Drove a V70R Today

Josh (PA) · 09-18-2007, 04:12 PM

Short report: It is a great car, but I like my 540iT much better.

Details: The car is a work friend's 2004 6sp manual. It's visually very attractive in metalic black exterior with the tan/orange interior leather. The interior layout and fit/finish are all top notch. The car has great room on the inside and the seats were very comfortable.

The car's power is strong, but one of my two big gripes with the car was the lack of linear power, which I'm (perhaps wrongly) attributing to turbo lag or potentially just a lack of low end torque. The car didn't pull well at all from a standstill then slightly over 3k rpm at WOT rocked back with significantly more power. It was not at all smooth and made holding a line while accelerating through a curve difficult. The suspension was set to advanced and the traction control was switched to reduced. Grip/Handling was quite good and the car had well controlled body roll. The steering on the other hand was crappy, my second big gripe with the car. It was very light and imprecise and it made it very difficult to smoothly make line adjustments.

The brakes were great, with linear pedal modulation and weight. i ddin't drive long enough to notice any fade, but I would assume this is an area that has the 540 beat. The clutch/transmisson was pleasant, but the turbo lag made smooth power off to on transitions on upshifts difficult. The pedal placement made heel/toe downshifts impossible for me (at least with my little experience with the car).

We took my wagon out first and drove each back to back. While the comparative performance was close, the 540 seemed faster and the linearity of the controls (or maybe just my overall familiarity with it) made it much easier to drive hard and approach the limit. In the end I'd sacrifice the availability of a manual transmission in the v70 for the overall better balance of the 540. I would be very happy with the v70 if I didn't have 540 experience as a benchmark.

FC · 09-18-2007, 04:18 PM

I am not surprised at all. The V70R is really not that fun to drive. All those people at the V70R forum are on crack. They must have never driven a BMW. To hear them talk, you would think the V70R drove like a Boxster.

zeroday · 09-19-2007, 07:56 PM

Here's something about the v70r that bothers me...over the past year I've had 4 different v70r's all driven by 40-50 yr old men try to taunt me in to racing them (running up on my bumper, pulling along side of me and slowing down then gunning it etc). I didn't take any of them up on it and they all do the 'ricer fly by' after they figure out I'm not interested in a race. Never had this issue with the 540iT and there's quite a few in the area (I live near ottos BMW and stillman volvo). Coincidence maybe but I'm thinking there's a certain type buying these cars.

lemming · 09-19-2007, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeroday

Here's something about the v70r that bothers me...over the past year I've had 4 different v70r's all driven by 40-50 yr old men try to taunt me in to racing them (running up on my bumper, pulling along side of me and slowing down then gunning it etc). I didn't take any of them up on it and they all do the 'ricer fly by' after they figure out I'm not interested in a race. Never had this issue with the 540iT and there's quite a few in the area (I live near ottos BMW and stillman volvo). Coincidence maybe but I'm thinking there's a certain type buying these cars.

FC · 09-19-2007, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeroday

Here's something about the v70r that bothers me...over the past year I've had 4 different v70r's all driven by 40-50 yr old men try to taunt me in to racing them (running up on my bumper, pulling along side of me and slowing down then gunning it etc). I didn't take any of them up on it and they all do the 'ricer fly by' after they figure out I'm not interested in a race. Never had this issue with the 540iT and there's quite a few in the area (I live near ottos BMW and stillman volvo). Coincidence maybe but I'm thinking there's a certain type buying these cars.

That is pretty funny. I've only seen a couple of other V70R's and they were mom-mobiles. I usually don't drive it hard because it just isn't really all that fun. It's nice to have the power to get it going quickly in certain situations though.

For me it's usually the opposite. It's usually some clown in an average car tailgating me. Sometimes it's nice to hit the gas on an uphill and leave them wondering what the hell just happened.

