Introducing.... LIKVAGN

[eTiMaGo]

So, my (future) brother-in-law is looking to get rid of his pickup truck and take over our 2013 Yaris... At the same time, a buddy of mine was looking to sell his 2015 Volvo V60... We crunched the numbers, it'll basically be double the monthly payments that we do on the Yaris, but I'll be getting a raise next year, so we can swing it...

And I'm now the proud owner of the aforementioned Volvo :biggrin:

It's a 2015 V60 T4F (Flex Fuel) R-Design.

Powered by a 1.6L Turbo 4-cylinder pushing 180hp yet maintaining decent fuel economy for a car its size. It can take E85, so even though mileage will take a hit, the cost per mile is a little cheaper than 95RON gas, and cleaner too (not to mention the possibility of running higher turbo pressures...) Not the fastest car in the world, but a good balance between performance and economy.

R-design spec means it has some sexy 19" wheels, lowered suspension and stiffened chassis, so it handles pretty well. Yet it's not overly bumpy, and the plush leather seats are a real delight.

But my favorite aspect has to be the tech. It may not be cutting-edge stuff anymore, but adaptive cruise control is such a relief... Ever since I having a girlfriend and some more free time, I have been driving a lot more than before, and longer distances too. And my right leg would just be numb after a while of modulating speeds to follow the flow of traffic. Now I just have to press a button and the car will follow the car in front of me.

Being a Volvo, it has a ton of safety features too, airbags all around, blind spot warnings, emergency braking... Maybe I'm getting older, I used to curse car manufacturers for adding all these "nanny" systems and taking away the pleasure of driving, but I can understand and appreciate it now.

So, all in all, I'm super duper happy. In about a week we'll be taking a first proper road trip, 700+ km (about 450mi) to spend a few days with my mom, and I am really looking forward to it!

Oh and the nickname, LIKVAGN? Swedish for hearse, so wrong yet so right

[ern-diz]

Not sure about the nickname lol but very nice!

[kimona]

Classy ride and a functional wagon. I like it.

Parts, maintenance, and repair costs on a Volvo are outrageous! IDK... perhaps in Thailand, that won't be an issue.

[DarkShadowFox]

bag it slam it camber it boost it race it brake it buy a supra.

[06YarisRS]

Congrats! That's a beautiful looking ride! Enjoy your road trip. I expect it will be very enjoyable in that vehicle.

[eTiMaGo]

Not sure about the nickname lol but very nice!

When I first saw the car, I thought "that's a beautiful hearse". Then I wondered what the Swedish word for hearse was, and when I found, I knew it was the right name :laugh:

Classy ride and a functional wagon. I like it.

Parts, maintenance, and repair costs on a Volvo are outrageous! IDK... perhaps in Thailand, that won't be an issue.

Yeah it's really a great all-rounder!
Sure it's won't be cheap as a Toyota, but I did some research and asked around to existing owners, it's not toooo bad

bag it slam it camber it boost it race it brake it buy a supra.

LOL no thanks... Might consider an ECU tune to wring out a bit more boost and HP, but I still have my own crazy lil Yaris to have fun in...

Congrats! That's a beautiful looking ride! Enjoy your road trip. I expect it will be very enjoyable in that vehicle.

Started to teach the GF how to drive it tonight, she's a natural, so it'll be good to have a driver rotation :smile:

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Nice. Very executive like. I say go that route should you plan on modding it. Congrats on the promotion too.

[Leegamer]

Love it!

[justanotherdrunk]

Very executive like.

agreed

[eTiMaGo]

I *am* getting dangerously close to 40 and trying to be respectable, this is a step in the right direction? :laugh:

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I *am* getting dangerously close to 40 and trying to be respectable, this is a step in the right direction? :laugh:

Car guys will always be kids in the inside. Haha

[sickpuppy1]

Hell, I'm 63 and lowered my 2010 sedan last summer and already had a MicroImage rear sway bar on it... I'm going the wrong direction? LOL

[sickpuppy1]

I've told my wife more than once, I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up! I proudly cling to all my bad habits! Thats what keeps me young..

[thebarber]

Shmexy

I’d lick THAT wagon

[ern-diz]

I've told my wife more than once, I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up! I proudly cling to all my bad habits! Thats what keeps me young..

This!! :thumbsup:

[eTiMaGo]

So, GF put the brakes on the name, it's a bad omen apparently :tongue:

The car is henceforth renamed as NASTIMØØSE!

And some new sexy pics for y'all :biggrin:

[ern-diz]

Me likey!

[justanotherdrunk]

:thumbup:

[thebarber]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/418qAlHup6L._SX425_.jpg

[eTiMaGo]

Definitely will need a prancing moose badge or two :D

Just came back from a 1,800km (~1,100mi) road trip with my GF and future-MIL, it took it like a champ, through rain and shine. About 24MPG on average, better than I expected!

[justanotherdrunk]

enjoyed it thanks

[ern-diz]

She really is a pretty one.

[eTiMaGo]

So, it turns out Forza 7 has the V60 (in its ultimate Polestar form), and I've been trying some ideas...

The creamy yellow is meant as a tribute to the old 850 T5R, the iconic "turbobrick"

Realistically, I would probably go for the satin black wrap, and I have found wheels here with a very similar look (and available in 5x108, not a common bolt pattern!)

