GFerg

Fall semester is over and I'm back at the dealership making a few quick bucks before I go back. Good money, great relationship with the owner so why not.

I know that most of yall dont care about Volvo to much, but I'm real bored and I thought it would be nice to let yall know what they are offering for 2005.


S40/V50

Great little car, and very different from its Mazda3 sibling. Its offered in an array of engine and tranny options( 2.4iM, 2.4iA, T5 6-speedM, T5A, T5 AWD 6-speedM, and T5 AWD A) This car is a MAJOR improvement over the previous S40. Driving dynamics are wonderful. The car handles very well, especially in AWD form. For a small car, it is very solid, and has a hefty feel. On the inside, the quality is better than previous Volvos, and the dash is innovative. For those that dont know, the S40 has what they call a floating dash. Basically there is a open space behind the controls where you can store whatever you want. But I wouldnt put anythnig back there. You will probably forget about it. But now you can order the dash in clear plastic. It looks like ***** and a screen floating in mid air. Pretty cool looking. The stereo system is outstanding. 400 watts, 5.1 surround sound through I think 12-14 speakers. Its rediculously loud, but obviously not as clear as a ML system. Basically offers all of the same features and options as every other car in its class. Base engine is peppy. Slightly faster than the turboed old S40. Most can live with it but I can't. T5 is pretty damn fast. Probably faster than the IS300, 325i, and slightly slower than 330i. 218hp and 232lb-tq. The turbos spool up pretty quick. They kick in around 1800-2000rpm range. The 6-speed has very short throws, and revs very quickly. Its a joy to drive. Compared to my Maxima, it has a considerably shorter throw, however, clutch feel(something many magazines and owners complain alot about ) is pretty wierd. It sorta jump backs out at you, then smooths out. Hard to explain, and a pain to get used to. Dynamic Sport Package adds the body kit, spoiler, 17in wheels, and sport suspension(like the animated commericals) In all honesty, I think the standard suspension is sporty enough, but the sports suspension takes it to the next level. Many customers are purchasing it with the Sport Package because it looks exceptionally good with the kit and bigger wheels. Big time headturner. Many are surprised that its a Volvo. One thing that I am happy they added is the Security Glass on the side windows. Its a shatter proof glass that deters vandalism. The only way a robber can break it is if they bash the window 6 six times in the same exact spot. Its about a $200 option, which I think is very well worth it if you live a crime stricken area. T5 with the most popular options(Leather, sunroof, power seats, rainsensor wipers, and some other stuff is about 31-32 grand. Add on Sports Package, Surround Sound, Navi, Security Glass, etc, you are looking at around 37 grand. I think the S40/V50 can be a great deal, and a bad one. It depends on the person. A 19year old just bought a T5 AWD for about 33 grand. But to me if your gonna spend 33 grand, you might as well buy a a TL, A4, or a IS300. If you were an older person and dont need much room, I think its a great buy. Depends on Necessity. 8 out of 10.


S60/V70

The bread and butter of Volvo. When I think of Volvo I think of S60. Great cars, midlife update for 2005. Looks a lot better if you ask me. The body color matching molding makes the car looks outstanding. Silver, Black, White, and Titanium Grey look best. On the interior. Quality has gone up, More fake wood used throughout the interior, but it looks so much better. The stereo is also easier to use, because they now have preset buttons instead of that stupid rotary preset ****. Seats. Probably the best on the market. Very comfortable and they just wrap around you. Almost form fitting. Engines available 2.4i, 2.5T, 2.5T AWD(same engines used in the S40/V50), T5 with 257hp, and my favorite Volvo S60/V70R . The R line is on a completely different level. These cars are beastly. Definitely a drivers car. I don't have anything bad to say about this car except that the Automatic R's have 252lbtq while the 6-speed has 295lbtq. But the Auto is still insanely fast, but not nearly as fast as the Manual. Suspension settings are very cool. Comfort, Sport, and Advanced Sport. I recommend you use Advanced Sport on smooth roads only,(like a race track) because this setting is rediculously stiff. It will lift you out of your seat a little bit on very bumpy roads, or a little dizzy from all of the up and down action. But it some how still puts a big smile on my face. The interior is done up in Aluminum trim, and looks great. Its everywhere. The seats are even better than the regular S60, higher quality leather is used. 3 interior color choices, Light Sand color, Atacama,(orangy brownish color), and black leather, that has a hint of blue in it. Its very nice and seams like it changes to black and blue at certain angles. Thick blue stitching is used on the steering wheel and has a unique feel. The speedo and such is also done in a shinny blue on white. Exterior styling is also greatly improved for the 2005 model year. A bodykit is also optional with a different spoiler. If you thought it looked good in 2004, it looks a lot better in 2005.

