Item: Used Volvo V70 Estate 2007 - 2016
Rating: 3
Author: Steve Huntingford

If sporty handling isn't your primary concern, but a classy image and a nice interior is, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a6/estate/used-review/n17994">Audi A6 Avant</a>&nbsp;could be an ideal alternative to a Volvo. There is a wider range of diesel engines on offer from frugal four-cylinders with huge fuel range, to multi-turbocharged six-cylinder offerings with 316bhp.&nbsp;

Then there is the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/estate/used-review/n778">BMW 5 Series</a> which has a much more desirable image than the v70, and it has a far better infotainment system. Post-2013&nbsp;cars are better because they come with a more reliable diesel engine.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter <a href="https://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">here</a>

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<h3>Potential engine fire</h3>

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/volvo">Volvo</a> is presently in the process of recalling around 70,000 cars in the UK fitted with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, over potential engine fires. There isn't a fix at the moment, so owners are being told to pay attention to any unusual smells coming into the interior,&nbsp;if the engine warning light illuminates, or if the&nbsp;engine hesitates under acceleration. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/volvo-recalls-70000-uk-cars-over-fire-fears/n19820">Read our news story on this for further information</a> or contact Volvo directly on&nbsp;01628 854 210.

<h3 dir="ltr">Parking brake may release</h3>

On some examples built between 24 February 2011&nbsp;and 2&nbsp;February&nbsp;2015 that have a manual gearbox and start/stop technology fitted, the parking brake may release without warning. This&nbsp;happens with the engine on and when the gearlever is moved, so it shouldn't occur when the car is left unattended. Any Volvo dealer will be able to let you know if your car is affected and apply the updated software required to prevent this from happening if required.

<h3 dir="ltr">Fuel gauge may show incorrect level</h3>

A software update is currently being sought to correct an issue with the fuel gauge showing the wrong level on vehicles constructed between 24&nbsp;April&nbsp;2014&nbsp;and 11 December 2015. The current advice if your car is affected is to keep at the level above a third of a tank to ensure you don't run out of fuel until a fix can be implemented.&nbsp;

<h3>Cracked fuel hose</h3>

The&nbsp;fuel hose used in some models has been&nbsp;found to be crack&nbsp;up from the inside, which could lead to a fuel leak if not fixed. This applies to cars built between 11 April 2015 and 30 March 2016, and a Volvo dealer will be able to tell you if your car is affected or not.

<h3 dir="ltr">Power steering</h3>

A possible&nbsp;software issue on V70s built between 17&nbsp;April&nbsp;2015 and 18 February&nbsp;2016 could cause electrical problems and the power steering system to stop working. There have also been other issues with examples made between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2009&nbsp;with&nbsp;the auxiliary drive belt that powers the power steering pump. It can fail and affect the power steering system.

<h3>Coolant leak</h3>

It has been identified that there could be a coolant leak during the warm-up process of some V70s built between 27&nbsp;May&nbsp;2010&nbsp;and 17&nbsp;April 2015 that could result in an engine fire in extreme circumstances. Check with a Volvo dealer to make sure your car isn't affected by this.

For models five years or older, Volvo as a brand finished in 20th place out of 28&nbsp;manufacturers included in our latest Reliability Survey, which isn't a particularly great result.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2018-what-car-reliability-survey/n17798">&nbsp;What Car? Reliability Survey</a>&nbsp;pages for more information.

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Estate

Volvo is now a true rival to the likes of Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, offering an alternative take on premium executive cars to a rapidly growing fanbase.

After a string of strong launches – notably with the Mk2 XC90 and XC60 SUVs – it struck gold in early 2018 when it launched its smallest SUV, the XC40. When our testers compared the car with its rivals, they concluded that it was the best launch of the previous 12 months, earning it our coveted overall Car of the Year Award.

