Any diesel experts out there?

Offer still stands, if you think multi-valve turbo petrol engines are inflexible you are free to have a go in my S60 (give you an idea as to what Volvo ownership is about as well) - although the diesel is also good (I drove an S80 diesel very hard for a day and averaged 41mpg)

I like to have both, low end flexibility, high end power, this is why I drive a turbocharged petrol car. I reckon it costs me about 30% more to run than a diesel equivalent (although about £3000 less to buy so it would take a long time to pay back) but it is smoother, more quiet and more flexible (max torque from 2100, revs to 7000)

But to mak maximum progress in a diesel you have to downshift. & most diesels make maximum power at 4000RPM or higher nowadays

Tim, have you got the 2.4T? IMHO one of the finest petrol engines about, with a so so linear torque curve, it will pull hard anywhere in the rev range...

Am considering an S60 as my next car, hope I will be able to afford a 2.4T SE, but may have to settle for the 2.0T. Were they all 180bhp, or were the early ones 160 as in the C70???

tim..

Mines the 2.0T, all UK 2.0T S60 are 180bhp, only difference is software (different markets get 160 / 180 / 200, all will chip to 210)

The new 2.5T is even better than the old 2.4, only just short of T5 performance and more economical than the older one.

Generally, if you want an Auto don't get a 2.0, it's best like mine with the manual. T5 is fine with auto but geartronic is a waste of money (in my mind, driven both and preferred the standard auto).

The 2.0 is fast enough to surprise most passengers - they don't believe it's such a small motor in a car that size.

Handy to know ;-)

Havent seen any road tests of this, but I suspect its 'cos they're now using double vanos style variable inlet and exhaust cams and a VATN turbo?

It would be a manual, and 180bhp ought to give it fairly brisk performance. We have an 850 with the 2.0 20v na engine, which flies once wound up, just lacks low to mid range grunt, which I'm sure the turbo re-dresses.

Tim..

Bigger capacity (2.5 not 2.4), Variable timing on both sides (as you say), meets 2005 emissions regs. Same engine as the S60R but smaller turbo (Mitsubishi I think, the R is a KKK).

Indeed it does, makes the same sound (muted intake noise due to turbo) but the turbo makes it feel about 30-50% bigger.

Ok - I'll certainly put your claims to the test before I change. At the moment my 75 seems to have settled down again and because MG/Rover have offered to pay for my next two scheduled services (because of dissatisfaction over the serious tyre wear problems endemic with 75's) it makes sense for me to hang onto it for a while longer. It's only 22 months old and I would take a hell of a loss if I traded it in this early.

Kev

heh - the tyre wear - are you finding backs going before fronts as well? It took a four wheel alignment by a bodyshop to sort that on mine (fronts lasting 22, backs lasting 10-12...)

I've now had *five* Beissbarth alignments done at two different Rover dealers. I've yet to learn if the latest has made any difference. Although the backs are not going *before* the fronts - the wear is totally unacceptable. When I recently replaced the rear nearside tyre (at 24k) it still had 4.5 mm of tread on the inside and was completely bald on the outside. Michelin state that 40k is a ball-park figure for rear tyres on a fwd car. Incidentally, on that subject, I visited an ex-colleague today - the Transport Manager for Cheshire Police. He told me that they had been having similar problems with the Volvo T5 traffic cars. Even when set up spot-on with Volvos recommended figures, the tyres still scrubbed off and also the handling was affected. They took a couple of the cars to a local (large) body-shop that has a particularly sophisticated wheel-alignment set up. After a lot of tinkering and re-adjustments they managed to find settings that stopped the tyre-wear and also improved handling. They wrote to Volvo with their findings - and Volvo have now changed their recommended alignment settings to suit the Cheshire police findings!!!! I went to see the Transport Manager to discuss with him the problem that started this thread. He agrees with me - the symptoms I was experiencing are not indicative of a fuel problem.

Kev

Was that the D5?

Peter

Yep - backs should last ages, but on the 75 they don't! It smells of bad assembly, very poor for what is the top of the line mainstream british car.

It's almost a shame that the car is on the whole so good, or we'd never buy them and then Rover would listen!

That doesn't surprise me either! However so far (done about 16k, had 27k when I bought it) my S60 has suffered no uneven tyre wear ( swapped back to front at about 30 and put new on back, fronts still got plenty of life in them today ) and I do drive hard.