Towing with 2008 volvo xc70 or what?

[AK]

In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?

I also test drove the BMW X3 and I found it overprized for what it is
(same as volvo). The last vehicle I tested was Subaru Outback 3.0. So
far I like it this car the most (the least body roll). Does anyone
have any experience with Outback Turbo.

I am looking for all wheel drive since I live in Northern New England
and snow is here for up to 4 months a year.

I need to get a new vehicle in the next two weeks, so any advice is
much appreciated. I DO NOT want any SUVs.

[Eric Greenwell]

AK wrote:
> In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
> thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
> great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
> question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?

What make of trailer are you towing, how much does it weigh, and how
fast do you want to tow? What were you towing with, and how well did it
do the job?

Doesn't sound like you are interested in a mini-van, either.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[AK]

On Mar 29, 10:09*pm, Eric Greenwell > wrote:
> AK wrote:
> > In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
> > thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
> > great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
> > question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?
>
> What make of trailer are you towing, how much does it weigh, and how
> fast do you want to tow? What were you towing with, and how well did it
> do the job?
>
> Doesn't sound like you are interested in a mini-van, either.
>
> --
> Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
> * Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
>
> * Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
> * * * New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more
>
> * "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

Avionic glider + trailer weight = 1800 lb (trailer with braks) for
now, but I hope to upgrade to 18m glider in the next 2-3 years but I
want to kee the new vehicle for at least 5 years.

I don't want to drive to work with a mini van.

[Papa3]

On Mar 29, 9:59*pm, AK > wrote:
> In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
> thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
> great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
> question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?
>
> I also test drove the BMW X3 and I found it overprized for what it is
> (same as volvo). The last vehicle I tested was Subaru Outback 3.0. So
> far I like it this car the most (the least body roll). Does anyone
> have any experience with Outback Turbo.
>
> I am looking for all wheel drive since I live in Northern New England
> and snow is here for up to 4 months a year.
>
> I need to get a new vehicle in the next two weeks, so any advice is
> much appreciated. I DO NOT want any SUVs.

I'm a big fan of my current car - a 2002 VW Passat Wagon with
4motion drive. It tows my LS8-18 in a Komet Euro Lite trailer at
70mph just fine and gets 24-25mpg when I drive to work.
Unfortunately, the current model is a different animal, so I'm not
sure if the suspension is similar. If you can find a Passat Wagon
Diesel on eBay (currently a few out there) with 4 motion, I'd
certainly consider that.

P3

[Tim Mara]

I have a 2004 XC90 T-6 I bought new.....
in 28,000 miles (that's right....I don't go far or often)....2
transmissions, 3 sets of tires, 2 sets of wheel bearings and automatic door
locks that automatically unlock after you leave the vehicle in a full
parking lot with all your stuff inside..16MPG loaded or empty...city or
highway
My next car/truck/suv will be a GM car....(I have driven new Fords and they
are also terrific IMHO)...The very best glider car I ever owned for the
purpose was an AWD Astro van (I had two of these)perfect glider haulers ...
too bad they don't still make them..
Having owned plenty of imports and domestic vehicles I personally feel here
the USA has nothing to feel ashamed about..at least with GM and Ford...they
just have an uphill battle with yuppie image
tim
Please visit the Wings & Wheels website at www.wingsandwheels.com

"AK" > wrote in message
...
> In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
> thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
> great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
> question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?
>
> I also test drove the BMW X3 and I found it overprized for what it is
> (same as volvo). The last vehicle I tested was Subaru Outback 3.0. So
> far I like it this car the most (the least body roll). Does anyone
> have any experience with Outback Turbo.
>
> I am looking for all wheel drive since I live in Northern New England
> and snow is here for up to 4 months a year.
>
> I need to get a new vehicle in the next two weeks, so any advice is
> much appreciated. I DO NOT want any SUVs.
>
>

[chipsoars]

