I'll be in the market for a new car soon. I currently own a 01.5 Passat 1.8T and really like it (aside from some recent reliability issues). I'm looking at the Volvo V70 or XC70, Outback, and Passat 4Motion Wagon.

My necessities are cargo space, AWD, MPG (highway is my main concern) and reliability. I put 20k on a year so I run out the warranty pretty quickly.

I test drove an outback during a recent snow storm and was thoroughly impressed. It blew the Mazda CX9 away that I drove just before that. It was so incredibly solid in the snow! Next snow storm I'll take the Volvo and 4Motion wagon out.

Have you compared these, any real world experience with them?

The vehicle will either be brand new or 1-2 years old.

TIA!

 

My dad has a 03 XC70 and it does wonders in the snow around here. Take it we don't usually get much, but when we had a bad snow and ice storm last year is trekked perfectly through it all. I also just took it on a 600 miles round trip, trip to Snowshoe in WV and the roads were horrible around the area and the road to get to the cabin was even worse and it did very very well.

Now I don't know if you know this or not, but our AWD system is only AWD until 30MPH. After 30MPH it is strictly FWD. There is no FULL-TIME AWD on Volvo's.

-V70 (First Gen, 1996-200) Yeah we didn't get them in the states till 1998. So don't go looking for a 1996 V70.
The only models available with AWD were the "R" model and the V70 XC model.

-V70 (Second Gen, 1999-2007)
The XC70 is the AWD model. There might be another model that is AWD but not sure.

-V70 (Third Gen, 2007-Present)
The XC70 is the AWD model.

Oh and most if not all of the AWD models have the LPT engine. Which stands for Low Pressure Turbo.

 

Reliability. Thiswillexclude any Volvo or VW product made in the last 8 years from your list. Buy the Subaru and you won't ever regret it.

 

For me, i was in the same scenario - except i didn't need AWD. I could have used it, but i decided gas mileage was more important and around here subarus are more cash for less car - VW's seemed to be even moreso. I test drove all of them and decided on the volvo - good price, super comfortable and i've had subarus before - they all seemed to be pretty reliable, but the price and comfort made me go for the volvo. so far no regrets - plus IMO the volvos look the best and aren't as popular as the subarus. hopefully the car lasts for a long time.

 

If you go with the NA Subaru you'll probably be able to put lower octane gas in it.I've ownerd a '96 outback, a '98 passat 1.8T, an '04 wrx, a '98 v70 xc , and an '01 v70 t5. I know the WRX isn't the current outback but the WRX was problem free and a blast to drive. I love the utility of the v70 but I've definitely had my share of little problems. Nothing major but I feel like the Volvos have spent more time in the shop than the Subarus. My brother and his wife are bothdriving'05 Legacy GTs and the only time they see the shop is when they have the oil changed.
That being said, I love my Volvos. The cars have distinct personalities.

 

i agree...

 

I own a v70 '99 and it just keeps going and going and going (170,000miles). The only time it sees a shop is when we are driving past one. Total reliability.

 

We are in the process of selling our 170K 2002 Subaru Outback and getting a 100K 2003 V70. The V70 is a much more comfortable, solid and safe car that we hope to put another 100k on.

The Subaru had substantial brake wear throughout it's life, went through tires every 30K or less and had a marginal exterior head gasket leak.These are common problems in the Subaru's of this era. Rust often becomes an issue after 8-10 years in the Northeast.

I'm a former VW enthusiast but the reviews on the reliability of the Passat are horrible. So the Volvo seemed to make the most sense to us.