S60/V70R 10 out of 10 great car, they couldnt have done better, and its also a great buy. 41K with most poular options
S60/V70 7 out of 10. Great cars, but there are others out there that offer so much more.


XC70

DAMN, I HATE THIS CROSSOVER THING. It handles worse than the XC90 truck, its ugly as hell, slow, and expensive. I dont understand why so many people love this car. It sits very high for a car(your about even with a Rav4 when sitting inside), I guess its convienient for those who like the space of a truck but jsut dont like trucks. It uses the same engine as the S40T5, S602.5T, S80AWD, and XC90 AWD, but the added weight slows this car down considerably. Handling is so sloppy, it feels as if it will roll over. I think that mainly has to do with the tall tires that come stock with the car. Also the price is outragous. 42K with popular options??? You have got to be crazy to think that is a good deal. Theres not much good I can say about this car. I jsut wish people would stop buying the ugly thing. The Audi Allroad and Outback look so much better.

4.5 out of 10


S80

It was a great car when it first came out back in the fall of 1998. But it hasnt changed much. It got a midlife makeover in the Fall of 2003, but that still didnt do much. Its the biggest car that they make, and also very expensive. Its a nice comfortable roadtrip car. Engines are 2.5T and T6.(AWD is also available on the 2.5T) If you are going to buy a S80, get the T6. Twin Turbo 276hp car, 0-60 in about 6.3 secs. Its pretty fast, but suffers from torque steer, and a super light steering. They also use an ancient 4 speed Auto. It has got to be the slowest shifting tranny I have ever driven. This tranny hinders the full potential of the Twin Turbos. In the brochure, they state that the torque is available at around 1500rpm, but you really dont feel it till about 2,500-3,000rpm. But once the turbos kick in, it pulls very hard. Volvo also offers a Premier package. It includes 2 TV's in the headrests, softer leather, with black or white piping, a small refridgerator, crystal glasses, security glass, heated rear seats, and a buch of other things. Surprisingly the S80 can get REAL expensive. Premier package with all options your looking at 55K+. Yeah thats a hell of a lot of money. It makes the RL look like a great deal. All in all, its an alright car. Wouldnt recommend it to anyone, but its okay. There have been talks about a redesign at the end of this year or the summer of 2006 with the new V8 and 6 speed Auto from the XC90 making its way into S80.

7 out of 10


C70 Convertible

My favorite Volvo of all time. Its soooo old, but it still is a great car. Its definitely a Volvo Classic. It has the old interior with the million and one buttons all over the place, and that classic Volvo engine note. I love the way the old school Volvos sound under full throttle. Very throaty. A lot of bass especially in High Pressure Turbo form (around 242hp). Certainly not as fast as the newer Volvos but the sound and the way it lurches forward makes it seem a lot faster than it really is. I'm really upset that they discontinued the Coupe version in 2003. It was one bad azz looking coupe with the optional 18in wheels. They always had a lowered look to it. Hopefully its replacement is jsut as nice as this one. Rumor has it that it will be a hard top convertible. Possibly C50 name, but unlikely now.

7.5 out of 10


XC90

Very nice truck, and a great buy. I think the RX330 and the XC90 are the best in this class. The truck is big and roomy, and it really drives like a car. The steering is sporty and it handles great. With all of its technology I think its next to impossible to flip over. That Roll Stablity Control really works. This truck is basically no different than any other Volvo as far as design and interior layout. Engines offered are 2.5T, T6, and in Feburary there will be V8 option with a 6speed Auto. Last month a few co workers actually went out to Arizona to test drive a few of these trucks. Every dealership in the country had to go to this outing. (4 from each dealer) They said it drives even better, and is such a great truck. This year the rear seat entertainment center comes with TV's in the headrest and a DVD player in the armrest. The option cost about 2 grand.

8 out of 10

All in all, Volvo has a much improved lineup. Many customers are cross shopping Volvo with Acura(main competitor), BMW, and Lexus(only the RX330 and ES330)

Some new safety features that were introduced this year is the BLIS sytem. The system takes pictures of the drivers blindspots. A small camera is placed on the lower portion of the mirror and notifies the driver if something is in that area. A light flashes on the pillar when a car is in that area. Also the mirrors also have a coating on it that spreads the water and ice over the entire surface. You basically are able to see through the water and into the mirror. It is a pretty cool feature.

biker

Nice write up - now go back to school.

slawek65

Yes, go back to school or sell some cars and make some money.

