Used 2008 Volvo XC70 Consumer Reviews
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I like this car
NYPAULY, 06/13/2008
2008 Volvo XC70 3.2 4dr Wagon AWD (3.2L 6cyl 6A)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I bought a new XC70 in April, so I haven't had a chance to test it in snow and ice. I do a mix of city and highway driving and have averaged 24 MPG. The car handles well and is nice to drive, although I find the transmission hunting for gears sometimes. I had heard that the transmission is adaptive so that this may stablilize once it adjusts to my driving style.
08 XC70 hits LUCKY 13!
Barnstorm62, 04/06/2021
2008 Volvo XC70 3.2 4dr Wagon AWD (3.2L 6cyl 6A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Let's start by saying that after 45 years of owning cars and trucks, this is the one vehicle that I would consider indispensable in comparison to all others that have graced my driveway. Purchased at 3 years old with 60k miles, my expectations were drive it for a few years then upgrade. With a tick under 170k miles as we speak, the XC70 is my daily commuter (90/day roundtrip), and stand-in for my pickup truck when necessary. It truly is the "Swiss Army Knife" of vehicular ownership. With a set of snows, it will go anywhere. With regular maintenance, it runs trouble free. The 3.2 non-turbo inline 6 needs a kick in the pedal to hang with other more sporting types, but will get you there safely, and in some style and comfort. The front seats are THE MOST COMFORTABLE I've ever spent drive time in. Not even close. With the rear seats folded down, the storage capacity is cavernous. The roof rails and my old Thule crossbars combine to make large items a breeze to transport and tie down. The tie down system in the rear storage area still gets compliments from those exposed to them. I've been up and down the east coast multiple times, and am always amazed that fuel economy on the highway is regularly in the 25-28mpg range, depending on my right foot. The XC70 averages right around 22mpg over the course of a year of commuting. I don't do a lot of off-roading, but have done some, and am happy with the short front and rear overhangs that offer good approach and departure angles, and enough clearance to give any jeep a run for it's money in most scenarios. The BLIS system is helpful, although given to occasional fits caused by spider webs. The styling is understated, and nearly invisible to most law enforcement. My complaints center around the automatic "slapstick" transmission. The manual mode makes for fun, and engine breaking on downhills is a benefit to the reasonably good brakes. However in some on and off the gas maneuvers, the tranny will occasionally search for the proper gear, resulting in a discordant and clunky gear change. If I was forced to choose between this car and my 2007 F-150, I'd install a Class I receiver on the Volvo and sell the truck. This is an excellent vehicle to live with on a daily basis, and now that they are available everywhere used, I would not hesitate to put any family member in an XC70. If I was buying again, I'd go for the 2011 that did away with the key mechanism in the dashboard, rather allowing you to simply push in and pull out the key. Volvo's penchant for long term model design means my 08 still looks fresh today, almost 5 years after the last XC70 rolled off the line. Everyone should have a swiss army knife in their vehicle, and having the swiss army knife of vehicles in your driveway would be a good thing.
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Respectible ride
Effigy3, 09/09/2008
2008 Volvo XC70 3.2 4dr Wagon AWD (3.2L 6cyl 6A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
My previous 7 vehicles were VWs so changing to Volvo was a leap. I had an S40 T5 AWD for 6 months before "surprise" 2nd child arrived. Traded for the XC70 for the added room. The ride on this car is excellent for it's class. It feels more like a luxury sedan and less like an SUV. Compared to my previous Passats it feels much roomier which is great for our family of 4. The built-in DVD players are a big hit! (DVD+R work just fine.) It's exactly the kind of solid, thoughtful, classy vehcile that I would expect from a Volvo. I average 18 mpg under mixed driving conditions (22 mpg higway) using a responsible "kids in the car" driving style and 89 octane gas.
I loved my car until...
M3, 02/25/2018
2008 Volvo XC70 3.2 4dr Wagon AWD (3.2L 6cyl 6A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I am the second owner and the first one had an accident front passenger side. Car was bought ant rebuilt beautifully. I have had it 6 years and I loved it until the transmission went at 95,929 miles. The problem is that cooling fluid leaked into the trans mission fluid. The glycol has no viscosity and the fluid burned and parts started to crumble. The radiator had to be replaced as well. My fist mechanics diagnosed the problem and offered a rebuilt tranny for $2,700 and a 1 year warranty. He could not say what caused the fluid to overheat. I took it to a dealer who confirmed the burned fluid and crumbled parts. (It was still shifting but slipping ) the dealer is replacing with new factory parts with lifetime warranty for $6,700. Wow, big hit for what I would say is a bad design. The link between the tranny and cooling system is plastic and not particularly glycol friendly. I plan to keep the car so the lifetime warranty is important and is having both parts of the problem replaced. But yow, the price is awful. Hey Volvo, you charge too much for parts.
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2008 Volvo XC70 in Canada
NIBS, 09/23/2008
2008 Volvo XC70 3.2 4dr Wagon AWD (3.2L 6cyl 6A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
This is my third Volvo. Previous to this car was an 02 XC70 and an 850 turbo. My experience with the 08 model is not something to write home about. The fuel economy of this car (avg 13.8L/100kms) is far less than the 2002 and the increase in HP does little to affect performance. Personally I prefer the older turbo model. I also like the center stack from the old model as it was slightly turned towards the driver. Other than cosmetic, there is very little about this car that is better than the previous model. The car is not as quiet nor as tight. I currently have 13K kms on this car and it has been back to the dealer five times for warranty repair.