v70r - small front end...??

boy....i stood in front of the v70r today...for the
1st time...and the front end sure is small...compaired
to the s80 and older volvos....i guess it is the exact
same size as the s60...right?

 

Yes, it's a lot shorter than the classic V70 because Volvo wanted to
increase interior space without making the vehicle any longer.
The most obvious things they have done to save space under the bonnet/hood
is to locate the battery, fuseboard and associated gear under the floor in
the boot.
TO me this sounds like a good idea because it keeps everything dry.
There is a sealed container for the battery, and it's vented outside so no
worries there.
The interior space is certainly improved in the new V70. Boot space is good,
and leg room for passengers is very good. Better than in the S80 I'm told.
I would have thought they'd have wanted more legroom in the saloon cars as
they'd surely be aimed at carrying passengers more comfortably than a load?
The shorter front end of the V70 is good when parking and manoeuvring. If
you got used to the V70 classic (as I did), then manoeuvring the new V70 is
a doddle. Of course, the S80 has a fairly large turning circle too, but my
V70 isn't too bad. Only about 0.2 metres larger circle if I remember
correctly.
Thanks very much Volvo, the redesign of the V70 a smart move! Now I never
thought I'd hear myself saying that!! I didn't fancy the new shape at
first....
Cheers.
Joe.

 

I'm a fan of moving the battery to the boot (trunk). Heat under the hood is
a terrible strain on batteries, especially the new "absorbed electrolyte"
(essentially the same as the old "gell cell" or "sealed") type. We use large
banks of Absolyte batteries at work and the rep drilled into us the
importance of keeping the temperature down. Somewhere around 90 F the life
expectancy drops to a tenth of the life span at 70 F. We've lost several
$5K-$20K banks when they got hot and went into thermal runaway.

Mike

 

is it just me...or are the 850r's a bigger car? i think i
will look for a nice used 850r...around 98-00....vs. a
new v70r.....

 

[~^ beancounter ~^] (7 Nov 2004 11:36:36 -0800):

850's were produced until 97, then V70 took over. Same size.

 

And of course, taking 50 lbs. from in front of the front axle on a front
heavy car and putting it behind the rear axle help balance the handling
of the car. (Although it may reduce acceleration traction on a front
drive car.)

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)