Anybody look into these yet? They are about $2K less than a similarly equipped A4 & have 30 more HP stock. AWD, turbo, all the bells/whistles & assembled in Belgium.

I've been told my dealer has one coming in in a few days...

Anybody else seen one yet?

 

looks pretty nice...but I don't see AWD and manual tranny option on the site. I'm not so sure it will price out much cheaper than an FWD Audi. I like the engine and twin scroll turbo. That I'll definitely give it over an Audi.

 

cut & paste from IS300.net

simpdaddy wrote:
Did anyone go to this event over the weekend in Irvine?

This was the Volvo sponsored event. Unlike the introduction of the 60R last year we did not get timed laps or a ride along race driver/coach. Two courses were set up, one very tight with a spot to try the anti-lock brakes, some very tight turns, slalom and a emergency lane change maneuver area, where as you approached one lane would turn from green to red and you would dive for the lane that stayed green. They REQUESTED that you keep speeds to 25mph I don't think many people knew what 25mph was The second, and better, course had a suggested top speed of 50mph and consisted of a starting straight followed by a 60 degree corner, some esses, a slalom section followed by a 180 degree double apex corner that was a bitch in the light rain that was falling. The way back to the start area was some more slalom , 70/90 degree corners and a 320 degree corner at the end. We were able to get the cars up to about 60/70 on the fast parts with out being called for it. I think if you did not “kill” any cones they pretty well let you go about your business. We were able to drive the 2.4i stick & auto (under steering PIGS) and the T5 stick and auto which handled very well for a front wheel drive car. Under steer did not show up on the T5 until you started to push it hard. What I found interesting was it was a two hour event with the first 20 minuets taken up by the introduction presentation, leaving a hour and 40 minuets to play with the cars. The last 15 minuets when the guys and their wives/girl friends left and the only the hard core were left is when the very strong smell of clutches and brakes started to fill the air. The 2.4i makes 168hp @ 6,000rpm & 166 lb of torque @4,400rpm and the T5 is218hp/5,000rpm & 236 lb of torque from 1,500-4,800. (It’s a torque monster!) The T5 was a very nice car and the 450 watt stereo was interesting. As to if it worth the $30,000 price with the goodies added, since I got my wife’s 2003 IS300 for $28,400 and it does not snow in Southern California, I would have to say no. Is it a nicer car than the Audi A4 1.8 , Acura TSX and BMW 325 they compared it to? Yes. This was a fun way to pass a cold, for so cal, Saturday with friends. To days adventure has heightened my anticipation of attending the Lexus Performance Driving School on March, 5th at California Speedway. (http://www.lexusdrivingschool.com/)
"You can never have too much horse power"
Dan

 

The car looks nice, especially with the Sport package.....but some people have said the interior is rather cheap material wise.

 

I saw a gray one in Hot Import Nights yesterday. From picture I thought it looks short and ugly, especially that Dodge Ram kind of grille, but the real thing looks pretty good, the one I saw is equipped with 18 inches rims/tires, very sporty looking. And it differentiates itself from S60 and S80 a lot. I always found S60 and S80 too similar looking-wise.

 

Sat in one at the car show. Really nice looking inside and out. Problem is the price. Optioned out they are like 35k. At that price i am going to get a g35 or a tl. Nice for around 30k loaded.

 

Not awd? I thought for sure I read that on the site...

I priced one out at $33K pretty loaded up...similar Audi was another $2K.

 

I just built my own on the Volvo site and I didn't see a manual tranny or AWD option there.

 

Piss...I thought for sure I read that...

Well, that makes up for the awd option on the A4...price-wise.

I was really hoping for an A4 alternative...the wifey likes the volvo.

 

If they can do an S40R with all wheel drive...., I would be a player for that.

 

A guy i work with got one a few months ago. It does have AWD, but only when needed. It is FWD until it senses that the tires are spinning, then shifts the power to the rear. The dealer demonstrated by pulling over on the road when they test drove it so that the right tires were on the shoulder that was loose gravel, hit the gas and the right tires didn't spin, the left ones did the driving. Its a nice car, but should have more than 208hp. The S60R is the one to get.

 

Rock that just sounds like LSD not AWD. From what i understood they are going to offer AWD it is just not out yet also with a manual.

 

That would be sweet.

It's a sharp looking car too.



However the interior is a bit sparse.

 

actually, that's how volvo AWD is. They use a haldex system. Electronic center diff. Same system Audi uses in the TT. It can be electronically set (with an aftermarket haldex controller) to be full time 50/50 tq split. But from the factory it's a 100/0 F/R tq split until the front tires slip. Then it directs appropriate power to the rear wheels.

If the car comes out in manual AWD, then it would be a major player. Of course a test drive would be in order to see how Volvo "tunes" the car. I'd be interested to know how the balance of comfort and performance is. If they have the same active suspension option as the S60R/V70R, that would be cool. A guy I know with a V70R loves it. He says he drove in the agressive sport mode, and hit the buttom for comport if he encounters a bumper road in Boston or something. He instantly gets a softer feel and switches the button back when he wants it stiff again. I think I saw that as a listed option when I built my S40. This car definitely has potential on paper. Curious to see how it is in the real world and how pricing is for a manual with AWD if it's offered.

 

looks hot

 

 

With the aftermarket controller, can you force it to 0/100 F/R split?

