Is Volvo V70 good for towing?

I'm looking for a car that can tow w/o horrible gas milage. I'm thinking about V70 non turbo, or turbo. Anyone using this car for towing? I've had many RWD Volvo wagons are they were great but are too old now.
It tows massive 4000 lbs, according to Volvo. That's more than CRV and RAV combined! I wanted CRV or RAV but they won't tow a shit.

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- RWD rocks -

saw a v70 towing an airstream last week.
My old Volvo tows just fine.

'too old' and 'volvo' in the same sentence. Does not compute!!!!

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---** To be in compliance with the Anarchy **---
Jorden R. Kleier
Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA
1990 Mazdog Protege 4WD
1973

My family/wife's car is a 00 V70R. If you're wanting to tow with either the first generation 90-00 V70 or the newer P2 cars (01+) then you should probably stick with the FWD manual transmission cars. The auto tranny's and the AWD components don't have the best reps for longevity - and towing just isn't advised if anything more than a utility trailer.

Not sure what you want to tow, or what year V70 you are looking at - but the advise suits the range pretty much. If you need a bit more poop for towing then get the V70 T5 with the high pressure motor and the 5-sp manual.

That being said - I love my car. It's a very comfy car to drive, handles decent, great brakes, and it's quite roomy given the size. Highway mileage is actually decent as well at less than 10 km/L.

Rabin

Thanks all for your input.
After talking to local Volvo mechanics I've come to same conclusion - only manual can be trusted in towing. That's funny since auto is usually more forgiving in towing! Volvo had many auto tranny failures pre 2003, even during warranty, I was told.
To find a manual in California isn't easy.
Volvo V70s are very common rally service cars, and taxis, in Sweden and Finland. They're diesels, of course. They last 500 000 km. Here, they have a new tranny at 80-90 000 miles! Maintanance issue?
I need to tow long distances and sleep inside for few hours when needed. Thought Volvo V70 (any low milage model) would be perfect. Before I had 245 and 945 wagons, which were perfect, but they are too old now.
In general, for some reason, towing ratings for all cars are going down. Take Lexus (which I like, too): 2002 RX300 can tow 3500 LBS but a new RX350 only 1500 lbs! Go figure.

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- RWD rocks -

Topi Wrote:
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> In general, for some reason, towing ratings for
> all cars are going down. Take Lexus (which I like,
> too): 2002 RX300 can tow 3500 LBS but a new RX350
> only 1500 lbs! Go figure.

Someone probably sued some company and won for something big that happened due to towing so now they say cars can't tow shit. Even a Subaru can tow 1500 lbs. My Starlet has a hitch on it, but it'd probably rip the whole bumper off if I tried to tow anything larger than the loveseat from the living room. It did handle that well though.

I liked the look of the Toyota Landcruiser from the mid-90s when I was looking into a tow vehicle that would also be a decent daily driver. The V70 would be rad too though.

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Grant Hughes

Subaru tells me my Legacy and Outback can each tow 2,000 lbs. U-Haul (who sold the hitches on the cars) says 3,500 lbs. I've loaded my 4x8 utility trailer nearly three feet high with 3-4 foot firewood logs and been able to pull it (slowly).

I towed a Sapphire shell on a U-Haul trailer with an Exploder before...U-Haul won't let you do that any more.

Randy Zimmer tows an Impreza with an Impreza, although I think he does have trailer brakes now.

I think if you get a Yurrupean owner's manual, you find much higher towing capacities than the US versions. I blame lawyers and morons who never do maintenance on their cars.

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

"The First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All The Lawyers", William Shakespeare
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- I'm now leaning toward to Toyota Highlander 4-cyl. Tows 3000 lbs, according to Toyota, but since V6 tows 3500 it's safe w 4-cyl as well. And NO TIMING BELT to worry - an important fact. 27MPG won't hurt neither That's why they are not cheap...

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- RWD rocks -

I towed a 4x8 enclosed trailer packed full of stuff about 1200 miles behind my little vw scirocco. 20mpg, but it could get some good speed going downhill and I got the ticket to prove it.

V70 - I realise it's likely off your list now, but the 98-00 cars have REALLY REALLY good seats if your drives are quite long. If all you're towing is 2200 lbs then they would have no issues. Fold the rear seat flat and there is quite a lot of room. I'd say it was worth the look just from a comfort factor. As for reliability - well maintained these cars go for 300K + miles without flinching. The auto's and AWD components out of the picture and these cars are pretty bullet proof. I run really good synth in everything, and my car has been flawless for the last three years. It's also been slalomed, ice dice (slalom on ice), so it's not exactly been babied.