On Mar 29, 10:52*pm, Papa3 > wrote:
> On Mar 29, 9:59*pm, AK > wrote:
>
> > In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
> > thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
> > great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
> > question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?
>
> > I also test drove the BMW X3 and I found it overprized for what it is
> > (same as volvo). The last vehicle I tested was Subaru Outback 3.0. So
> > far I like it this car the most (the least body roll). Does anyone
> > have any experience with Outback Turbo.
>
> > I am looking for all wheel drive since I live in Northern New England
> > and snow is here for up to 4 months a year.
>
> > I need to get a new vehicle in the next two weeks, so any advice is
> > much appreciated. I DO NOT want any SUVs.
>
> I'm a * big fan of my current car - a 2002 VW Passat Wagon with
> 4motion drive. * It tows my LS8-18 in a Komet Euro Lite trailer at
> 70mph just fine and gets 24-25mpg when I drive to work.
> Unfortunately, the current model is a different animal, so I'm not
> sure if the suspension is similar. * If you can find a Passat Wagon
> Diesel on eBay (currently a few out there) with 4 motion, I'd
> certainly consider that.
>
> P3

I tow with an 05 Outback with the H6 and find it tows very well. The
only criticism with either the XT or H6 is the need for premium fuel.
In the nearly four years and 63k miles, I've had little work outside
of routine maintenance. I believe the tow capacity is a ~300# less
for the turbo despite the higher torque and the 6 is a little
smoother.

I'm looking forward to the diesel version that should be here in
09/10. It was rolled out in Geneva this year.

Chip F.

Chip F.

[[email protected]]

Any vehicle can be much improved for towing by changing to higher load-
range tires. You'd be surprised how much difference the stiffer
sidewalls make when it comes to controlling sway. It's not all about
suspension. Tires are a BIG part of the equation.

[Eric Greenwell]

wrote:
> Any vehicle can be much improved for towing by changing to higher load-
> range tires. You'd be surprised how much difference the stiffer
> sidewalls make when it comes to controlling sway. It's not all about
> suspension. Tires are a BIG part of the equation.

Using the same size tire but with a higher speed rating, say another 20
mph, will also improve the stability while towing a trailer. For some
passenger vehicles (rather than light trucks and vans), it may be easier
to find a suitable tire with a higher speed rating than a higher load
rating.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[Jim Meade]

Put a gooseneck hitch on your trailer and pull it with a large small
size pickup or a small 1/2 ton with a ball hitch mounte in the bed.
When not pulling it, cover the bed with any number of very nifty
tonneau covers or the equivalent.

[5Z]

A normally aspirated Subaru Legacy (regular unleaded) wagon tows a
Cobra with ASW-24 just fine. My wife was driving that and I was
driving a Toyota Tundra with V6 (not V8) engine, pulling ASH-26E,
behind her. It was all I could do to keep up during accelleration :-)
I think the Lagacy is a '02 or '03 - belongs to a friend but is almost
identical to one we own (without hitch - that's why we have the
truck).

-Tom

[JS]

This is an excellent point. Most car manufacturers install tires
which give the car the smoothest ride, and suggest underinflating
them. Perhaps that's the difference noted in the newer Volvo starting
the thread?
Currently running 44 PSI in the tires on the '00 Outback. It tows an
AS-H26E at 70 MPH, even with 135,000 miles on the shocks. As a rule
you don't need an SUV... Until there's a very rough road into your
landout field! I'll take fuel economy 100% of the time over the
convenience of that one retrieve.
Trailers should have tires with 50 PSI or greater inflation. You see
lots of trailers running mid 30s inflation.
Modification is always possible. The 80s vintage Jeep Cherokee had a
bad reputation for towing. Changed tires and shocks on my '87 and the
combo became very stable. Many cars which have too soft a ride or
don't trailer as well as you like can be worked on.
Jim

On Mar 29, 9:27 pm, wrote:
> Any vehicle can be much improved for towing by changing to higher load-
> range tires. You'd be surprised how much difference the stiffer
> sidewalls make when it comes to controlling sway. It's not all about
> suspension. Tires are a BIG part of the equation.

