V70R versions, spec and options?

[markc555]

Hello chaps,

I'm new here having joined on the basis that fancy a V70R wagon. I'd like to know what I'm looking at and also what I'm looking for when viewing at one of these beasties.

Do you know if anyone has written a good FAQ on them? If so where can I find it?

Wikipedia advises that there are 3 "phases" of V70R, is the information here correct?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_V70

I've read here that the AWD cars can eat transfer boxes just by uneven tyre wear? Are these hard and/or expensive to repair?

What about the gearboxes. I fancy an auto, are these reliable? Is the later 5spd one much better, is the earlier 4spd one a bit "short legged" on the motorway? Are they equally reliable?

Lastly cosmetics. What wheels should the different phases be wearing? I've seen some on the "flat" spoke alloys (similar to the 850's) and some on the "twisted" spoke ones, which are correct? Also, I believe the phase 3 cars had twin exhausts but I've seen cars with a single exhaust and the rear bumper has a blanking panel where the left (looking from behind) exhaust, what going on there?

Thank you in advance for your assistance

Mark

[Al115]

What phase V70R are you considering? Your budget will dictate that, probably.

[markc555]

I'm looking at the lower end of the price scale, probably sub £2K. From what I can see available on Autotrader etc, the prices seem to be more dependent on mileage than model year/phase? Given that there is only a 3 yr range (1997-2000) to choose from and that even the newest cars are 12yrs old I'd expect that.

Prices of older cars like these tend to be based more on condition and history, then mileage and finally which version or spec/options they are?

Having said that, what should I look out for in an R "reg" (phase 1?) AWD automatic?

Cheers

Mark

[t5 pete]

You will be looking at the phase 1 v70r then which imho are the best as the latter 2 suffer from 4wd problems are also me7 and the phase 2 has a rare auto box and the phase 3 most people end up breaking them if the auto box dies as getitng hold of one is next to impossible.
Also the phase 1 auto boxs are brilliant they seem quite strong very smooth and no problems witht hem being 4 speed at 80mph they sit well under 3k

[dalhousie2008]

Yeah I've got 3 auto and quite like them. They aren't short geared, 4 speeds have longer gears than manual around 80 in second and loser rpm on motorways than manuals, just make sure oil has been changed and not black on dipstick

[T5frankie]

yeah mate a p, r or early s reg 2wd auto is what you want, dont get an awd mate

[markc555]

Thanks chaps.

Frankie, are those the correct wheels (in the pic) for a phase 1? What are the "twist spokes" fitted to, phase 2 and/or 3?

What about the tailpipe cut-out/blanking panels I mentioned, do these indicate a phase 2? The phase 3 has twin exhausts right? Frankie, I see that your's (in the pic?) doesn't have the blanking panel.

[IC]

Hello chaps,

I'm new here having joined on the basis that fancy a V70R wagon. I'd like to know what I'm looking at and also what I'm looking for when viewing at one of these beasties.

Do you know if anyone has written a good FAQ on them? If so where can I find it?

Wikipedia advises that there are 3 "phases" of V70R, is the information here correct?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_V70

I've read here that the AWD cars can eat transfer boxes just by uneven tyre wear? Are these hard and/or expensive to repair?

What about the gearboxes. I fancy an auto, are these reliable? Is the later 5spd one much better, is the earlier 4spd one a bit "short legged" on the motorway? Are they equally reliable?

Lastly cosmetics. What wheels should the different phases be wearing? I've seen some on the "flat" spoke alloys (similar to the 850's) and some on the "twisted" spoke ones, which are correct? Also, I believe the phase 3 cars had twin exhausts but I've seen cars with a single exhaust and the rear bumper has a blanking panel where the left (looking from behind) exhaust, what going on there?

Thank you in advance for your assistance

Mark

Hi, a few years ago I posted this guide to what equipment the '97/'98 V70R/S70R had.

