Audi Vs Volvo

[RedMile04]

First off, this isnt going to be nearly as interesting as the title may sound.
My mom is all but finalized purchasing a 2007 (slightly used) V70 2.5T XC (4x4) as she is upgrading from her current 1999 V70. But before she finalizes it Im hoping to hear some opinions and read some reviews vs a 06-07 Audi A4 avant quattro (again used). Which is the better value? Better interior? Safety? Power? Size? (Im not even going to ask about stying because we all know the Audi is much much nicer )



Can anyone find any reviews from C/D or anything else, and what do you guys think?

Thanks

[RedMile04]

Re: Audi Vs Volvo

no one?

[kuhli]

Re: Audi Vs Volvo

From an interior standpoint the Audi will embarass the Volvo. I can't speak to driving dynamics...personally I'd be Audi all the way.

[R_Ethug]

Re: Audi Vs Volvo

yup audi all the way.. the new wagons are so nice

[Silverstoned]

Re: Audi Vs Volvo

I was looking at this as well as a few other wagons. The ones I was considering were the Subaru Legacy, Volvo V70, and Audi A4 (you have the XC70 pictured in the post BTW). For the crossover wagons, the XC70, Outback, and the All Road.

I won't go into the comparison of the crossovers since you said she's looking at a v70, and not an XC 70.

The Volvo v70 is being re-designed for next year, and the financing on the current models reflects that. They have more cargo space inside than the Subaru and Audi. They have a few nice features inside, but aren't nearly as nice as the Subaru or the Audi. No option for Xenon headlights, no traction control/ESP if either of those features are of interest to you (they were key for me). Volvo also uses a realtime AWD setup which means you're in FWD mode for the most part. The rear wheels only kick in after the fronts begin to slip, and after 60km/h the system won't kick in. This means on the highway you're driving FWD, not AWD.

The Subaru was a close second to the Audi for us. Slightly smaller in the cargo area from the Volvo, and it offers several trim levels, I was looking at the GT 2.5T. It has 2 different sport modes that give the car the feeling that it is a lot faster than it actually is, a good driver experience. Again, no option for Xenon headlights (might be able to retrofit from an STI), and no traction control/ESP. No option for leather unless you go with the Outback. You get true AWD with the Subaru, but the power delivery is limited to 50% of the HP as opposed to the quattro that can deliver up to 70% I believe. I won't get in to the exterior styling on the Subaru, but it was one of the reasons other than those mentioned above that I went with Audi.

The Audi is everything I wanted in a wagon. The rear cargo is a touch on the small size compared to the other two mentioned (The Volvo v50 is actually very close in size to the A4), but is big enough for the stroller and several bags of groceries without being tight for space. I can sit in the back seat with the driver's seat where I want it (I'm 6') and still have knee room. We ended up going with the tiptronic as the wife can't drive standard. Xenon headlights, quattro, ESP, 5 star rating for safety, and average to above average reliability on the B7 platform according to consumer reports. Top notch fit and finish that you'd expect in an Audi, the S-line package (which we went with) brings the suspension down a touch and stiffens it up to a happy medium between performance and comfort. This is where the Volvo can't compare, it's handling is more on par with an SUV or mini-van than the other 2 wagons. Fuel economy was the last thing we were looking for, and the 2.0T kicks but over the other two mentioned. I forget the details, but it was over 2L/100km difference in fuel efficiency as I recall due to the FSI technology.

Now that I've hopefully sold you on how good the Audi is and why I am so happy I went with it and not one of the other two considered, I'll give you two more tidbits of information.

First, if getting a manual transmission is an option (not sure if your mom drives stick) DO IT! The one thing that is what I consider to be a weak spot on the B7 A4 is the tiptronic. It is very 'smart' in optimizing shifting for maximum fuel efficiency but at a cost. The car will shift into 2nd as soon as the vehicle starts rolling (if not in tiptronic mode) and this causes hesitation on a fast acceleration from standstill. Why is this an issue? I was turning left and thought I had lots of room before the next car coming the opposite direction. I stepped on the gas and the car started to crawl through the intersection. After about a 1 second lag (seems like longer with oncoming traffic) it downshifted and I just got through the intersection.

Feel free to PM me if you want any more details/impressions between the wagons.

[RedMile04]

Re: Audi Vs Volvo

Beauty thanks for the info Jeff. Sorry for the confusion though, I thought the cross country was still called a V70 and it was an XC edition. So to clarify she is looking at an 07 XC70 2.5T.

So this 4x4 system that volvo uses for the v70, is that the same for the XC? Will you be driving in FWD the majority of the time on the XC as well? Interior fit and finish is probably my moms biggest decider, Xenon headlights and such are not a proirity I don't think. Speed and exterior styling isnt huge either. Considering she is really just looking for a vechile with a nice interior and a big hatch to fit my Labrador, would you still suggest the Audi over the XC? Also are the price points of the two relatively the same, or is the Audi likely more? Thanks again Jeff.

