Volvo V70 Generation 1 (1998–2000)

Volvo V70 Generation 1 (1998–2000) — production years, market prices by model year, NHTSA recalls and owner complaints, and live listings for sale on VehiSales.

Volvo V70 — body generations

Vehicles within one generation share the same platform and body style.

About this generation

The first generation V70 was an improved development on the basis of the Volvo 850 estate. Its overall design became more rounded doing away with the 850's square edges. Among the many changes were a completely revised front end, fully painted bumpers and side trim and clear indicator lenses all around. Most of the interior was redesigned, with new seats, door panels and dashboard. According to Volvo a total of 1800 changes were made.

Standard equipment was improved significantly with remote central locking, heated and electrically adjustable mirrors, two front- and two side airbags, power anti-lock brakes (ABS), and power windows being standard on every car. Trim levels varied for each market as did equipment levels of the most basic trims. In the United States, the badging denoted the engine variant, and to some extent the equipment level, whereas in Europe engines and options could be chosen individually.

In all markets more powerful versions received better or upgraded standard equipment. The T5 and R were the series high-performance models. Small cosmetic and major technical changes were introduced for the 1999 model year. The Volvo logo on the front grille was redesigned, the square XC-style roof rails replaced the rounded version and black edge stickers on the rear doors were removed. Volvo improved the SRS-system airbags by introducing dual stage deployment logic for the front airbags, and its second generation, side impact protection system side airbag (SIPS-BAG II), whose volume was increased to offer better protection.

A whiplash protection system (WHIPS) was also introduced as part of the standard equipment. New engine management systems with drive-by-wire throttle replaced the mechanical throttle on all petrol turbo models. The ABS was upgraded from a three-channel to a four-channel system, and an upgraded traction control now called STC (Stability Traction Control) was introduced. All-wheel drive models received thicker rear brake discs and redesigned rear calipers.

The 4-speed automatic transmissions were upgraded to adaptive shift logic, replacing the previous three-mode selection. For the 2000 model year, a new 5-speed automatic transmission with adaptive shift logic was introduced. It was only available on non-turbo, front-wheel drive models and the 2000 V70 R AWD. The naturally aspirated 10V engine was replaced by a detuned 20V variant. Drive-by-wire throttle was introduced for all non-turbo petrol engines.

The 2.0L V70 XC was discontinued. The standard V70 was available with a variety of engines, gearboxes and equipment. The standard configuration was front-wheel drive. An all-wheel drive version badged as V70 AWD was available. For some markets Volvo offered a diesel version badged as V70 TDI. In countries such as Italy, with high taxes on cars with more than a 2.0L engine capacity, special petrol models with a 2000 cc engine capacity were offered.

This included a 2.0T and a 2.0L T5 version, the latter with a slightly lower power output than the 2.3L variant. An optional third row seat increased occupant capacity from five to seven seats while reducing underfloor storage space in the trunk. With the V70 Bi-Fuel Volvo continued to offer a factory compressed natural gas (CNG) powered car. A tank installed in the trunk allowed for a claimed range of running on CNG only.

Due to the bulky tank, rear cargo space was reduced considerably. Drivers could choose whether their car ran on petrol or CNG at the touch of a button. On Bi-Fuel models the temperature gauge in the instrument cluster was replaced by a level gauge for the gas tank. Several options, such as a trip computer and sports suspension, were not available for Bi-Fuel models. Neither Bi-Fuel nor TDI were offered on the North American market.

Specialised vehicles such as taxis and police versions were also available directly from the factory.

Source: Wikipedia — Volvo V70 — First generation (1996–2000), CC BY-SA.