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Erik
June 7th, 2003, 14:35
It was not easy to get a test drive of the new Vovlo V70 R AWD but yesterday we finally got the chance.

This is the best Volvo that they ever made!
The gearbox and clutch is excellent, the engine is quite nice but suffers from turbolag in some cases and the brakes seem to do their job.
In the car we drove there was a strange noise from the gearbox in some gears. Not sure if that was special to our car or 'default' from the factory.
I'd like to go (a lot) lower with the seats, but that's a problem in all modern cars, even the Audi A8!
I've heard that race seats will do the job for the really hardcored. :hihi:

The quality of the car seems to be fine, like a well built V70 with some luxury details.

In any case we took the V70R for a spin in the heavy traffic on the highway. A lot of low gear full speed acceleration followed by braking. Forget ECO-Driving!
Below 2.500 rpm you can expect turbolag but at around 4.000 rpm it's fine. The sound from the straight 5 is quite nice and it pushed to car forward quite quickly.

We then tried some smaller twistier roads to get a feeling of the new Öhlins chassis. Inside the car there are 3 buttons 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Advanced.'
We used 'Advanced' most of the time since that will give the best performance.
The V70R uses the Haldex clutch for its AWD. This gives more of a FWD-feeling. We're a little bit surprised that the V70R lost grip so early and the ESP setting is sometimes a little bit oversensitive, but it is still possible to drive very fast in this car.

My personal taste says I'd prefer a much more stiffer/lower ride than the 'Advanced' mode offers. But it's an excellent option to be able to switch between the different settings. At least as long as you don't have to pay for it when it brakes down.

The brakes are supposed to be very good on the new V70R so I was surprised initially by the lack of feel and brake performance.
However I was told by the sales person (who volunteered as a passanger in the back) that the car just came back from cleaning.
And he was right - the brakes are quite good. It's just that I'm used to my Movits, and they have a much better feeling.

So the conclusion is that the V70R is the best car Volvo made so far. However the V70R it is not a S/RS or M-killer.



The Volvo V70R with its turbocharged 300 hp straight 5.

http://www.rs6.com/pics/Various/Volvo-V70R-1.jpg

http://www.rs6.com/pics/Various/Volvo-V70R-2.jpg

And the Volvo S60R that uses the same engine and chassis.

http://www.rs6.com/pics/Various/Volvo-V70R-3.jpg

http://www.rs6.com/pics/Various/Volvo-V70R-4.jpg


Press 'Save as...' on this link to see the Movie (Windows Media) 22 Mb (ftp://www.rs6.com/rs6.com/RS6COM-Volvo-V70R.wmv)

Posts about 'I can't see the movie will be deleted.'

Don't forget to visir www.RS6.com !!! :cool2:

iconcls
June 7th, 2003, 16:20
.

mange_
June 7th, 2003, 17:49
Nice video and article, I have a question though; what is the name of the song that is played partialy at the beginning and the end of the video?

Erik
June 7th, 2003, 18:22
Originally posted by mange_
what is the name of the song that is played partialy at the beginning and the end of the video?

Thanks! the music playing is:

A Split Second "Flesh"

Also try their song "Rigor Mortis"

mange_
June 7th, 2003, 18:46
Originally posted by Erik B
A Split Second "Flesh"

Also try their song "Rigor Mortis"

Nice ones! They sound like Secret Service on a bad trip. :)

iconcls
June 7th, 2003, 19:16
Split Second..."Old" Wax Trax band...memmmmmories.

I never outgrew my Chicago Industrial phase ;-)

quattro
June 11th, 2003, 20:39
For the fans of Volvo http://www.v70r.com/forums/

Snow
June 12th, 2003, 15:05
I really don't like that mint green color in the pictures above. Suits a Smart, but not a V70 R. I'd rather go for a stealthy blue color or maybe the grey (?) like the one you test drove, it looked quite nice actually.

Oh, and one more thing. Which of the both is the fastest? The S60 is lighter, so it would make sense if it was faster. Am I right?

V70R
June 13th, 2003, 05:35
Originally posted by Snow
I really don't like that mint green color in the pictures above. Suits a Smart, but not a V70 R. I'd rather go for a stealthy blue color or maybe the grey (?) like the one you test drove, it looked quite nice actually.

I don't mind the aqua green color, although I have seen more distinctive Volvo R colors - they were first with teh Saffron color back with the MY98 V70R.... was very distinctive.

