Ralph's Review

Back in the 1980s before 4x4s and MPVs the Volvo Estate Car seemed to be the best car to reflect a lifestyle. It got to the point of being a topic for stand-up comedians.  It wasn’t the very best. The Mercedes E-Class was the ultimate estate but it was Merc money.

Have Volvo still got what it takes? Well they’ve certainly got enough on offer. Today Volvo have the V50, V60 and V70 estate cars for sale.

The Volvo V50 price is attractive being under £20,000. Go from a V50 to V6o’s Sportwagon style and you might be pleasantly surprised by the Volvo V60 fuel consumption. Move up to the V70 for a full size estate car and the Volvo V70 dimensions provide huge load spaces.

But what makes for the best estate car? Back in the 80s Volvo estates had performance, comfort, space, prestige and a wonderful reputation for durability, reliability and safety.

At the time Volvo were among the manufacturers who developed shaped supportive seats as opposed to lounge chairs with showroom appeal. Durability, reliability has significantly improved in all cars and safety rating means these features are no longer issues.

So what about performance, versatility and regard for Volvo?

If we leave Volvo for a moment and go back to 2008, German manufacturers were found to be behind the pace with emissions. Today you’ll be shocked and amazed at the efficient combination of fuel economy, emissions, speed and acceleration of Mercs, BMs, Audi and VW.

Fortunately for Volvo they once sourced Renault parts before being acquired by Ford. Both Renault and Ford have historically been the efficient manufacturers, innovators and achievers in the motor industry. Volvo take this intellectual property and relationships forward to their new owners.

The Volvo V50 shares the same dimensions with the BMW 3-Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant however the BMW has the better load space and the FWD A4 has even more load space. The differences in mpg and performance are not significant in real on the road conditions. The V50 comes in with a four grand cheaper entry price.

For 3-Series and A4 for money Volvo offer the V60 which they refer to as a Sportswagon. You get more load space for your money with the V60 and an edge with engine efficiency which is probably not significant on the road.

When considering a 3-Series or A4 it’s easy to be walked up to near forty grand. A Volvo V70 enters the market at £27k. For the money you get a huge estate car and load space. You also get scorching acceleration, suicidal speeds and real fuel economy when you’re not ragging it.

So how does a V70 compare with a Mercedes E-Class Estate? A Merc’s more money but not enough to make a difference if you’ve got the price of a V70. Having said that the Merc has no practical advantage.

So Volvo estate cars still perform strongly, are versatile and comfortable. Few manufacturers are losers for durability, reliability and safety. Volvo still have their slab-side style which suggests a solid car. Volvo are also up to the mark for fuel consumption, emissions and performance.

Today there’s more competition. Back in the 80s the only real players were the Ford, Vauxhall, Avant, Renault, Peugeot plus the emerging Passat. Today Volvo competes with over thirty estate cars. It’s still one of the best and certainly a benchmark. It’s just you’ve contenders like Mazda, Honda, Citroen and Skoda and some are – Superb.

One last thought, with cars in the same class being so similar for performance, space, engine efficiency and car safety it may boil down to appearance and prestige. For me a V60 is very stylish and  the V70 has tremendous presence. Car salespeople will probably talk about equipment options and packs. Be careful here because you can be walked up thousands of pounds – to infiniti which is a make of car to check out.

Regards
Ralph