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Satin black nero?

http://phenomenalvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Satin-Black-Nero-5.jpg

[eTiMaGo]

yessssss

but keeping lighter wheels, in hyper silver

[Kaotic Lazagna]

yessssss

but keeping lighter wheels, in hyper silver

Oh yeah, I was just referring to the wrap. I'm not into the whole murdered out look, so I like the fact that you're not going with black wheels.

[kimona]

Oh yeah, I was just referring to the wrap. I'm not into the whole murdered out look, so I like the fact that you're not going with black wheels.


"murdered out look" LOL. Totally agree.

[eTiMaGo]

So, some updates...

I think I am cursed when it comes to car electricals... My own Yaris' achille's heel is the electrical system, it runs the battery down in a week if I don't drive. And now the Volvo started showing "Low battery level" alerts, until one day it just did not start...

But, it just turns out that that battery was nearly 4 years old and just didn't charge anymore.

Fortunately it was possible to jump-start it, and I went off to the local Volvo dealership, while the car is no longer under warranty, I still have a couple of years of free service on it!

They swapped out the battery (Bosch 70Ah), and also the windshield spray nozzles which were pretty badly clogged. All in all about $150, and one hour which I spent waiting in the dealership lounge, drooling over the new cars, enjoying a coffee and a snack.

And since, the car has been running like a champ! Gave both cars a nice wash and took some glamour shots :biggrin:

[eTiMaGo]

Oh also, I could not resist, and did a bit of research into the engine and what's possible with it... Interestingly, this generation of Volvos was designed while they were still a part of Ford, and thus many parts are stamped "FoMoCo", including the engine... A bit of digging later, and it turns out it's actually the same engine as is used on the Fiesta ST, i.e. the 1.6L Ecoboost engine.

This means there's actually quite a plethora of go-fast parts available, from reputable companies like COBB or Mountune. Looks like I can realistically get about 215WHP with a better intercooler, air filter and ECU tune (over the OBD port for minimal invasiveness)

A turbo upgrade is also available (the stock one is so tiny, it's adorable), bringing output to 280WHP and beyond... But honestly, even stock as it is now (180HP), it's more than fast enough to get out of sticky situations, and put a smile on my face!

The Yaris is the crazy fast toy, Thomas, the Yaris... Don't mess with the Volvo, it's fine as it is... You don't want to go down that rabbit hole again, you really don't... But maybe just a few tasteful things? :biggrin:

[kimona]

Lucky you didn't get stranded somewhere with a dead battery!

[ern-diz]

Oh, man, the never ending struggle of not modding the 'daily' :biggrin:

[06YarisRS]

The Yaris is the crazy fast toy...

Oh my interest is piqued. Do tell, what makes it crazy fast? Did I see an intercooler up front?

[WeeYari]

Oh my interest is piqued. Do tell, what makes it crazy fast? Did I see an intercooler up front?4AGE engine swap.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

[eTiMaGo]

Aaaah kids these days, don't remember their elders :biggrin:

Indeed, 4A-GZE swap, supercharger changed to a turbo, gutted interior...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaWFcNjZ9w4

[eTiMaGo]

mind you, these are older pics, there's even less interior trim now, audio system gone too, and battery relocated behind the passenger seat

[06YarisRS]

Aaaah kids these days, don't remember their elders :biggrin:

Indeed, 4A-GZE swap, supercharger changed to a turbo, gutted interior...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaWFcNjZ9w4

Haha, being over 50, I haven't been called a kid in quite some time, but I'll take it. :laugh:

That is a very impressive setup. I watched a couple of your videos. I did a quick wiki search on the 4A-GZE engine. 300 whp must be absoultely insane. I haven't yet searched, but do you have a build thread on here? I was going to ask you about the technicalities of your turbo set up as it's something that interests me, but your exhaust manifold is on the front as opposed to the back, unlike my 2ZR. I have yet to establish if a turbo/manifold - even a small one, such as a T25 - would have head to firewall clearance in a 2zr powered hatch.

[eTiMaGo]

Haha, being over 50, I haven't been called a kid in quite some time, but I'll take it. :laugh:

That is a very impressive setup. I watched a couple of your videos. I did a quick wiki search on the 4A-GZE engine. 300 whp must be absoultely insane. I haven't yet searched, but do you have a build thread on here? I was going to ask you about the technicalities of your turbo set up as it's something that interests me, but your exhaust manifold is on the front as opposed to the back, unlike my 2ZR. I have yet to establish if a turbo/manifold - even a small one - would have head to firewall clearance in a 2zr powered hatch.

I actually have yet to get it properly dynoed, so it's a butt-dyno figure from friends who are more used to fast cars :laugh: Truthfully I think it's more like 200-220... Now that it's running fairly reliably, I should head to a local dyno place...

No single build thread per-se, just a few updates here and there. The car was done at a local garage, and at the time I was overloaded with work so got updates few and far between. It's an IHI turbo off an older Subaru (a lot of the parts were secondhand, not a huge budget for this!)

And yes, it was a super tight fit, they had to cut down the frame rails a bit just to get the gearbox to fit. And one reason we dropped the supercharger, it just would not physically fit.

Adding a few build pics so you can see how it was shoehorned :biggrin: