320touring

Good to see Eddy, hope it is useful for you both!

Put it this way, @Lacquer Peel bought it sight unseen, and it rapidly became the defacto "back up" vehicle to follow the Volvo. It seems a good bus.

Despite my Scottish accent, and birthplace being the esteemed* Rutherglen Maternity, I have never piloted a Volvo in anger before. Yes I have had the occasional shot of one, but I have never done distance in one. That all changed yesterday - with me being handed the keys in 28 degree heat in Cottenham. On the short run to the co-op for scran acquisition it felt very large but easy to place. The size feeling was likely due to my daily being a Clio. We parked up and had lunch, then I set to getting the 850 into shape for my time at the wheel. Ergonomics are good with plenty of seat adjustment, and a height adjustable wheel. Electric mirrors meant a decent rearward view was easily achieved. Worth noting though that some of the switches (light switch/hazard and switch for the OBC) are almost completely obscured by the steering wheel, though they do fall to hand easily once their location has been identified. The clutch is very light, and easy to control on the bite. The gearbox snicks into gear confidently. The 5cyl idle is addictive and a bit rorty, significantly more aurally pleasurable than VWs 4 cylinder offerings. The French sourced plastics like a good rattle - especially the dash top, however once identified they can be readily filed under "to be ignored". Anyway the decent stereo allows for the drowning out. Underway, the damping was controlled, and the ride quality excellent. The brakes inspired confidence, and conferred the ability to maintain surprising momentum along the A roads we had to traverse. Performance was a little down in this instance due to the aforementioned fuelling issues, but it was content to sit at the limit for mile after mile. As the miles ticked down, I came to appreciate the sensible layout, spaciousness and expertly located arm rest. The miles were not hard. Suffice to say, I've warmed to this 5pot warbler and it's attendant clag. It's easily as good at mile work as the s124 300D, and that's high praise. TL:DR The SVM may be onto something with these Volvos - though the derv one is likely the one to have in the current fuel price environment.

I got in 20 mins ago. @Lacquer Peel has another 25 miles to go and will hopefully check in soon A synopsis of the last leg.. We discovered that the filter head on the 850 had a loose pipe on the inlet side. Some electrical tape seemed to help it seat a bit better, but it was not a happy bunny. With the a66 shut, we had to determine an alternative route.. We settled on heading up the a698 to the a69 then across to Carlisle to pick up the M6. Things to note : an 850 that is not running properly is not a fan of hills. 30mph in 3rd with a cloud of clag is no fun. we pressed on, and made the M6 in good time. I merged on at junction 44 and Wille Nelson singing "on the road again" came on the stereo. Hope was high, and the miles slipped away. About 45 mins from home I notice no @Lacquer Peel. Fuck. called him and the Expert had blocked it's fuel filter (there may be a theme here). he got it going again by re-priming and limped it to j14 of the m74 where I was waiting He arrived in short order, then it was time for exciting torchlight repairs Primed and tested, it was a happy bunny. Relieved we pressed on. We had decided to drop the 850 at mine to save @Lacquer Peel a return trip to drop me off final scores on the doors for the 850. 718.9 miles in 17hrs. Ahm awa to me pit

Hello, Scotch corner has been achieved. Good news : 850 will hold 70mph on the motorway Bad news : a66 shut I Feel like I have done 188 miles getting a cokey back off of Scatman John The Volvo, it does not run well...

Either way, it's a winner!

A man who has just done 356 miles then discovered his front wheel was loose.. We think it has loosened itself after the brakes were done. All tight now

Decided to do a preventative filter swap about 10mins away from the collection location. Didn't think the vendor would appreciate it on their drive. We'd had some telltale stuttering, so thought it was a plan.

Cloff seats here and a working sunroof😀

If only the Aircon worked... Hairy Scotsmen are not suitable for these conditions. The country looks very pretty though, lovely views. Passing through Lincolnshire now..74 miles to go . I would put up a picture but it's flatter than my bank balance out there!

About 100 miles to go, just cruising past Blyth And on track to swing past Nottingham soon.

Scotch corner achieved and black helpful fluid consumed. This thing is an epic distance cruiser.

England achieved

Nearly at Lockerbie..