Volvo V70 D4 SE Lux Review (2016)

Photo 2016 Volvo V70 D4 SE Lux Review car

The 2016 Volvo V70 D4 SE Lux (pictured) – in for review

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This week we’ve had the Volvo V70 D4 SE Lux in for review and road test, Volvo’s oldest model – about to be replaced – with the new D4 Drive-E engine.

It’s three years since we last reviewed the Volvo V70, and even then it was pretty much the last of the traditional, box-shaped Volvos.

Now, three years on, we’ve grabbed the keys of a Volvo V70 D4 SE Lux for a week, with Volvo’s latest eight-speed Geartronic (that’s automatic in Volvo speak) complete with the 181PS version of the latest D4 Drive-E engine, as the V70 really reaches the end of the line to be replaced, in the coming months, by the new Volvo V90.

This is the most traditional of Volvos, with a big shed bolted on the back to carry almost anything you could conceive of, rather boxy looks, little pretension of sportiness, and an interior with an upright centre console and comfy armchairs to cosset driver and passengers. All very old school Volvo.

But what this ‘last of the V70s’ does get is Volvo’s new D4 Drive-E engine, one of Volvo’s excellent range of 2.0 litre engines, complete with Volvo’s latest eight-speed automatic gearbox.

So does the arrival of the Drive-E engine and new gearbox make the V70 a modern car in traditional clothes, or is the V70 really past its sell-by date?

Inside and out

If you’re unaware of the strides Volvo has made in recent years, the Volvo V70 is exactly what you’d expect from a Volvo.

It’s big and boxy (with the edges just a little more rounded than they once were), and it looks classless; this is a car that shouts nothing more than ‘I’m dependable and have chosen my car to be comfortable, accommodating, well-built and with an edge of quality that sets it above the mainstream’.

“this is a car that shouts nothing more than ‘I’m dependable and have chosen my car to be comfortable, accommodating, well-built and with an edge of quality that sets it above the mainstream’”

There’s nothing sporty or pretensions about the V70, but the bold grille – which extends below the bumper, flanked by fog lights – the size, the roofrails and the blunt back end – with its trademark tall tail lights – all conspire to make the V70 look ‘Premium’ and solid. It’s old-school Volvo, but still appealing.

Inside is still Volvo good, but Volvo good from even earlier than the ’60’ Series Volvos.

The seats – front and back – are proper comfy leather armchairs that cosset and soothe however long the journey, the floating centre console is there – festooned with buttons but easy to navigate, and pointing defiantly straight back, not angled to the driver – and although there’s Volvo’s ‘Three-Choice’ digital instruments they only feel right in Elegance mode.

There’s plenty of room for passengers and luggage, with the back seats folding 40|20|40, a couple of integrated 2-stage booster seats for kiddies in the back (thanks to the £295 Family Pack, which includes power child locks), heated front seats and windscreen (as well as active bendy lights from the £350 Winter Pack) and other stuff like Keyless, Personal car communicator, Laminated windows and water repellent side windows ( £750 Security Pack).

You also get Volvo’s suite of safety technology, although this review car also has a wealth of extra technology like Collision warning with Auto Brake, Adaptive Cruise, Queue Assist and more (from the £1,565 Driver Support Pack – details below).

It all conspires to make the V70 a really nice place to be.

Performance and on the Road

If Volvo has sent us a white V70, we could have had every outside lane-hogger moving over as we approached from behind doing our best impression of Plod on the prowl. But they didn’t.

But even though the traffic didn’t part, we quickly realised why UK Police Forces love the Volvo V70, as it’s the perfect comfy cruiser.

With the new D4 Drive-E engine and Volvo’s eight-speed automatic gearbox, the V70 laps up the miles on the motorway, carrying enormous amounts of stuff in the boot, room for five passengers and a ride that has no real harsh edges.

“…the V70 is frugal, reassuring and compliant, with suspension that soaks up ridges and floats admirably, and even the slightly vague steering seems perfectly at home”

Used this way – and even at high speed – the V70 is frugal, reassuring and compliant, with suspension that soaks up ridges and floats admirably, and even the slightly vague steering seems perfectly at home.

But the joys of the V70 on a motorway don’t really translate in to B-Road blasts, although for those old enough to be driving when cars were softer – and you didn’t need a chiropractor after every back road blast – the V70 still feels capable enough when you need to get a shake-on, you just have to drive it a bit differently.

If you use the straight bits to keep the pace up, attack corners with a good line but not excessive speed, and use the V70’s ample torque to power out, you’ll make impressive progress. Yes, it feels a bit soft, and yes, the steering isn’t particularly direct. But you never feel the V70 is going to lose the plot and attack a hedge. It just does what you ask.

Verdict

There’s no disguising the fact that the Volvo V70 is a car at the end of its shelf-life, soon to be replaced by the very appealing new V90, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of consideration.

True, the V70 is bested on paper by cars like the Mercedes E-Class Estate and the BMW 5-Series Touring, but it offers something quite different to the Germans.

Instead of an estate car that tries to be a performance saloon, the V70 offers what many buyers look for in a premium estate car – comfort, space, build quality and practicality. And the V70 still has that in spades.

“the ‘Drive’ is from a previous era, but not everyone wants a Nurburgring-honed suspension when what they’ve bought is a car to move people and stuff around in comfort

Yes, the ‘Drive’ is from a previous era, but not everyone wants a Nurburgring-honed suspension when what they’ve bought is a car to move people and stuff around in comfort, and the V70’s set-up encourages the waft, not the blast, and it just suits the car’s character so well.

In many ways (and it may seem a bit odd) the V70 reminds us of the W140 Mercedes Class, with its soft ride, comfy seats, reassuring solidity and its surprising ability to hustle when you need it.

The latest 2.0 litre D4 Drive-E in this car is a good choice too – as is the latest eight-speed automatic – and they add a bit more than just a nod to frugality and efficiency on a car at the end of its life; they make the V70 still relevant.

But the V70 will be gone from Volvo dealers very soon, so if you want a rather old-fashioned estate car that’s distinctly premium you need to get a shake on.

The Volvo V70 isn’t the cheapest option (this review car has a list price of £34,720, and £44,060 with all its options), but there’s more than a fighting chance there will be some very good deals on offer for the V70 from Volvo’s UK dealers as any remaining inventory is shifted ahead of the V90’s arrival.

The last of the Volvo V70s will probably be snapped up by that section of society that doesn’t buy its own furniture, shoots anything that flies and wears tweed in the country. And they’ll keep the classless V70 for evermore.

Maybe that says all that needs to be said?