Anyone driven both and have experience/opinions! Looking at '04 -'06, both seem similar wrt interior/exterior and overall build quality. Leaning towards 3.5L V6 Stagea over the 2.4 L 4cyl Honda , however I have yet to drive them on the same day to compare (driveability/handling/resale more important than economy). Currently driving an older model economical 2L honda S/W (when it's raining.bike otherwise), missus has a 350z with the VQ3.5 which has me thinking.
jolly_26,
Jun 22, 9:11am
my parents have a 2.5L turbo v6 Stagea. Hauls ass, and a pretty nice car to drive all round. Its' the ARX Four so looks good too, bigger wheels than most other models and extended arches
gtf,
Jun 22, 9:16am
If fuel economy isn't an issue and you want to keep up with the missus - you're thinking right - go the Stagea!
motorboy2011,
Jun 22, 9:41am
Stagea is very square, this makes for somewhat "Volvo" styling, but also makes for a LOT of space inside. Seats fold flat and its ALMOST 6 foot from the back of the front seats to the rear door. Dont expect to win any economy competitions though. Id pref the 3.5L non turbo over the 2.5L turbo.
bastardsquad,
Jun 22, 11:30am
x1
OK.the ARX model is the one that's like a pseudo 'Forester' eh!(wheel arches and 2 tone body, dedicated 4WD !) nope!
bastardsquad,
Jun 22, 11:36am
On the right track here. Having said that, her "for sale " vehicle is the VQ20 'uber reliable if not somewhat underwhelming'. Was hpoing you had the equivalent Honda driving experience to compare!
bastardsquad,
Jun 22, 11:45am
Agree, it's a volvo brick in disguise. That's why on a 'browse trademe only' basis i'd lined it up against the Accord ,hence seeking 'driveability ' opinions. Economy wise, interestingly enough, missus VQ20 in a late model cefiro did 10.5km/l vs 10.4km/l in the 350z on the same journey. However, cef on 91, the Z on 95.
msigg,
Jun 22, 9:12pm
Those cefiro could get down to 7l/100km if you drove then like a nanna. all depends on driving style.
kazbanz,
Jun 22, 10:00pm
I've driven both and have owned both. I'm normally not a big honda fan but in this case I feel the accord is just that bit nicer to drive.
rovercitroen,
Jun 22, 10:11pm
I have a 2005 Stagea 3.5 and am very pleased with it. I have always liked the "Volvoish" looks of the Stagea. With 208 kW and 5 speed tiptronic trans she goes very very well. The VQ35 engine has a nice growl. Another good thing about the 3.5 is that it doesn't have the direct fuel injection that the 2.5 and 3 litre M35 Stagea has. Also if you wanted to tow a boat or caravan the Stagea being rear wheel drive (or the optional 4 wheel drive) may be better than the Accords front wheel drive.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 22, 10:27pm
I will get the usual shoot down for saying this but. no one does Volvo better than Volvo. if you like the square wagon with a lot of grunt idea why not at least drive a V70 T5.
Aside from being a great car I like the whole ultimate Nana car with serious grunt deception. Great to work on, well built and reliable, just make sure you service the transmission like you should with any Auto.
The Volvo despite the power will also reward you with surprisingly good economy.
motorboy2011,
Jun 23, 1:38am
my mate had a "proper" volvo, transverse straight 6 twin turbo engine. No end to the problems he had with it, although it was an ex Singapore import
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 23, 7:50am
The T6 twin turbo is an entirely different situation to the 5 Cylinder in the V70. The Volvo 5 Cylinder is as iconic and well sorted as engines come. Sure, like any engine they can break but the only issues I have encountered were easy minor stuff like air flow meters and VVT solenoids. You see the odd head gasket but those are generally due to abuse and easy enough to sort. They are nice and straight forward to work on.
My money says your mate had an S80 which was about as complicated as you could buy in a vehicle when it came out. Good car but not fond of abuse and neglect.
In short, to avoid a V70 due to fear of unreliability would be pretty silly. Just make sure the transmission is in good shape and service it then its pretty hard to go wrong. BTW, the transmission is a Japanese unit (Toyota part owned subsidiary Aisin) and from memory its much the same unit as used in Nissan Maxima's etc. I say this because usually this comment is followed by a gathering of knuckle draggers busy slagging off the "Europoean" transmission with morrisdancer in the background trying to convince everyone that its a GM product because that's what it says on wikipedia.
vtecintegra,
Jun 23, 11:53pm
The M35 has a vastly better chassis than those Volvos though - they really are good to drive
bignzer1,
Jun 24, 6:20am
I had same problem a year ago . Both cars are real nice to drive, but we went with the Honda Accord 24ltr felt smoother on the road, better fuel economy, we also heard that if the CD player unit in the Stagea plays up its big money to fix or replace as it all part of the dash. ( Wife prefered the look of the Accord ).
motorboy2011,
Jun 24, 6:44am
id belive you, if the car wasnt only 3 years old and had done 42,000km, hardly enough time for lack of abuse or neglect.
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