sucksqueezebangblow;70029 wroteCONS:
The steering feel is a little disconnected compared to the XR6T
Less immediate power/torque (falcon had 280rwkw + heaps of torque, maybe 600nm?)
Auto ok but not great
To help with the steering feel, I had my LCA bushes replaced with some stiffer poly ones. You get a bit more road feel through the stiffer bushings. Other than that, I think the main issue is the rack ratio, which I think they changed on R models. My 09 C30 definitely had slower steering than my current '11 V50 R. I did read somewhere that the ratio was changed, but I have no idea where I saw that. (I could also be lying, but I am positive there is something different about the steering between the C30 and V50).
The T5 is definitely under tuned in stock form. Even if you aren't interested in doing the supporting mods, such as intercooler and DP, I would be looking at getting a stage 1 or 2 elevate tune. What a good tune does to this car is amazing, especially in torque.
To be honest, I'd even just get an intercooler. My intake temps went from being 10 degrees above ambient when cruising and 30 above when in traffic, to 2 degrees above ambient when cruising, and 10 degrees above ambient in heavy traffic.
sucksqueezebangblow;70029 wrote
PROS:
Nicer styling, both interior and exterior
Best seats i've ever had. I had S8 RX7 seats in my KE20 and I much prefer the Volvo
Best factory stereo i've ever had. It has High Performance audio without sub but still sounds so good.
Great brakes
Not super common. I'm not a "need to see heads turning" guy at all, but its nice to have something a little unusual.
I have to agree with you on all points! Easily the best seats in any car. Especially when they are heated.
I have no idea how the stereo sounds so meaty without a sub. I'm still convinced they have tucked one away somewhere.
I also noticed you have some slotted rotors. Are they noisy? Especially under hard braking?
I had some on my C30 and I hated them. I had them paired with EBC green pads. The braking feel was definitely better, but the drone was really getting to me. The installer warned me about it before I got the discs, but I wasn't expecting it to be that bad.
I need to do something in the V50, as they loose feel really quickly, especially at speed, and they start to feel mushy and wooden. Brake fluid has already been changed.
On the topic of fuel consumption, I'm currently on 10.5l. That's with plenty of FWY driving.
I have seen it as high as 11.8l. I drive with all my tools in the boot and a ladder on the roof, so that probably doesn't help.