[Bruce]

The T6 XC90 has a poor reputation in this part of the world too, for high fuel
consumption and fragile transmissions. The 5 speed in the 2.5l petrol and 2.4l
diesel appear to be better.

Can't talk about USA or the 2008 XC70. Can say my 2004 2.5l XC70 tows like a
train, and is very reliable.

I narrowed my choice down to XC70 or Outback when I was looking. Both are very
nice vehicles, but in my part of the world the "fancy ford" has a lot better
service network.

For what it is worth.
79000km (~50,000miles) the only real irritation is the way it insists on locking
the doors on you. Imagine how stupid you can feel closing the door with the key
in the ignition 100km from anywhere, and 400km from the spare and have it
automatically lock the doors. Service has been exemplary and with the exception
of a dead battery after 3 years - there have been no reliability problems.

Tows my Cirrus and a DG600 with distain - the 19m Kestrel is a little more
effort, but still comfortable at anything resembling sane speeds. The Kestrel
trailer is a rectangular box of legendary proportions. It is unstable at
anything above about 110km/h. But the owner battles to do that with his 525BMW.

Fuel consumption is:
10.5l/100 km average over the life of the car, including a lot of rush hour
crawling.
Open highway at 120km/h (speed control set and left) I get 9.5l/100km.
Towing the Cirrus at 120km/h I get 10.4l/100km on the free way. No noticeable
difference in average speed.


Bruce


Tim Mara wrote:
> I have a 2004 XC90 T-6 I bought new.....
> in 28,000 miles (that's right....I don't go far or often)....2
> transmissions, 3 sets of tires, 2 sets of wheel bearings and automatic door
> locks that automatically unlock after you leave the vehicle in a full
> parking lot with all your stuff inside..16MPG loaded or empty...city or
> highway
> My next car/truck/suv will be a GM car....(I have driven new Fords and they
> are also terrific IMHO)...The very best glider car I ever owned for the
> purpose was an AWD Astro van (I had two of these)perfect glider haulers ...
> too bad they don't still make them..
> Having owned plenty of imports and domestic vehicles I personally feel here
> the USA has nothing to feel ashamed about..at least with GM and Ford...they
> just have an uphill battle with yuppie image
> tim
> Please visit the Wings & Wheels website at www.wingsandwheels.com
>
> "AK" > wrote in message
> ...
>> In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
>> thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
>> great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
>> question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?
>>
>> I also test drove the BMW X3 and I found it overprized for what it is
>> (same as volvo). The last vehicle I tested was Subaru Outback 3.0. So
>> far I like it this car the most (the least body roll). Does anyone
>> have any experience with Outback Turbo.
>>
>> I am looking for all wheel drive since I live in Northern New England
>> and snow is here for up to 4 months a year.
>>
>> I need to get a new vehicle in the next two weeks, so any advice is
>> much appreciated. I DO NOT want any SUVs.
>>
>>
>
>

[Doug Hoffman]

Bruce wrote:

> For what it is worth.
> 79000km (~50,000miles) the only real irritation is the way it
> insists on locking
> the doors on you. Imagine how stupid you can feel closing the
> door with the key
> in the ignition 100km from anywhere, and 400km from the spare
> and have it
> automatically lock the doors.

On my (US) PT Cruiser, which also has that feature, one can
easily program it out. Additionally, when getting out the
driver's door automatically unlocks (I thought they all did?).
Lastly, if one leaves the key in the ignition and then presses
the power lock button it will refuse to lock the door.

The PT pulls light glider trailers quite well. Removable rear
seats leave cavernous interior space for glider stuff. In Europe
a diesel is available.

--
Regards,
-Doug\0

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Adam]

On Mar 29, 8:59 pm, AK > wrote:
> In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
> thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
> great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
> question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?
>
> I also test drove the BMW X3 and I found it overprized for what it is
> (same as volvo). The last vehicle I tested was Subaru Outback 3.0. So
> far I like it this car the most (the least body roll). Does anyone
> have any experience with Outback Turbo.
>
> I am looking for all wheel drive since I live in Northern New England
> and snow is here for up to 4 months a year.
>
> I need to get a new vehicle in the next two weeks, so any advice is
> much appreciated. I DO NOT want any SUVs.

