Superb comfort, plenty of safety equipment, solid construction, available all-wheel drive.
Cons
Gets expensive when you start adding options, tight rear legroom.
What’s new
A new high-performance model, the V70R, making 300 horsepower, will be available later in the year. A leather-wrapped steering wheel and an audio unit with a CD and cassette player grace the interior of the 2.4 and 2.4T. The latter also gets real wood trim. For the all-wheel-drive version, the 2.4 turbocharged engine receives a small bump in displacement and horsepower. Rain-sensing wipers and OnCall Plus (the telematics system) are available, and two new colors, Titanium Grey and Ruby Red, brighten the exterior.
Edmunds says
An enjoyable wagon with a strong reputation for safety.
After 4 years and 50K+ miles I still love this car. It is a joy to drive. Seat comfort is superb. I can drive for hours with no back ache. Braking system is superb. This is the non-turbo model and has plenty of pep with the 5 speed auto transmission. 32 MPG highway at 70 mph. About 22-23 in the city. Repairs and scheduled maint are expensive at the dealer!! Find a good independent … garage and stick to the maintenance schedule. You will save lots of $$. Change the trans fluid every 40K miles, the claimed lifetime trans fluid interval is baloney. The cost of a new tranny will make you cry!
OK, but Not Like the Good Old Days
4.5 out of 5 stars
VolvoGrl, 02/17/2006
2003 Volvo V70 2.4 Fwd 4dr Wagon (2.4L 5cyl 5M)
I bought the V70 after owning a 240 wagon. The V70 is OK, but it's not like the old days. The car is comfortable and gas mileage is great for something this size. I am, however, disappointed in Volvo's apparent decline in quality. I've had to return to the dealer about 5 times in the first two and a half years to replace shoddy parts, including the steering wheel which just sort of … crumbled and the power steering reservoir which cracked. Brakes went at 40k. After owning only Volvos in my adult life, will I buy another? Sadly, no. I think Volvo now delivers American quality with a European price tag.
This car has had 6 wheel bearing replacements in 130,000 miles. Spoke of record with an engineer at bearing supplier. Said the bearings are not adequate for parts of North American market. Inner wheels fill with mud and harden creating vibration when driving. I don't recommend this car if you live or travel on dirt roads.
Great car! I wanted a car that would provide me comfort, safety, space, and so much more. This car does everything! When I go shop, I actually have a place to put my items. The leather seats are A+ I couldn't ask for a better made car. The craftsmanship is excellent for the price. We bought our V70 used, so we didn't lose a lot of money. We also paid like 11k in the end and had equity in … the car. Just shop around!
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2003 Volvo V70, so we've included reviews for other years of the V70 since its last redesign.
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