Volvo V70 noseweight

[Tom_5073611]

Anyone out there towed with the Volvo V70 ? I am thinking of swapping to one of these and would like any feedback especially the noseweight and mpg for the D5 diesel.

According to the manufacturers the towing capacity is 1800kg so with a MPTLM of 1500kg I should be well in.

Thanks

Tom

 

[AdifferentJim]

I've got a Feb. 2005 V70 D5 and tow a Bailey Senator Arizona (mptlm 1472kg)with no problems whatsoever. It's superb, the best car I've had, solo and towing. I try to keep to a noseweight of no more than 75kg, however the Volvo website stated 85kg for one of their own fitted towbars, but at 3 times the cost of one from Witter, PCT, etc. I've also got 'load compensating suspension' but as I haven't towed with a V70 without it I can't comment on how much difference it makes.

The computer tells me that, since Christmas (about 4500 miles), I have averaged 58.1 mpg. That's solo, of course, and most of my driving is at 65mph on cruise control on the motorway. I don't know what I get towing, I've never bothered to check. I don't think that I have ever done the same journey twice under the same traffic, weather and driving conditions. A difference of 10mph to your average speed towing will have a considerable effect on your overall mpg. So what is there to check? I get what I get.

As I said it's the all best round car that I've had.

 

[Karen_5096276]

We tow a bailey discovery with our V70 - don't even know it's on the back!!! In fact went on holiday last year to norfolk from the midlands towing with a skoda octavia and came back with the V70! We have the petrol so can't help with mpg but it's a very smooth comfortable ride towing or solo.

 

[David.O]

Tom

I have a 850 TDI for 10 years 130K on the clock. solo I get 42 + per gallon towing my Coachman VIP 460/2 I get 28/30 MPG Great car looking for a replacement soon and will be looking at the V70 with the new larger engine.

good hunting

 

[Tom_5073611]

Thank you all for your replies, I was hoping for mid 40's solo and 30 ish towing so my hopes have been confirmed, I think it's time to sell the 4x4 and get something(in my opinion) more practical in many ways.!

Our van is a hefty 1500kg so the V70 D5 will cope adequetly, the only thing I will miss is the high seat position but thats no big loss. thanks again

 

[mary.ross]

We have just bought a 1997 2.5TD,V70 top spec, all the luxury you want, and hope to be trying it out this weekend, with our new caravan. Currently getting anything from 40 - 48 mpg,solo, and most of my driving is urban, max speed 40. The Dethleff's Camper 470DL has a max weight of 1300kg, so we should hardly notice it. Will let you know.

 

[Guest]

Tom,

The vehicle weight of the D5 is around 1535 kg so if you want to fully load your van you are very close to 100%. Your Volvo will tow it but is going to struggle a bit. You will never see top gear. The maximum figure you are quoting of 1800kg is technically correct but is not based on any recommended road practice. You also do not state if the car is manual or automatic, and this could make a difference especially for ATF cooling. Volvo's are great towing cars, I am on my 2nd, but you need to give them some easonable chance of success.

 

[Tom_5073611]

Hi Scotch lad

My reasons for changing from a 4x4 are simple running costs as we use the vehicle on more occasions without the caravan on the rear.

The dethleffs 550L comes in at 1500kgs all up but what I always tend to do is reduce the amount of weight in the caravan as much as possible when towing: put the awning on the back seat of the car,all heavy food itens boxed in the car boot etc,this in turn reduces the weight of the caravan but increases the weight of the car.

I reckon that by using this method we are towing at around 90%, I can live with that.

Secondly,this is more important , we never exceed 55mph whilst towing and at that I feel that in most eventualities whatever happens I can handle it. This is not a blinkered attitude it just makes sense. When we are driving on motorways so many times we have been overtaken by outfits sometimes exceeding 70mph which may be well within the 85% ruling and this obviously makes them invincible but it sure as hell looks like an accident about to happen to me.

