Hi, I just bought our first Volvo 5 months ago. It's a MY2007 V70 2.5T that was apparently built in May 2006.

I sort of stumbled into this car, or Volvo I should say. We were looking for a wagon but I hand't been thinking about getting a Volvo. Then my wife mentioned that she kind of liked the Volvo XC70 that my brother got a few years ago so she suggested we look at Volvos. The rest is history.

The car is comfortable, has good power (although way short of the V6 power of many common family sedans of today), and looks really classy. My psychological issue is, however, what does this car stand for? I just got out of driving a Toyota minivan for 11 years and was yearning for something more exciting. The critics generally say that these Volvos of late aren't as sporty or luxurious as the German iconic brands. In terms of safety most of the non-premium brands have already caught up. In terms of electronic gadgets or sound system this is really kind of like a 90's car.

It is a fine car and the brand alone I guess represents a step above the non-premium makes. But what really makes one go "YEAH! I LOVE MY VOLVO!"? I do like my new car but I hope there is something about it that can make me feel more excited.

 

Well I think the Volvo's are the best if not the only good looking wagon on the market. The power may be short of the V6's but the power you're getting from a 5 cyl. engine is pretty impressive. What does the car stand for? Safe, Stylish, Swedish, Sporty . . . It's hard to put in any other words except, "It's a Volvo".

 

So how are you experiencing with your new volvo.I think they are the best cars i have driven.

 

I do dig its looks. I think it's one of those cars that even in 30 years you look back and still say it's a beautiful car. I definitely like the utility part of it as well, with the cargo room and versatility.

The power is good for its day and the torque is impressive out of a 2.5L engine. It's just that even a Camry or Accord nowadays has 270+ hp. However, a trend seems to have started for cars to have smaller displacement turbo engines for fuel economy, eg the new Sonata with its 2.0 turbo engine putting out 250 hp. I test drove the Passat wagon with the reputed 2.0 turbo putting out 200 hp. It is not as strong but smoother than the V70. Anyway, the V70's power seems to be decent and in the middle of the pack now. I did also test drive a 2008 XC70 with the 3.2 L engine. Even though it's got 236 hp the car actually felt slower than the V70. Strange...

I do hope that it could be a bit sportier in handling, especially steering. I know that you could stiffen up the suspension to help the body lean but I guess there's not much you can do to sharpen the steering? As the Consumer Reports calls it, secure but not nimble, unispiring, kind of like a Camry.

Also, as the model really started selling in Europe in 2000 the sound system apparently never got updated from the beginning. It's a little disappointing to not have premium and updated sound standard in this level of vehicle that was produced in 2006. We aren't audio aficionados but our old 1996 Nissan Maxima had a Bose system that sounded much better. And now my wife's cheap little 2006 Scion xA has a Pioneer system that can at least read MP3 & WMA and has auxiliary hookup as standard.

All in all, it's a fine car and I like it. If it weren't for the two areas I mentioned above it'd be nearly perfect. But I guess nothing is perfect.