I have not driven them but consider the Audi A6 Avant wagon (255 hp
gas V6) and the Mercedes Benz R320 CDI diesel wagon with 4matic and
400 lb-ft of torque from a V6. Both ride on double-wishbone
suspensions.

[rlovinggood]

Whatever y'all end up towing with, make sure you know how much your
loaded trailer weighs and what the tongue weight is, then compare that
with the rated towing capacity of your vehicle.

My loaded trailer weighs 2,040 lbs with 180 lb tongue weight, as
weighed on a scale at a truck stop. That's a lot more than the 1,000
lb max trailer weight with 100 lb tongue weight than the Honda Accord
was rated to tow. No wonder I had trouble with the hitch trying to
depart from the car! Doh!

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

[AK]

On Mar 29, 11:41*pm, chipsoars > wrote:
> On Mar 29, 10:52*pm, Papa3 > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Mar 29, 9:59*pm, AK > wrote:
>
> > > In 2008 this model got a new softer suspension. I drove it and I
> > > thought it had more body roll than I would like to have. Comfort was
> > > great but handling I am not sure, especially for towing. So my
> > > question is does anyone has any experience with model year 2008?
>
> > > I also test drove the BMW X3 and I found it overprized for what it is
> > > (same as volvo). The last vehicle I tested was Subaru Outback 3.0. So
> > > far I like it this car the most (the least body roll). Does anyone
> > > have any experience with Outback Turbo.
>
> > > I am looking for all wheel drive since I live in Northern New England
> > > and snow is here for up to 4 months a year.
>
> > > I need to get a new vehicle in the next two weeks, so any advice is
> > > much appreciated. I DO NOT want any SUVs.
>
> > I'm a * big fan of my current car - a 2002 VW Passat Wagon with
> > 4motion drive. * It tows my LS8-18 in a Komet Euro Lite trailer at
> > 70mph just fine and gets 24-25mpg when I drive to work.
> > Unfortunately, the current model is a different animal, so I'm not
> > sure if the suspension is similar. * If you can find a Passat Wagon
> > Diesel on eBay (currently a few out there) with 4 motion, I'd
> > certainly consider that.
>
> > P3
>
> I tow with an 05 Outback with the H6 and find it tows very well. *The
> only criticism with either the XT or H6 is the need for premium fuel.
> In the nearly four years and 63k miles, I've had little work outside
> of routine maintenance. *I believe the tow capacity is a ~300# less
> for the turbo despite the higher torque and the 6 is a little
> smoother.
>
> I'm looking forward to the diesel version that should be here in
> 09/10. *It was rolled out in Geneva this year.
>
> Chip F.
>
> Chip F.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Ok, I made a decission I bought Subaru Outback Turbo Limited. My wife
drove it and she said it drove like her sports BMW and it can tow up
to 2700 lb and with the turbo I will have no problems going through
the mountains.

[rlovinggood]

AK,

I replaced my 2000 Accord EX-V6 with a normally aspirated Subaru
Forester 2.5XS. I opted for the normally aspirated engine over the
turbo because:
1. It was available at a good price.
2. The normally aspirated requires only regular gasoline while the
turbo motor requires premium fuel. Ouch!
3. My drivers license could be in jeopardy if I drove the turbo
version! :-)

Oh yea, I got the Subaru because it's rated to tow 2,400 lbs with 200
lbs tongue weight. Even though my trailer weighs less, I went ahead
and had a transmission cooler installed.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA


>
> Ok, I made a decission I bought Subaru Outback Turbo Limited. My wife
> drove it and she said it drove like her sports BMW and it can tow up
> to 2700 lb and with the turbo I will have no problems going through
> the mountains.