Iain

V70R Specifications 1997/1998 The question of S70/V70R specifications comes up so often that I have decided to write this guide. I have indicated in some cases what items were also available on a T5 as an option. The R series were/are top of the range cars with almost all options as standard (in the case of the Classic range discussed here). The T5 is of course an engine option that has associated upgrades that come with the engine option (not a series like the R). The fwd T5 of this generation have front and rear shock absorber kits as standard. The part number for the front shock absorber kit is 9204 141 and the rear is 9204 142, many T5s have the 302 front discs. The T5 option has the Perfo 16" alloy as standard and a different gearbox to the 2.5 engined cars with the same manual ratios as the R.

What the '97/'98 R has as standard
An asterix beside a listing means that the item/s were R only. The four wheel drive aspects of the V70R AWD are not discussed here.

Comet 205 45 17" alloys in silver bright or anthracite (T5 has 205 50 16" Perfo alloys as standard)*
R leather and alcantara heated electric seats with driver memory (grey or beige)*
Rear safety nets on estate that pull out of back seats (option on T5)
Matching front and back leather door cards (available on CD spec T5)
R Aluminium dash trim(3 part) - option of wood with matching gear stick and steering wheel (not an option at the time, however run-out Classics in 2000 may have aluminium dash).
Climate control (available on CD spec T5)
Blue-backed instrument dials*
Information centre
Leather and alcantara/matching trim wooden steering wheel
Leather gear stick (if wood option trim matching auto wood gear stick)
Electric Glass Sunroof
Illuminated passenger's vanity mirror
R logo mats*
Door kick plates (available on CD spec T5)
Pre-wiring for rear 6 CD changer* (option on T5)
SC 900 RDS Stereo 3 disc cartridge CD/radio (option on T5)
50 watt stereo amplifier (option on T5)
Pull-out cups holders in central armrest (available on CD spec T5)
limited slip diff* (Viscous Coupling) Only on manuals
Traction Control - TRACS
Lowered R suspension (lowered sports suspension was available as an option on the T5)
Stronger anti-roll bars
Rear Nivomat suspension on estate (keeps ride height consistent when carrying loads)
Folding down rear bumper protector
Manual has 18T turbo/automatic has 16T turbo (T5 has 16T)
R front bumper (different lip spoiler to standard bumper) with different design plastic grilles*
R leather and alcantara driver's wheel (alcantara is a synthetic material)*
Rear pull out material bumper protector (estate) (option on T5)
Headlight wash/wipe (available on CD spec T5)
Colours:
Black Stone 019
Nautic Blue (pearl) 417
Silver Metallic 426
Garnet Red (metallic) 428
Saffron (pearl) 435

The manual is 250 bhp and the automatic 240 bhp. (The manual '97/'98 T5 is 240bhp)

*The 18T of the manual R will give better performance than the 16T of the automatic.
*The manual Rs have a better official 0-60 time and a slightly higher top speed than the automatic.
*The manual T5 is faster than the automatic R (just a few tenths of a second!).
*The AWD cars are heavier and slower than the front wheel drive cars, especially in automatic.
__________________

[T5frankie]

Thanks chaps.

Frankie, are those the correct wheels (in the pic) for a phase 1? What are the "twist spokes" fitted to, phase 2 and/or 3?

What about the tailpipe cut-out/blanking panels I mentioned, do these indicate a phase 2? The phase 3 has twin exhausts right? Frankie, I see that your's (in the pic?) doesn't have the blanking panel.

no mate the ive not seen one with the blanking panel to be honest, my wheels are not standard, the standard wheels for the phase 1's and 2's are comets and come in silver or anthracite, the phase 3's have satellites and come in 16 or 17", the most hassle free v70r's are the early ones without the awd system or the me7 engines and for performance a manual is best. an auto v70r is just an auto t5 dressed up as an "R" with the same engine, turbo ecu etc

[markc555]

Perfect, thank you Iain

I understand that a manual is the "better" car but this will be a daily driver and it'd have to be an auto for me.