 

I sat in a few Volvos this weekend at the Denver auto show. They make some really nice cars! Not really my taste but I wouldn't turn one down if it was given to me. Nice ride!

 

I had a chance to go to the driving event in Alameda, CA last weekend. It is a pretty nice car. It actually looks a lot different from last year's. I think that Chaptorial posted last year's model. Anyways, they told us that AWD will probably be available at a later time. All of the cars that we drove had European plates and the speedo was in km. I would consider buying one.

 

I did.

Here's the 2004.5 S40:

 

Wow, that is very nice. It could do without the spoiler. But very nice.

 

good question...I'm not sure. you would think if 100% can go to the front it can be the same at the rear, but I'm not too knowledgable on how the center diff works. If you could do it that would be a cool feature.

 

nice lookin car....just hope the reliability is as good as it USED TO BE

 

Is Volvo generally considered to be reliable?

 

I don't know any owners myself, but I've seen more old Volvos on the road than almost any other car... so I'm sure they last pretty damn long.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ray Khan
[B]actually, that's how volvo AWD is. They use a haldex system. Electronic center diff. Same system Audi uses in the TT. It can be electronically set (with an aftermarket haldex controller) to be full time 50/50 tq split. But from the factory it's a 100/0 F/R tq split until the front tires slip. Then it directs appropriate power to the rear wheels.


Thanks for the info. Did look on the volvo site and as of now they do not offer any option of awd on this model so i think for the story the guy was telling about his coworker its most likely lsd. The site only mentions FWD as standard on the car.

 

I had a '95 850 and my parents drive it nowadays - no major problems just typical wear and tear stuff. great car.

my sis has a '98 Cross Country and that thing has issues. Climate control is whacked...had to change out the ECU last week.

the latest consumer reports didn't rate the '97+ Volvos very high on reliability (Mercedes was worse!!)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 95gt
[B][QUOTE]Originally posted by Ray Khan
actually, that's how volvo AWD is. They use a haldex system. Electronic center diff. Same system Audi uses in the TT. It can be electronically set (with an aftermarket haldex controller) to be full time 50/50 tq split. But from the factory it's a 100/0 F/R tq split until the front tires slip. Then it directs appropriate power to the rear wheels.


Thanks for the info. Did look on the volvo site and as of now they do not offer any option of awd on this model so i think for the story the guy was telling about his coworker its most likely lsd. The site only mentions FWD as standard on the car. [/QUOTE

I'm guessing since this is probably the same block as the S60 uses, making an AWD and a manual tranny won't be so hard...they imght just not offer it right away. If the guy who started this post has some info not on the volvo site, maybe it mentions AWD and manual tranny as options to become available soon. Kinda like how Audi only offered the convertable in FWD/auto at first.

 

hey ProAudio and other who are interested in haldex mods

forge haldex controller

I did a quick search on Audiworld and someone from Forge mentioned that 50/50 is as much rear bias as this unit allows right now. No idea what the limitations of the system are. But all rear wheel power doesn't look possible right now in an Audi haldex system. Not sure what's out there for volvo and what the limitations are.

 

volvo's are expensive to fix. i agree after 97 quality went downhill a bit. my 99 s80 has had its share of annoying problems...had two 240dl's though and one 740gl and those were rock solid.

 

Here's a pic I took of an S40 at the KC Auto Show last weekend.

 

Dealer has one available for a test drive. Doing that this evening.

BUT WOW*** did that S60R in the showroom look HAWT!!!

Lousy lease terms on it though...only 52% residual over 3 years from Volvo Financial...that sucks donkey dongs.

 

Drove it...Meh...

Sounded awesome with the dual pipes though...interior is just too smallish for me & the other half. Lotsa bells/whistles for the money...that is for sure...

Nice trunk size...but the trunk opening itself was very small. Rear seats were OK, but very little leg room. BIG< BIG issue with the rear head rests...MAJOR blind spots everywhere.

Audio was excellent(dolby Prologic Package) and had station call letters & song titles/artists...very neat. Once again, lots of cool features included...delayed lighting, auto locking doors, dual automatic climate control...just a bunch of things to set & personalize.

Drove the non-Sport package set up...handled well...nice ride, but you could still feel just enough of the road. Brakes were OK, but the car only had 46 miles on it, so that's not a real test. Accelerator was VERY weird...felt either ALL ON or ALL OFF,,, hard to get a good foot position...almost felt like the car was stalling until you'd smash the gas.

Overall FIT & FINISH was very, very good. Nice tight body panels, heavy doors, clean & compact engine compartment. Very nice there.

I guess, overall...it's not a bad car for the money, not at all. If you were in the SAAB 9-3 or Audi A4 market...this would be a #1 choice easily. I've driven all 3 cars & have to say this one feels the quickest & most stable(from my limited drives) and has the most comfortable ride of the 3.

 

as if drive by wire throttle isn't bad enough..add FI and pedal position vs throttle angle vs engine load gets very weird feeling. Add a boost controller in lieu of the factory boost control unit and it's even weirder.

 

i like the car alot and for the price its great, also the commercial fo rit kicks ass, the 04 tl commmercial is still better

 

IMO volvo is mom's car

 

Serious, S60R is a total MILF Mobile.

Right?

 

ahh s60r is sweet

 

Have you seen one? That's a lot of car for a MILF dude.

300 HP...it's just damn delicious.