DukeTrout Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I was on a business trip to Berlin and Hertz handed me the keys to a new Volvo XC70. Usually, I don't like driving that big of a car around in Europe, but I knew I might be driving some colleagues around, so I went for it. That, and it was a D5, and I was eager to give the 2.4L I-5 turbodiesel a whirl. Unfortunately, the model they gave me was an automatic, but oh, well. Better styling that the outgoing model, and very good interior room. It seemed bigger. Great cargo features, too. Adjustable aluminum tie-downs all over the back. Mine was in black with black interior, and looked really slick. I started it up and it didn't sound like the typical diesel. Deeper, with more growl than knock. I pulled it out of the airport, got onto the entrance ramp of the A115, and let her rip. Nice! The slushbox takes seconds to catch, but the torque of the D5 engine was fantastic. I'd put it on par with my stage 2 LGT, but it only had about 1000 rpm of usable torque before it was approaching the very short redline. That's the nature of the diesel. The upside was cruising at 160 kph at 800 rpm! The sound of the D5 was wonderful. It was halfway between a small-block chevy V8 growl and a Cummins turbodiesel from a Dodge Ram 2500. Very satisfying music for a little 2.4L. No turbo sounds inside the cabin, but open the window and you could hear a nice turbo whine under load. The XC70 isn't set up for carving turns, but it was very nicely stable on the highway. I did one intercity trip and cruised for a long way at 180 kph, and it handled like a dream. No drama, no nervousness, just solid on-center cruising. In summary, I really liked this ride. I wouldn't trade in the OBXT for it, but it would be really nice to at least have an option to get an engine like this in the States. I bet the 2.0 L boxer turbo will be nice, but if Subaru gets serious about diesels, I'd love to see them do a 3.0 L H6 turbodiesel. That would be a real beast of a motor. 400 ftlbs of torque, anyone? http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/press/graphics/xc70_2008.jpg Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirsimon Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Nice review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyface Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Thanks Duke....glad you had the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewLegGT67 Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 You were cruising close to 113 mph on the intercity trip? Are my calculations correct? I'm probably the only person that has Wu-Tang Clan and Paul McCartney on their mp3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 Yep. No problem. Gotta love the autobahn. It's not just about high speed limits. The road itself is smooth as a baby's bottom, and they keep you alerted via easy-to-read signs about what is coming up in the road ahead. They also have a lot of signs that are adaptive. Speed limit is reduced when there is rain or traffic. They start slowing you down several kilometers before a turn or difficult interchange. 110 mph is safer on the Autobahn than 55 on most of our interstates. Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewLegGT67 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Yep. No problem. Gotta love the autobahn. It's not just about high speed limits. The road itself is smooth as a baby's bottom, and they keep you alerted via easy-to-read signs about what is coming up in the road ahead. They also have a lot of signs that are adaptive. Speed limit is reduced when there is rain or traffic. They start slowing you down several kilometers before a turn or difficult interchange. 110 mph is safer on the Autobahn than 55 on most of our interstates. That's what I thought. Speed doesn't kill. It's stupid drivers not paying attention to the road. I'm probably the only person that has Wu-Tang Clan and Paul McCartney on their mp3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyface Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Apparently the Autobahn has as much material from the ground up equaling approx 2.5-3 American highways stacked one on top the other. The trick is in the underlayment with 13 inches of blacktop. I think a typical American highway blacktop is 4-6 inches. Hmph. In Portland they use 3/4 minus.....crappy highways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korpsepatrol Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 i hope they bring back the S60R i really loved the look of that car with the evolve body kit they came with. 2008 6mt Legacy Gt Spec B DGM - Not so Stock/Work in progress 2006 5mt Legacy Gt OBP - Sold 2005 5eat Legacy Gt OBP - RIP R.I.P Coxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.