My guess is (and most of what I read in the forums supports this) that most V70R buyers are longtime Volvo fans that all of a sudden were offered the V70R and they just became enlightened to the fact that cars don't have to be as brutally lame as vanilla Volvo's. But then they take it to the extreme and start making outrageous claims as though a V70R handles like an E36M3 with the power of a 911 turbo. Poor bastards.

wdc330i · 09-20-2007, 11:07 AM

Some of the most aggressive drivers I've encountered on the road are steering minivans. No kidding.

Nick M3 · 09-20-2007, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdc330i

Some of the most aggressive drivers I've encountered on the road are steering minivans. No kidding.

That's the bitter and angry part coming in. Especially when it's the only car.

ff · 09-20-2007, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdc330i

Some of the most aggressive drivers I've encountered on the road are steering minivans. No kidding.

Based on what I've seen, it's Ford Explorer drivers. IMO, hands down, no question, they are most the dangerous and aggressive.

09-18-2007, 04:12 PM	#1
Josh (PA) Hello. Join Date: Mar 2004 Carmudgeonly Ride: '09 X3, '11 328xiT, '11 135i C, '17 c2, '19 X5 Location: Downingtown, PA Posts: 5,531	Drove a V70R Today Short report: It is a great car, but I like my 540iT much better. Details: The car is a work friend's 2004 6sp manual. It's visually very attractive in metalic black exterior with the tan/orange interior leather. The interior layout and fit/finish are all top notch. The car has great room on the inside and the seats were very comfortable. The car's power is strong, but one of my two big gripes with the car was the lack of linear power, which I'm (perhaps wrongly) attributing to turbo lag or potentially just a lack of low end torque. The car didn't pull well at all from a standstill then slightly over 3k rpm at WOT rocked back with significantly more power. It was not at all smooth and made holding a line while accelerating through a curve difficult. The suspension was set to advanced and the traction control was switched to reduced. Grip/Handling was quite good and the car had well controlled body roll. The steering on the other hand was crappy, my second big gripe with the car. It was very light and imprecise and it made it very difficult to smoothly make line adjustments. The brakes were great, with linear pedal modulation and weight. i ddin't drive long enough to notice any fade, but I would assume this is an area that has the 540 beat. The clutch/transmisson was pleasant, but the turbo lag made smooth power off to on transitions on upshifts difficult. The pedal placement made heel/toe downshifts impossible for me (at least with my little experience with the car). We took my wagon out first and drove each back to back. While the comparative performance was close, the 540 seemed faster and the linearity of the controls (or maybe just my overall familiarity with it) made it much easier to drive hard and approach the limit. In the end I'd sacrifice the availability of a manual transmission in the v70 for the overall better balance of the 540. I would be very happy with the v70 if I didn't have 540 experience as a benchmark. __________________ Josh (PA) - '19 X5 '17 991.2 C2 Cab '11 135i Convertible '11 328xiT '09 X3

09-18-2007, 04:18 PM	#2
FC Solving problems Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: M5 / 718 GTS / Cooper S / GTI / LR4 Location: Metro Boston Posts: 25,263	I am not surprised at all. The V70R is really not that fun to drive. All those people at the V70R forum are on crack. They must have never driven a BMW. To hear them talk, you would think the V70R drove like a Boxster.

09-19-2007, 07:56 PM	#3
zeroday Realist Join Date: Aug 2006 Carmudgeonly Ride: 07 S.Graphite 335i coupe Location: DE Posts: 106	Here's something about the v70r that bothers me...over the past year I've had 4 different v70r's all driven by 40-50 yr old men try to taunt me in to racing them (running up on my bumper, pulling along side of me and slowing down then gunning it etc). I didn't take any of them up on it and they all do the 'ricer fly by' after they figure out I'm not interested in a race. Never had this issue with the 540iT and there's quite a few in the area (I live near ottos BMW and stillman volvo). Coincidence maybe but I'm thinking there's a certain type buying these cars.

09-20-2007, 11:07 AM	#6
wdc330i dogged Join Date: Dec 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: '22 M440 xDrive GC Posts: 13,298	Some of the most aggressive drivers I've encountered on the road are steering minivans. No kidding.