What's good: Voted by many the Best-looking Volvo you can buy. Satisfying drive. Wide range of engines including petrol turbos up to 250bhp, Audi's 140bhp straight five TDI and new TDI. XC has four-wheel drive and raised suspension with 200bhp petrol turbo engine. 200bhp V70T is nice drive. 250bhp T5 model popular with police. LPG and CNG options June 2001: V70 S LPG £24,455; V70 SE LPG £26,255; V70 S CNG £25,255; V70 SE CNG £27,055. D5 163bhp common rail diesel (summer 2001) offers combined 42mpg, CO2 177g/km; £23,955 (S) or £25,955 (SE). Insurance group 13. V70 AWD diesel option early 2002; diesel automatic option summer 2002. 300bhp V70 R September 2002; with active suspension (2003) does 0-60 in 5·6 seconds, 155mph; £37,660 (manual) or £38,910 (Geartronic). 200bhp 2·4T upgraded to 210bhp 2·5T May 2003. Six-speed manual for XC70 and V70 D5 AWD April 2004. Entire range recommended.
What's bad: Poor steering lock. Police drivers prefer handling of previous V70. Quartz running lights can dazzle. Reliability problems reported by ADAC (the German breakdown organisation) in 2001. Reputation for flat batteries due to immobiliser fault (see April 2001 recall). Locking problem, which particularly affects the hatchback.
What to watch out for: Make sure all door locks work properly, especially on hatchback (see recalls). Booming noise at 2700-3000 revs in XC70 can be caused by out of balance propshaft.
Recalls: August 2000: front suspension ball joint on V70 can work loose or fail. April 2001: Possible faults in rear-door wiring harnesses may prevent child safety locks working. April 2001: Seatbelt fixing bolts and child restraint anchor bracket may be loose or incorrectly torqued. TSB issued early 2002 to fix intermittent fault with remote central locking. January 2003: Detachable towbar may work loose. October 2003: On VINs 388138 to 393194 possible restriction in T-piece in fuel return line. February 2004: Recall of S60s, V70s and S80s built 2003 to check steering balljoints. September 2004: S60s, V70s, XC70s and S80s built 1999-2001; radiator fan could overheat.
