Used Volvo V70 Estate 2007 - 2016 review

Practicality has always been a Volvo estate strong point, which is what you'd expect from a country whose most notable furniture export often comes in a box. When you think of a used V70, you'd expect it to have decent load space and the rear seats that fold down flat, which they do. But it's also a classy estate car to challenge the likes of the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class, except that a similarly aged Volvo can be found for a lot less than any of these.

Diesel powers most V70s that you can find on the used market. There were many offered over the years from a 113bhp 1.6-litre DRIVe model (later renamed D2), a 136bhp 2.0 D3, a 163bhp 2.4D (rebranded D4) and a 185bhp D5 that was improved towards the end of its life to produce 212bhp.

Of the petrol models, the 2.5-litre turbo with 231bhp is the most rounded and provides punchy performance. There's a rare 238bhp 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine also used in the Land Rover Freelander, too. Other petrol engines were also on offer including a 180bhp T4, a 240bhp T5 and a 285bhp T6.

Unfortunately, the ride is far from perfect and even minor bumps and road scars will be felt by occupants. The V70 settles down a little bit at speed, though, making it an adept motorway cruiser. Body roll is well controlled, although the vague steering discourages you from driving enthusiastically.

Occupants are treated to extremely comfortable seats and the dashboard has a pleasing design, even if it is strewn with lots of small, poorly marked buttons and has an awkward infotainment system with confusing menus. The interior is well built, though, with no scratchy plastics to be seen. Cargo room isn't the best if you're loading up to the boot cover, but there is a flexible 40/20/40-split folding arrangement that does fold completely flat to help load longer items. The boot is well thought out, too, with luggage nets and tie-down hooks to stop items rolling around while in transit.

ES models come with alloys, electric windows all round, MP3/CD player and dual-zone climate control. SE spec adds leather upholstery, Bluetooth and an upgraded stereo. SE Lux adds satellite navigation, rear parking sensors and an electrically powered driver's seat, while R-Design cars get sportier internal and external trim.

Prices for a Volvo V70 start out at around £2500, but for that you'll get an early example with a mileage well into six figures. We'd suggest that you increase your budget to beyond £4000 to get something with under 100,000 miles on it and a full service history.

A major facelift (by Volvo standards) happened in 2012, and you'll need around £10,000 for an example from this year with and an average number of miles on it. Late 2015 and 2016 cars from a franchised Volvo dealer can be found for £14,500.

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Pick the right model and running costs should be reasonable. Even the largest D5 engine does a respectable 43.5mpg and 172g/km CO2 (58.9mpg and 126g/km in later versions), while the economy-oriented DRIVe model does 57.7mpg and 129g/km, officially at least. However, later D3-equipped cars do better than this with an average of 68.9mpg and 108g/km.

The T5 petrol engine claims an average of 34.9mpg and 189g/km, but many owners have been averaging less than that. As you'd expect, the larger T6 is even less efficient, with a claimed average of 27.7mpg and 237g/km. Even the entry-level T4 petrol isn't as efficient as the thirstiest diesel, with an average of 41.5mpg and 157g/km.

Insurance costs are reasonable, with all but the T5 engine in R-Design trim sitting in insurance groups 20-29. Pick a sporty version, however, and you're looking at group 33. Diesels will be the least expensive to tax (a few are even free) but most of the petrols sit in the highest band. To find out more about the current road tax costs, click here for further information.

Servicing costs aren't cheap, but go with a franchised dealer and you're unlikely to be disappointed. Volvo dealers have a good reputation for looking after customers.

Diesel examples of the Volvo V70 make the most sense, because they deliver much more pulling power than the petrol models. If fuel economy is your main concern, it's worth checking out the DRIVe model introduced in 2009, but we prefer the D5 engine in any of its forms because it has strong performance without crippling running costs.

Petrol models are very rare, but of the various engines available the 2.5-litre T5 is the most rounded. It will be a lot more expensive to run than a diesel V70, so you'll need to budget for that.

SE spec gets all the basics plus the added benefit of leather upholstery, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth and an upgraded stereo. The sat-nav system on SE Lux isn't very good, so isn't worth the premium. R-Design cars get sportier internal and external styling along with firmer suspension for better handling, but it still won't better a BMW 5 Series in the bends.

Our favourite Volvo V70: D5 SE

If sporty handling isn't your primary concern, but a classy image and a nice interior is, the Audi A6 Avant could be an ideal alternative to a Volvo. There is a wider range of diesel engines on offer from frugal four-cylinders with huge fuel range, to multi-turbocharged six-cylinder offerings with 316bhp.

Then there is the BMW 5 Series which has a much more desirable image than the v70, and it has a far better infotainment system. Post-2013 cars are better because they come with a more reliable diesel engine.

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