Not a BRICK but A TANK Volvo 740 GL REVIEW & TEST DRIVE
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- čas přidán 13. 05. 2023
- Yes, this week we taking a look at the hugely underrated Volvo 740 GL Saloon. If the Volvo 240 was a BRICK well then this is A TANK.
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Such a clean example! Great video 👍
i love your videos Mr. Involvo
Always loved the looks of the 740 / 760 series back in the mid 80s. In metallic grey they look stately, expensive and have real road presence. Seriously thinking of looking for one next year. Currently have a 2020 Qashqai, which although a brilliant all rounder, it has no character. Now in my mid 50s and doing low annual mileage, a 740 could prove a sensible purchase.
They were great cars: reliable, practical, roomy, solid and safe .... the 740 (4cyl engines B23/B230(T) were bulletproof and they were a no-contact engine too), easy and cheap to repair and maintain .... excellent !!! I was lucky to have owned two: 1986 740 wagon and 1988 740 turbo wagon !!!
Brit in Germany here:
In the early 90s we had a 1984 RHD Volvo 740GL bought from a squaddie.
It was German Tax Paid so could be registered without any hassle. I paid 2500 DM (1250€) for it.
It had about 115,000 mls and was in a dark red colour with a light brown interior. It was a nice and warm interior.
It was the then base model 740 and had only PAS, central locking, armrests front and rear and a central loadthrough from the boot for skis or whatever. No rear headrests, full cover wheeltrims or ABS. Back then however PAS and central locking were definitely luxury items.
It had the 2,3l petrol 4 cylinder with about 113PS and a proper 5-speed manual. Some models had a 4-speed with switchable Overdrive. IIRC it also needed Super Leaded which was the most expensive fuel then.
The german market base models then had 2,3 litre fuel injected engines with about 133 PS.
To put that into perspective, the Audi 100 could be had with a 1,8l 75PS carburettor engine and 4-speed manual! A friend had a pre-facelift one after his apprenticeship in about 1992. The rear seating area seemed roomier, the engine bay was basically only half-used and the cockpit design was definitely more VW Jetta/Passat than executive class.
Coming from a Toyota Tercel 1,5 4WD estate and Ford Escort Diesel estate the 740 was a huge step-up in comfort, space and noise reduction. Until you got used to it you would constantly drive 12-15 mp/h faster than you thought you were doing :D
The turning circle at 10 metres was amazing. Very few cars had a smaller turning circle.
We had it for about 5 years and averaged about 12 litres/100 Km, so 25-ish MPG.
It was finally traded in with about 150000 mls for a 1988 Mercedes Benz W124 230TE Estate which lasted about 20 years before becoming uneconomical to repair!
Edit: Of course it also had heated front seats! 😉
Have a 240GL which I recently drove to Donegal from Limerick, delightful, then I did the same journey a week later in a modern Audi A6. The Volvo was so much nicer to drive. Slower, thirstier, put put a big smile on my face.
John, very fair review, they may be slow and thirst yet I have an affection for them. My first boss has a silver one like the one you reviewed and my Dad then had one as a company car. Supremely comfortable seats, and so long as you’re not in a hurry, they can be relied on to get you there!
No need to rush when you've got that much comfort!
I'm slow and often thirsty too, seems like a car for me!
Great presentation, John! I always liked these. Very contemporary / modern / smart when they were new. That makes sense that the 760 was introduced first as I always perceived the 7-Series Volvo as a high end executive / prestige car.
I always thought they looked too expensive and classy. I liked more the 240. Now when I'm getting older (45) I start to appreciate the look of this with the sharp angles. I just come out of a 2023 Citroën C3 which was a complete nightmare to drive. EVERYTHING is digital and on the display. Very unsafe to have to look at that bloody display all the time, just to change the temperature or change the radiostation. I'm still in shock touchscreens in cars are legal. This old Volvo tank is something completely different. Only the motor could perhaps need an upgrade.
Excellent car, especially with a stick shift like this one! I wish they still made cars that were built to last like this one here! Please tell the owner to keep it alive!
I'm thinking of buying a 740, with airco though, i can't without airco. It will be my daily driver, and prob gonna be a 2.3 since the turbo models are way expensive.
Great review, love the old Volvos especially the estates.
It's funny, all I've come across has been saloons! No estates yet
I agree with the tank aspect.
May be one of the best used cars/classics out there.
They're usable, repairable, modern and old all in one package.
Hi John great review really enjoyed it,I'm happy to say I'm the proud owner of a 1991 960 24v 2.9 estate automatic and it has everything from cruise control to air con and it all works.👍
Thanks Damo, they're super cars in estate form
Had a 740 2.3 carburettor Estate. Lovely sound. Manual.
Lovely torquey engine
@@JohnsGarageIreland white with a blue interior. Felt more Imperious than my 940 2.0 injection. Truly VAST inside!.
@9:22 I didn't need to see that! lol I own one of these: a '90 740 GL. If you enter: '1990 Volvo 740 GL Walkaround' you can view the handful of short videos that I have posted here on CZcams.
Love the craic, I do
Best seats on planet, with that material
It would be awesome if you tried the 440, 2.0
Wow! Where I live red Volvos like this are ultra-rare. Most I see are white, silver, beige or blue. In my experience, the cloth interiors are much more durable than the leather, which deteriorates very quickly. The headliners tend to fall down. I also see a lot with missing petrol doors and non-working odometers.
Red was pretty common here for a very good reason, it was cheaper. Same with the rest of the solid colours. Generally base cars were red to keep the cost down
b230e is a mechanical fuel system
My Record is 2 bodies in my 740 trunk
Does the model have servo and/or ABS?
my 745gl dosent have abs :(
"Tank" but still one of the lightest cars in its segment
Yep! Built like a 'Tank' though, just didn't weigh as much as one!
my father hade a volvo 744 gl from 1990...
god i need one 😍
Don't we all!
Ok!
Hello from Dublin Central,
I remember seeing a blue one with an American style Boomerang Antenna fitted to the Boot back in th late 1980's.
Hi Roy, I seem to recall a black one with the antenna you describe fitted. Was it an embassy car I wonder?
Grew up with a 740 na automatic wagon, black on black. My father worshiped that thing, I hated that car engine would have been well suited to a pencil sharpener had no power, no cup, holders, and the AC couldn't keep up with a hot day in SC. Those seats burned after it had warmed in the sun for an hour or 2. Hateful thing.
How many times does he say OK during this video???
Answer below:
"He" says it many times, OK but "he" is delighted you listened to every word!
2.4 diesel 6 cylindres not 5
are you sure?
Positive! @@AndrewCDiprose
Still popular well into the 90s. Popular but never cool...
I don't want to be cool, i want to buy a 740 because it looks ghetto.
Sosse container, socialistdemokrat container is what they were called in Sweden.