That "grey" you are referring to is probably the new Titanium color. I saw one in person, and thought it didn't look that great, sort of like a washed out black. Perhaps it will grow on me. Then again, maybe it just isn't my color.


Originally posted by Snow

Oh, and one more thing. Which of the both is the fastest? The S60 is lighter, so it would make sense if it was faster. Am I right?

Without going into semantic issues, do you mean faster or quicker? Both the S60R and the V70R are equally fast with a 250km/h limited top end. As for quickness, the S60R is a bit up ... especially in 0-100kph at 5.4 versus 5.7 for the V70. No doubt a weight issue.

Cheers,

Rob

Snow
June 13th, 2003, 11:13
Okey, I didn't think of the speed limiter... Pretty "non-exciting" by Volvo governing the speed. The S60 would be my choice, it's so much cooler than the V70. The S60 is youth, the V70 is family, house and a dog, although the R makes up for it... (No offense to those of you who are living in that dream, after all if you do you have succeeded right? :D )

Erik
June 13th, 2003, 11:51
One problem for the new Volvo R-versions is that nobody has been close to the acceleration figures Volvo is quoting. :deal:

There was a big debate in the news when the T-5 was slower than the 2.4T. Apparently Volvo came out with the explainaition that they only calculated the data theoretically.
I sure hope they changed opinion if that was true.

The S4? It was actually a tenth of a second faster than quoted... :hihi:

Snow
June 13th, 2003, 16:50
Hmm... Is it hard to try a car's performance for real? I guess the driver and the tarmac has a lot to do with it but... Do they calculate these figures with a full or an empty tank?

V70R
June 25th, 2003, 23:44
Originally posted by Snow
Hmm... Is it hard to try a car's performance for real? I guess the driver and the tarmac has a lot to do with it but... Do they calculate these figures with a full or an empty tank?

Well, if the reviewing person or organisation, does it on a relatively "apples to apples" basis then it should reflect on the actual performance of the vehicle being tested.

For example, when Motor Trend, or AMS, or whomever tests an S6, they should do it with as similar parameters (tarmac, fuel load, wind, temperatures, etc.) as when they subsequently test a V70R...

Of course, there is the ideal and the reality... so sure, all reviews have to be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

I tend to take an aggregate view of several reviews before finalising on my perception...

Then there's the final (and most important) test.... a personal test drive. Cars are highly emotional things... some people would hate an Enzo, and love an RS6 (or a V70R, hehehe)...

Cheers,

Rob

Erik
June 28th, 2003, 19:54
V70R by Heico

http://www.heicosportiv.de/images-produkte/startbilder-homepage/24h.jpg

Heico (http://www.heicosportiv.de/mainframe.asp?lang=gb)

Erik
August 28th, 2003, 17:08
S60R and V70R test drive

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=89

Aragorn
August 28th, 2003, 20:40
First of all, thanks for sharing the pictures and the movie, Erik!

Here's another test drive, from Car and Driver: Volvo S60R AWD--From the land of ABBA comes some heavy metal (http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=6848).

There are some interesting topics in the article:

* According to Car and Driver's tests, the S60R, managing 0.88g at the skidpad, outperforms the M3 (0.87g), the S4 (0.85g), and the C32 (0.81g). I find these numbers highly surprising. I don't doubt them, but they do bring up the issue of similar conditions that V70R/Rob touched on earlier in this thread.

Then again, as Car and Driver writes, you have to be able to make use of the grip, and in all the reviews that I've read (at least in non-Swedish magazines :rolleyes: ), the R brothers receive criticism for their numb steering. I'm guessing that the S4 and, in particular, the M3 provide better feedback when driven at the limit.

* While, as you all know, the new R models have been pitted against the M3, the S4, and the C32--Car and Driver sure enough compares the S60R to those cars--this article launches the Volvo as a 'smart buy' alternative to, among others, the 330i and the A4 3.0 quattro. Why? Simply because there is a marked difference in the price you may have to pay to get your hands on this Volvo.

In Sweden, and in the rest of Europe, I take it, the S60R and V70R are priced in the same league as the M3, the S4, and the C32; however, in the US, the S60R is substantially cheaper than that German trio.

Check out the table below. These are all base prices from the national web pages of Volvo, Audi, Mercedes, and BMW in the U.S. and Sweden; conversion rates from Oanda.com (http://www.oanda.com).