The good news is that, like many car makers, Volvo now uses the same structure underneath most of its cars – so if they get it right on one model, it usually bodes well for the rest. That’s the case here, with Volvo’s subsequent saloon and estate launches complementing the SUVs and making for a generally extremely appealing line-up.

VOLVO

The Volvo V70 offers all the practicality you'd expect from one of the company's estates, but rivals are better to drive.

Used Volvo V70 Estate 2007 - 2016

Pick the right model and running costs should be reasonable. Even the largest D5 engine does a respectable&nbsp;43.5mpg and 172g/km CO2 (58.9mpg and 126g/km in later versions), while&nbsp;the economy-oriented DRIVe model does 57.7mpg and 129g/km, officially at least. However, later D3-equipped cars do better than this with an&nbsp;average of 68.9mpg and 108g/km.

The T5 petrol engine claims an average of 34.9mpg and 189g/km, but&nbsp;many owners have been averaging less than that. As you'd expect, the larger T6 is even less efficient, with a claimed average of 27.7mpg and 237g/km. Even the entry-level T4 petrol isn't as efficient as the thirstiest diesel, with an average of 41.5mpg and 157g/km.

Insurance costs are reasonable, with all but the T5 engine in R-Design trim sitting in insurance groups 20-29. Pick a sporty version, however, and you're looking at group 33. Diesels will be the least expensive to tax (a few are even free) but most of the petrols sit in the highest band.&nbsp;To find out more about the current <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">road tax costs, click here</a> for further information.&nbsp;

Servicing costs aren't cheap, but go with a franchised dealer and you're unlikely to be disappointed. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volvo">Volvo</a> dealers have a good reputation for looking after customers.

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The Volvo V70 offers all the practicality you'd expect from one of the company's estates, but rivals are better to drive.

Prices for a Volvo V70 start&nbsp;out at around £2500, but for that you'll get an early example with a mileage well into six figures. We'd suggest that you increase your budget to beyond £4000 to get something with under 100,000 miles on it and a full service history.&nbsp;

A major facelift (by Volvo standards) happened in 2012, and you'll need around £10,000 for an example from this year&nbsp;with and an average number of miles on it. Late 2015 and 2016 cars from a franchised Volvo dealer can be found for £14,500.

Check the value of a used <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/volvo">Volvo</a>&nbsp;V70 with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/valuations/">What Car? Valuations</a>

Diesel examples of the Volvo V70 make the most sense, because they deliver much more pulling power than the petrol models. If fuel economy is your main concern, it's worth checking out the DRIVe model introduced in 2009, but we prefer&nbsp;the D5 engine in any of its forms because it has strong performance without crippling running costs.

Petrol models are very rare, but of the various engines available&nbsp;the 2.5-litre T5 is the most rounded. It will be a lot more expensive to run than a diesel V70, so you'll need to budget for that.

SE spec gets all the basics plus the added benefit of leather upholstery, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth and an upgraded stereo. The sat-nav system on SE Lux isn't very good, so isn't worth the premium.&nbsp;R-Design cars get sportier internal and external styling along with firmer suspension for better handling, but it&nbsp;still won't better a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/estate/used-review/n778">BMW 5 Series</a> in the bends.&nbsp;

Our favourite <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/volvo">Volvo</a>&nbsp;V70: D5 SE

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<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Huge boot and excellent practicality</li> <li>Plenty of interior space so you can carry passengers as well as luggage </li> <li>Strong engines to pull a heavily laden car</li> <li>Comfortable ride, especially on the motorway</li> <li>Low running costs for company car drivers</li></ul>

If you’re after bags of space but you don’t want to commit to the van-like dimensions and styling of an MPV, there are some great estate cars on offer that should do the job.

Tricks to look out for include an electric tailgate&nbsp;that opens automatically when you wave your foot under the rear bumper; this is&nbsp;particularly handy if you’re trying to load in a heavy or&nbsp;bulky item. You should also look for handles in the side of the boot itself that can drop down the rear seats; these are much more convenient than having to walk around the side of the car to do it.

