Volvo V70 T5

When the 850 arrived in 1992 it dispelled the myth that Volvos were boring, especially in the case of the T5. That car quickly became a commercial success, but in the fast-changing 1990s a new shape was needed just four years later and Volvo came up with the S70 and V70, 'S' for 'sedan' and 'V for 'vagen', or wagon. The body was of unitary construction and had a rubber-mounted subframe to isolate major components such as the engine, transmission, strut suspension and steering. The rear used a multi-link arrangement, while the brakes were 11-inch (279mm) discs all around. Few companies use five-cylinder engines but Volvo has mastered it and in the smooth V70 this was obvious. Power was upped through twin camshafts, four valves per cylinder and sequential fuel injection. The compression was low to allow for the turbo which pushed power to 247bhp (184kW) in Europe.

Volvo V70 T5 Specifications