
If you are not too concerned about having the latest model, and the fact that you are reading a used car column suggests that you are not, then the outgoing V70 could be just right for you if a sensible estate car is what you need.
The last few months have seen Volvo campaigning a special edition run-out model of the old car, the second generation to wear the V70 badge although the first was really only a makeover of the old 850, the first big Volvo with front wheel drive.
These days the V70 comes from Belgium but the cars are still regarded as Swedish by most people. The current model V70 appeared in 2000 and since has done very well for its maker.
The UK ranks among the top five most important countries for V70 sales. We snap them up by the thousands, which means there’s a good used stock for you to choose from if you are after one.
Volvo says the typical V70 customer is university educated and is either a company director, the owner of a small business, or retired. Suit yourself which category you want to go into. If you buy a V70 you are most likely to be aged between 35 and 64 and your main hobby is likely to be watching football or rugby and / or walking or hill climbing.
Although it may appear to be the motoring equivalent of a sensible pair of brogues, the V70 does still have its sporty derivatives and there are also some with four wheel drive to give an extra sure-footed approach to winter and poor surface motoring, although these are not real off-road cars.
One of the reasons it sells so well is that it majors on load space. The current car has more space with the seats in place than the old 700 and 900 series rear drive estates, which are typically regarded as the biggest Volvos. But fold the seats and the older cars do better - the later model is compromised on rear passenger space and is nowhere near as good as the cars from the 80s.
Most of the V70s you find will be front wheel driven rather than 4x4 and with the performance cars this means you have to watch tyre wear - drive them too hard and they will shred their rubber.
I remember once pulling away too smartly in one, which stood almost still with its wheels spinning and producing spectacular clouds of smoke. Some people speak of getting through a set of front tyres in just 3,000 miles on the fast models - the more sedate cars are much better for tyre wear.
As well as petrol models - the smallest engine is a 2.0, the largest a 2.5 - there are also excellent turbodiesels which offer great load carrying ability allied to decent, 40 plus mpg economy as my latest excursion in a 2.4 readily proved. Service intervals on the latest cars are 12,000 miles, up from the 10,000 miles of the first V70s. Insurance starts at Group 11 but rises to 16 for the fast ones.
A 2.0 petrol V70 on a 99S will now set you back around £3,900, or less if you are buying privately. Don’t be put off by high miles as long as there’s a service history. The just-replaced V70 starts at £5,300 for an 00V 2.4 petrol but an 04 plate 2.4 diesel S at around £13,750 would be my choice.
Maurice Hardy