Finlly the bhp of the D5 is 160 which I am hoping will be enough the only drawback is that it is front wheel.

Regards

Tom

 

[Guest]

Tom,

I appreciate all you are saying and hope it all works for you. I totally agree with your comments regarding speeding caravans, there are a lot of so called sensible people out there who take a lot of chances, with other peoples lives, as well as their own.

I don't know what the payload of the Dethleffs is but I am sure you will be weighing it carefully. Perhaps looking at one of the lighweight awnings would help to reduce weight, and, as we are finding out ourselves, is it necessary to travel with a hamper full of food? We usually end up bringing most of it home with us, so this year, we have decided to ditch most of it. There are supermarkets virtually everywhere so we can provision on a one, or 2 day basis happily. Similarly I have cut down to 1 gas cylinder as I now find that with electric on most sites, one cylinder lasts most of the season. I also carry a Camping Gaz 907 bottle both for the BBQ and as back up. If you have kids with you then obviously some of these ideas will not work, but if you are a couple like us it is amazing the unused 'c..p' we all tend to carry.

My Volvo is the S80, I did look at the V70 but felt that the estate was not going to be used all the time so the better room and comfort of the saloon was to be preferred. And i can swing down the back seat if i need to. However, the downside is that I am having to fork out for the Nivomats to get the better towing suspension. Cannot win them all. Good luck and if you are interested there is an excellent Volvo Owners Club with a lot of good info, and discounts.

 

[Tom_5073611]

Hi Scotch Lad

Yes we are exactly the same in so much as we only take enough supplies for a couple of days,one gas bottle etc. And definately no kids anymore.

Tell me a bit more about the Nivomat suspension and does the V70 already have this.

I do also enjoy the full awning which has always been in the towcar to reduce the caravan weight so all in all I think we are around the 90% mark. (We only collect the V70 today,Saturday, so will keep you posted)

But what swayed me was that last summer whilst on a site in Brittany we met a chappie who was towing a vanroyce of all things wit a V70 and it turned out that it was the same weight as my Dethleffs which set me thinking. I have never been a lover of 4x4's but they do a job but they are not for me.

Regards

Tom

 

[MONKEY1]

Hi Tom,

Both my parents have Volvo's Estate's one with the 2.4 Petrol and the other the diesel version, both of which are excellent tow car's the main difference between the two is the diesel has a lot more torque and it's driveability with a load on is a lot more enjoyable, believe me it's very easy to sit at 65 in top gear for hours on end.

We have a Dethleff's 530 and it has an unladen weight of 1100 kgs and a payload of an additional 300 kgs however I never got anywhere near that our van for a week away with full awning on etc we weigh @ 1250 kgs.

Are you going on a produced figure or have you put your van on a weigh-bridge?

Monkeys Husband

 

[Tom_5073611]

Hi

Just going on the manufacturers figures and no doubt there will be a surprise if i was to weigh it, pleasantly I hope, we do tend to under load if there is such a thing. The DL550 is plated at 1500kg max.

Incidentaley we have started the Dethleffs owners club which may be of interest to you email : dethleffsowners@btinternet.com and the website which is due to be open in the next week is www.dethleffsowners.co.uk.

Regards

Tom

 

[Guest]

Tom,

As far as I am aware most V70's have Nivomats fitted. You can tell if the car sags when it is at rest, this is normal, and it will rise back up once you start driving. Volvo do not fit them to everyone of their cars as they can make the rear suspension a bit stiff if there is no load, so the saloons for instance don't have them in the interests of rear passenger comfort. The one snag about fitting a non Volvo supplied towbar is the electrics. The Volvo one plugs into the socket behind the trim and Volvo reprogramme the computer system to recognise it. Most of the others splice into the wires. It still works but you won't get the trailer flasher lights on the dash, and if not done right will screw up the car computer system. The other thing I found was that most of the others require cutting of the rear bumber, and I didn't want that.

Have fun.