2nd choice for me would be a Legacy 5-sp wagon. The boxer torque is really quite nice, and they pull really well for their engine size. Seats aren't as good, but space and the tough AWD make it VERY stable when towing in bad weather. Power/drive trains are quite reliable too. Pretty sure the SOHC engines are non-interference too. (2.2's were anyway)

I must admit I haven't checked out the highlander - but I've hated most every Toyota seat I've encountered. Seems like only the really high end Japanese cars do seats OK. The French and the Swedes have to be some of the best for proper seating.

Rabin

Topi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm looking for a car that can tow w/o horrible
> gas milage. I'm thinking about V70 non turbo, or
> turbo. Anyone using this car for towing? I've had
> many RWD Volvo wagons are they were great but are
> too old now.
> It tows massive 4000 lbs, according to Volvo.
> That's more than CRV and RAV combined! I wanted
> CRV or RAV but they won't tow a shit.
>
> - RWD rocks -

What are you planning on towing?

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james phillips
Volvo 242 GT (being built...)
Scooby killing 04 Dodge Neon SRT Rallycross monster
Lincoln, NE

Car trailer.
----------
After test driving various cars I'm looking for this: 2005 Toyota RAV4 4x4 manual shift. It's got nicer and lighter body than the new one and a big 2.4 L engine.
I only have one problem - I can't find it!
Pls, HELP me if you know how!!! Will travel to get get it. Thanks!

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- RWD rocks -

They want real money for them!

Quick scan of evil bay:

West Virginia, judging from interior burn marks, a smoker car.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-TOYOTA-RAV4-BLACK-5-SPEED-MANUAL-4WD_W0QQitemZ250522020679QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item3a5446ab47

At a dealer in Connecticut:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-Toyota-RAV4-SUV_W0QQitemZ360179664434QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item53dc618632

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

Topi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Car trailer.
> ----------
> After test driving various cars I'm looking for
> this: 2005 Toyota RAV4 4x4 manual shift. It's got
> nicer and lighter body than the new one and a big
> 2.4 L engine.
> I only have one problem - I can't find it!
> Pls, HELP me if you know how!!! Will travel to get
> get it. Thanks!
>
> - RWD rocks -

Sorry, but unless it's an empty car trailer, I wouldn't tow with anything that light. I think it'll be over-capacity. Trailer and car combo is going to come in around 5k lbs, unless it's an Elan on a dolly

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james phillips
Volvo 242 GT (being built...)
Scooby killing 04 Dodge Neon SRT Rallycross monster
Lincoln, NE

Topi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks all for your input.
> After talking to local Volvo mechanics I've come
> to same conclusion - only manual can be trusted in
> towing. .............................................
> .................................................
> In general, for some reason, towing ratings for
> all cars are going down. Take Lexus (which I like,
> too): 2002 RX300 can tow 3500 LBS but a new RX350
> only 1500 lbs! Go figure.
>
> - RWD rocks -

I had a '99 V70 XC manual trans and towed a 3470 lbs camping trailer for years without any problems. Power was not an issue and stopping was no problem as the trailer had electric brakes. I used a modified european hitch, the North American stuff is shit.

Not sure were you got the rating for the new RX350 as I just bought a 2010 RX350 V6 and it is rated at 3500 lbs. (and with Toyota & Lexus, you do not have to subtract the passengers and cargo weight from the tow rating like on so many other cars). I am having a tow expert set it up to tow an Airstream trailer (will be close to 6000lbs when loaded for travel) that I just bought.


fiasco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Subaru tells me my Legacy and Outback can each tow
> 2,000 lbs. U-Haul (who sold the hitches on the
> cars) says 3,500 lbs. I've loaded my 4x8 utility
> trailer nearly three feet high with 3-4 foot
> firewood logs and been able to pull it (slowly).
>
> I towed a Sapphire shell on a U-Haul trailer with
> an Exploder before...U-Haul won't let you do that
> any more.
>
> Randy Zimmer tows an Impreza with an Impreza,
> although I think he does have trailer brakes now.
>
> I think if you get a Yurrupean owner's manual, you
> find much higher towing capacities than the US
> versions. I blame lawyers and morons who never do
> maintenance on their cars.
>
> Andrew Steere, 1973
> Lyndeborough, NH
> KB1PJY


My Outback H6 is rated for 3500 lbs from the factory while the 4cyl models are rated at 2700lbs in Canada anyway. The limiting fcator on the Subaru is the toung weight of max 200lbs, pretty hard to do with NA trailers as generally you have to have 10-15% of the trailer GVW (unless it is a boat trailer then it is 5%-10% max) on the toung to prevent sway.

The European cars are always rated for more for the same model sold here in NA, BUT, their max toung weight is almost always 75 kg (approx. 165 lbs). The Euro trailers are built much diferently then the NA ones (better in my opinion), the law in most countries requires the trailer manufacturer to have sway control built into the toung of the trailer as well as brakes to be standard.

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