There are some terrific estates at most price ranges. The humble Skoda Fabia Estate offers cavernous space for not much cash at all, for example.

Further up the price range, another of our perennial favourites is the Skoda Superb Estate;&nbsp;it’s great to drive and as practical as most people should ever need. Meanwhile, for serious mile-munching ability and a premium, well-finished interior, it’s hard to look beyond the BMW 5 Series Touring.

Turbochargers have also been known to fail. Blue smoke from the exhaust pipe on start-up and a shortage of engine power are signs that you should walk away, because it can cost more than £1000 to fix.

The indicator stalk on the V70 has a button marked 'Read'. Pressing and holding it will display any faults that the car's on-board computer is aware of. A readout of '0 messages' is good news, although it's not a substitute for a thorough inspection.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Practicality has always been a&nbsp;Volvo estate&nbsp;strong point, which is what&nbsp;you'd expect&nbsp;from a country whose most notable furniture export often comes in a box. When you think of a used&nbsp;V70, you'd expect it to have decent&nbsp;load space&nbsp;and the rear seats that fold down flat, which they do. But it's also a classy estate car to challenge the likes of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a6/estate/used-review/n17994">Audi A6</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/estate/used-review/n778">BMW 5 Series</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/e-class/estate/used-review/n762">Mercedes E-Class</a>, except that a similarly aged&nbsp;Volvo can be found for a lot less than any of these.

Diesel powers most&nbsp;V70s that you can find on the used market. There were many offered over the years from a 113bhp 1.6-litre DRIVe model (later renamed&nbsp;D2), a 136bhp 2.0 D3, a&nbsp;163bhp 2.4D (rebranded D4)&nbsp;and a 185bhp D5 that was improved towards the end of its life to produce 212bhp.

Of the petrol models, the 2.5-litre turbo with 231bhp&nbsp;is the most rounded&nbsp;and provides punchy performance. There's a rare 238bhp 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine also used in&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/land-rover/freelander/4x4/used-review/n747">Land Rover Freelander</a>, too. Other petrol engines were also on offer including a 180bhp T4, a 240bhp T5&nbsp;and a 285bhp T6.

Unfortunately, the ride is far from perfect and even minor bumps and road scars will be felt by occupants. The V70 settles down a little bit at speed, though, making it an adept motorway cruiser. Body roll is well controlled, although the vague steering discourages you from driving enthusiastically.

Occupants are treated to extremely comfortable seats and the dashboard has a pleasing&nbsp;design, even if it is strewn with lots of small,&nbsp;poorly marked buttons and has an awkward infotainment system with confusing menus. The interior is well built, though, with no scratchy plastics to be seen. Cargo room isn't the best if you're loading up to the boot cover, but there is a flexible 40/20/40-split folding arrangement that does fold completely flat to help load longer items.&nbsp;The boot is well thought out, too, with luggage nets and tie-down hooks to stop items rolling around while in transit.

ES models come with alloys, electric windows all round, MP3/CD player and dual-zone climate control. SE spec adds leather upholstery, Bluetooth and an upgraded stereo. SE Lux adds satellite navigation, rear parking sensors and an electrically powered driver's seat, while R-Design cars get sportier internal and external trim.

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Used Volvo V70 Estate 2007 - 2016 review

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Looking for alternatives to the used Volvo V70 2007 - 2016? The expert What Car? review team guide you through some great options.

If sporty handling isn't your primary concern, but a classy image and a nice interior is, the Audi A6 Avant could be an ideal alternative to a Volvo. There is a wider range of diesel engines on offer from frugal four-cylinders with huge fuel range, to multi-turbocharged six-cylinder offerings with 316bhp. ,Then there is the BMW 5 Series which has a much more desirable image than the v70, and it has a far better infotainment system. Post-2013 cars are better because they come with a more reliable diesel engine.,For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter herePage 5 of 5

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Used Volvo V70 Estate 2007 - 2016 review

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