Volvo S60R
Sweden: 472.900 SEK or $55,714
USA: $36,875
(www.volvocars.se (http://www.volvocars.se), www.volvocars.us (http://www.volvocars.us))

Audi S4 sedan
Sweden: 511.000 SEK or $60,203
USA: $46,340
(www.audi.se (http://www.audi.se), www.audiusa.com (http://www.audiusa.com))

Mercedes-Benz C32 sedan
Sweden: 566.900 SEK or $66,788
USA: $52,120
(www.mercedes-benz.se (http://www.mercedes-benz.se), www.mbusa.com (http://www.mbusa.com))

BMW M3 coupe
Sweden: 547.000 SEK or $64,444
USA: $46,500
(www.bmw.se (http://www.bmw.se), www.bmwusa.com (http://www.bmwusa.com))

I'm aware that the equipment included in the base versions vary between the brands, and that the base version for each of these cars may not necessarily have the same equipment in the U.S. market as in the Swedish market, or vice versa. Moreover, I'm aware that the base price/MSRP may be a far cry from what you actually have to pay for your ride. For all that uncertainty, I still find these numbers interesing.

As the chart shows, in Sweden, the S60R is priced slightly lower than the competition, but the difference isn't as large as it is in the U.S.

The point is that given performance, brand cachet, etc, it seems the S60R does not measure up to its German competititors. That is, at least, if the competion is the M3, the S4, and the C32, and the Volvo is priced about the same as the German wunder-trio.

However, going up against the A4 3.0 quattro and BMW 330i (or 330xi), the Volvo--offering more bang for the buck and an advanced chassis--emerges as an interesting alternative. Personally, I'd like to read more tests where the Volvo face these vehicles rather than another one concluding that the Volvo doesn't quite belong in the company of the German super-sedans.
I guess that won't happen as long as I'm still in Europe though... (Oh wait, I'm returning to the U.S. in a few weeks! :D)

I'd like to hear how you guys think the Volvo would stand up against the MB C320, Audi A4, and BMW 330, which may only be second in the foodchain but that are still very competent vehicles.

As stated before, the Volvo would probably outperform them, but how about that luxury feel?

I personally find the Volvo lacking a little to truly be dubbed "premium vehicle." I don't find the dashboard as elaborately proportioned as those of the S60s competitors, and the buttons lack a distinct feel. Volvo has attempted to spice up the R series. The blue visors, but I'm still trying to reconcile with the color of that special aniline leather.

Having that said, the leather has a nice feel, as does the leather-wrapped instrument binnacle visor, the visual clues make what is in my eyes (along with the C70) the best-looking post-140 Volvo model even prettier, and, by golly, it seems Volvo may finally graduate from their safety-and-functionality-only motto. The S60R may just be the company's best car ever.

Some other thoughts:


Originally posted by Erik
One problem for the new Volvo R-versions is that nobody has been close to the acceleration figures Volvo is quoting. :deal: Going back to the Car and Driver article, the S60R is clocked at 5.5s to 60 mph, which of course is only 96 km/h, so nor these figures reach Volvo's performance claims.

The article also lists the Volvo cruising at 59 mph at its 6500 rpm redline in second gear. It would have been interesting if the Volvo was able to reach 60 mph in second gear--that would undoubtedly cut the time for the classic acceleration dash and make the Volvo look really quick in markets that quote 0-60 mph times. (If I'm not mistaken, this is exactly the case for both Ferrari F50 and Lamborghini Murcielago: 0-60 mph is quite different from 0-100 km/h.) Granted, it would also be interesting to see the Volvo actually reach 0-100 km/h in 5.4s in an independent test.



Originally posted by Erik
There was a big debate in the news when the T-5 was slower than the 2.4T. Apparently Volvo came out with the explainaition that they only calculated the data theoretically.
I sure hope they changed opinion if that was true.I find it highly unprofessional to calculate these times rather than testing what the car can actually perform. Given the amount of money poured into the development of a model (and a special performance model such as the R), the costs for some acceleration tests must surely be negligible.



Originally posted by V70R
No doubt a weight issue.That's an issue, as well as the drag coefficient: cw 0.29 for S60R; 0.31 for V70R.


Originally posted by Snow
Okey, I didn't think of the speed limiter... Pretty "non-exciting" by Volvo governing the speed.
It might be that the tires cannot handle higher speeds, and that opting for a higher-performing set of tires would bump up the cost needlessly.

Erik
August 29th, 2003, 15:15
Aragorn, thanks a lot for the price comparison. I thought it would be the case, but why is the S60R and M3 about 18.000 USD more expensive where it is made than in the USA?

I'm not saying the MB or Audi is much better...

Just think about the shipping and cusoms.