Frankie, I love the look of your Saffron machine Just have to find one that looks exactly like it now!

Cheers

Mark

[t5 pete]

Perfect, thank you Iain

I understand that a manual is the "better" car but this will be a daily driver and it'd have to be an auto for me.

Frankie, I love the look of your Saffron machine Just have to find one that looks exactly like it now!

Cheers

Mark

Thats exaxtly what i did i needed a daily drive so got a auto and its the best thing i ever did.

[T5frankie]

Perfect, thank you Iain

I understand that a manual is the "better" car but this will be a daily driver and it'd have to be an auto for me.

Frankie, I love the look of your Saffron machine Just have to find one that looks exactly like it now!

Cheers

Mark

you wont mate that's my artisticness

[saffronR]

The Exhausts,

Single exit on the passenger side dictates this is a front wheel drive car only, drivers side exit= four wheel drive, Twin could be anything.

Front wheel drive cars have around 10BHP more than the Autos, and are lighter, due to not pulling the 4x4 system around with them, im also believe they have a different turbo fitted too (18T V 16T), id go with the front wheel drive car every time, remember these are old motors, and the less trouble you can buy the better in my, you will still be repairing a car that cost over £33K + when new.

Buy the best you can, history is essential, more than the miles it's showing.

[AndysR]

no mate the ive not seen one with the blanking panel to be honest, my wheels are not standard, the standard wheels for the phase 1's and 2's are comets and come in silver or anthracite, the phase 3's have satellites and come in 16 or 17", the most hassle free v70r's are the early ones without the awd system or the me7 engines and for performance a manual is best. an auto v70r is just an auto t5 dressed up as an "R" with the same engine, turbo ecu etc

Almost identical, the auto R has a better torque spread than it's T5 manual or auto equivalent. 2,400 - 5,000 rpm for the R and 2,700 to 5,100 for the T5
Also the R auto acheives it's maximum HP at a higher RPM (5,600) compared with the T5 (5,100). An auto R is actually quicker to 60 than an auto T5 as a result 7.3 sec's compared with 7.4 for the T5 also bare in mind an R would be slightly heavier due to it's increased equipment levels when compared with the T5 sibbling

An auto R AWD has limited torque to protect the running gear and delivers it in a different fashion again to that of the T5 and R 2WD (229 ibft 2,400-5,400 rpm)

[LiamT4]

The main difference i always notice is the ride hight, my R isn't a low car but compared to the t5s its like an elise! lol

Did the 9 speaker dolby pro logic sound system come on the t5s?

[markc555]

Frankie, there's one that looks similar to yours, except an Auto, on Autotrader at the moment. Shame it's hundred plus miles from me ... http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...85xh?logcode=p

[AndysR]

The main difference i always notice is the ride hight, my R isn't a low car but compared to the t5s its like an elise! lol

Did the 9 speaker dolby pro logic sound system come on the t5s?

9 Speaker system is optional on everything including the R

SC900 and 4x 50W amp was standard on the R but optional on everything else.

Lowered chassis was standard on R (obviously) but not even optional on the 70 series range unlike the 850 range.

[LiamT4]

9 Speaker system is optional on everything including the R

SC900 and 4x 50W amp was standard on the R but optional on everything else.

Lowered chassis was standard on R (obviously) but not even optional on the 70 series range unlike the 850 range.

I have the original receipt with my car from 1998 and it mentions that it has the optional dolby pro logic system.

[AndysR]

I have the original receipt with my car from 1998 and it mentions that it has the optional dolby pro logic system.

There you go then optional on everything, it was a £600.00 option and not possible to fit in conjunction with the £2,500 RTI kit

[LiamT4]

There you go then optional on everything, it was a £600.00 option and not possible to fit in conjunction with the £2,500 RTI kit

The what? lol