[Tuna]

Re: Audi Vs Volvo

You sure the Volvo has no AWD after 60? I find that kind of hard to believe but I have no proof. I'm glad at least someone posted some opinions instead of just "Audi is the greatest".

An XC70 would be better compared to the Allroad as it's a bigger platform. The XC70 is a bit dated at this point and is refreshed for this year. The new one looks a good deal nicer than the old one but I think the old one still looks great. The XC70 has more power and torque than the A4 unless you opt for the 3.2 then it's close. I can't tell you about the AWD as I haven't spent much time in either but the traction control is awesome in the XC70. The XC70 will have more cargo room. I like the interior on the XC70 also but as others have said it's probably not as nice as the A4 I don't think it will "embarass" the Volvo though. The cost of a XC70 for what you get will likely be better as the resale isn't quite as good.

Just thought I'd present another side. Honestly, the XC70 isn't really my thing I'd go for the V70 and we may after the V50.

[Silverstoned]

Re: Audi Vs Volvo

OK, let me start with the AWD question, as that seems to have most people going. I researched the 3 (6 if you count the crossovers as different vehicles) for about 3 months after I had it narrowed down to the 3. If you look at the documentation Volvo describes it as 'real time' AWD, same as Honda and a few others out there. Basically, the rear wheels kick in when the fronts start to slip. The way it was put to me (I can't recall where I got this bit of info) after going above city speeds it becomes FWD. The reasoning is that AWD is most beneficial when accellerating from a stop in poor weather conditions, 0-60 I guess. This is why Subaru always hypes their system as "Full time AWD" to make sure everyone knows it is different from the rest of the AWD systems out there like Volvo, BMW, Honda. The Subaru dealer begrudginly admitted that Audi Quattro was the only other full time AWD system on the market. As a side note, the Haldex in the A3 is not full time AWD, not quattro, but essentially real time AWD. The same goes for the 4-motion on the VWs.

Now on to the questions you had in your earlier post. The XC is identical in every way, same shocks, engine, etc. The only difference is the ride height, and the trim (plastic bumpers, fender flares, little interior bits, etc). Fit and finish onthe Volvo was descent, but the interior looks too American in my opinion. The instrument cluster is the green on black as I recall, and the demo I took for a drive only had 200k on it and had several squeaks. The car was on dry pavement with a little bit of sand or gravel when I took it for a detour in weaselhead park (one of the parking lot areas). I thought it would be a great place to test out the AWD. From a stop, the font tires would spin for about 2 feet before the rears would kick in, and this was from a dead stop, when the system is supposed to work the best. Not exactly scientific, but enough to convince me Audi and Subaru are the only ones that know what they're doing with the AWD systems. I test drove the Volvo last, and funny enough, both the Audi sales guy, and the Subaru sales guy encouraged me to do a test very similar to this, with 2 tires on try pavement, the other 2 on gravel. Jason(Tuna) has a lot more time with this system for real life use and seems to like it, so take my 'test' for what it is. I found a spot to do this with the subaru, but didn't get to test it out with the Audi until I had already bought mine.


Hatch size, seems to be a key selling point. In this department, the V70 will win hands down (sorry Audi). In Audi's defense, the A4 matches up in size and hatch capacity better to the V50, and the V70 was only slightly smaller than the All Road. As far as price, the V70 and A4 were pretty close, I think within 3k if equipped similarly. I ended up wanting more options than the Volvo could offer (S-line and Xenons for a start) so my A4 came out to be a little more. From what I've seen on consumer reports, the Volvo's do surprisingly well for resale, probably because they haven't really changed in the last 10 years. I think the A4 might have a slight edge in resale value, but not enough to be used as a deciding point.

If she doesn't mind giving up a bit of power, the 1.8T on the B6 platform will still have better fuel economy than the thirsty Volvo. 12.8/8.8 vs 10.8/7.2 on the Audi. I've been keeping an eye on this with my A4, and actual city values (I don't drive slow) range from 10.2 to 11.0, which is actually a little better than what Audi claims. If you want me to send you the spreadsheet of stats I gathered on the two, PM me your email and I'll send it over. I had all the trun measurements somewhere too (Lab/sheperd mix dog and stroller had to fit in our wagon too) but I guess they didn't make it into the spreadsheet.


OK, I've blabbed on long enough. If trunk space is the main decision, your mom should bring the dog, and have him/her jump in the back to see if both are big enough. The Volvo will be bigger, but there are many other things that make me think Audi is still the better way to go.