LexFather

Great reviews of Volvo.

mmarshall

I agree, Mike. Looks like you and I have been rubbing off of him. (Just kidding...he obviously knows how to write). The only significant thing he forgot to add was that the S80 and XC90 have both been unreliable (by new-car standards).

In a couple of more years he could be writing for Car and Driver....about even with Patrick Bedard. ( He'd sure beat Brock Yates ).

mmarshall

Why sell cars? If he keeps writing like this he'll be able to make money HONESTLY.

Davtown

Glad to see a car salesmen who knows what he's talking about! Nice writeup

tzu911

As davtown addressed, product knowledge is the foundation of succeeding in selling. And it is the listening skills that will help a sales professional close the deal.

mmarshall

I partially but not totally agree. While product knowledge in sales, yes, is important, it is even more so in auto consulting than in just sales. It is more important for a potential customer to do his / her homework , either on their own or with an auto consultant, decide beforehand what vehicle is best for them, and THEN go to the showroom and work out a deal. Once you are already in the high-pressure atmosphere of many showrooms....that is not the time to be throwing darts at a dartboard trying to decide what new vehicle is best. Of course.....nothing is necessarily cast in stone, but usually the more informed a customer is and the more they KNOW what they want, the better off it will be. Of course, an honest and informed salesperson (something the industry has quite a lack of) can help by verifying that it will be the correct vehicle for that person.

I think magneto actually has the more of the makings of an auto consultant or an auto writer than a salesperson....or perhaps he will be one of those rare persons who can do both.

GFerg

School for me. This is just my winter break job. I'm back in Jersey for about a month, but I'm anxious to go back. Dealership business is something I don't want to get into after I graduate. It can be fun, but it takes up to much time and can be quite stressful.

GFerg

After Ford took over, I wouldnt call any Volvo reliable. I think they are slightly below average. Your totally right about the S80 and XC90. Uncontrollably unreliable. The 1999 S80 has to be the least reliable Volvo in history (Its that bad). Transmission problems(to my understanding the tranny is not strong enough to handle the torque the twin turbo puts out), Turbo problems, O2 sensor problems, electrical(what European car doesnt have electrical problems and is it me or does just about every Volvo on the road have the right headlight blown out?), coolant problems, etc.

XC90 suffers from the tranny problems and the turbo problems also(T6 model, share same drivetrain) It also heavily suffers from electrical problems. We actually just got in 3 XC90's with bad stereo systems. It would change stations by itself, and lower the volume too. But on the good side, I think its still more reliable than most other European cars. But on a more positive note, we have an article(I think from DETNEWS) which states that the XC90 has the best resale value of any car or truck. I dont remember if it was DETNEWS's provate study, or if it was a third party study, but I can only go on what I saw. Isnt there a thread here somewhere about cars/trucks with the best resale values?

LOL, trust me, I'm not that good of a writer(or atleast I dont think I am, the review was really casual), but my bro is out of this world. Masters in English.(Who does that??) You, Sick, and MPLexus just to name a few are a hell of a lot better than me. Besides, I bet you can find over 10 typing mistakes in the first paragraph alone!

biker

Such a smart person at such a youg age - he'll go far.

mmarshall

Everybody makes typos once in a while....that is what the "edit " feature is for. It's what is inside your head that counts....and you are clearly above average here for someone your age.
Yes, Volvos have a tendency to burn out light bulbs. VW's are even worse....they are notorious for being one-eyed. Most of this is due to lousy electrical connectors....they are poorly designed and hard to assemble compared to Japanese ones. There have been a number of posts on CL on this subject.
As far as why those new stereos have minds of their own.....were the correct codes plugged in? The sound systems in many new vehicles will not work at all (or not work properly) until specific codes (an anti-theft feature) is plugged in. Were they swapped with other vehicles on the lot? That can sometimes also screw them up.

One of the reasons for the XC90's popularity and high resale value is the unique stability AND anti-roll system combined.....using not only yaw but roll sensors as well. Last year the XC-90 was the only vehicle on the market to have it, and this year it still is virtually alone with this feature, though the new Grand Cherokee has a slightly less sophisticated version of it. Since Ford owns Volvo, expect to see it on Ford-designed SUV's shortly. With the Explorer's recently publicized handling problems, my guess is it will be the first Ford SUV to get it.