
2003 VOLVO XC70
WARNING!
Never leave the car unattended when the engine is running. If, by mistak\
e, the gear selector is moved
from P, the car may start moving.
R (Reverse)
Never engage R while the car is moving forward.
N (Neutral)
Neutral - no gear engaged. Use the parking brake.
D (Drive)
D is the normal driving position and should be used as often as possible\
to help improve fuel economy.
The car should not be moving when shifting from R to the D position.
Kickdown
Automatic shift to a lower gear (kickdown) is achieved by depressing t\
he accelerator pedal fully and
briskly. An upshift will occur when approaching the top speed for a part\
icular gear or by releasing the
accelerator pedal slightly. Kickdown can be used for maximum acceleratio\
n or when passing at highway
speeds. Kickdown does not function when the transmission is in the manual shift\
(geartronic)
mode (see next page).
Automatic transmission - adaptive system
The automatic transmission is controlled by an adaptive control system t\
hat constantly monitors the way
in which the transmission functions. It senses and adapts each gear shif\
t for optimal performance. The
system also monitors your particular driving style and adapts gear shift\
ing accordingly.
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2003 VOLVO XC70
Automatic transmission - shift gate positions
You can move the gear selector freely between the (MAN)ual and (D)ri\
ve positions while driving.
Depress the button on the front of the gear selector knob to move betwee\
n the R, N, D, and P positions.
Please see the following page for information on using the Geartronic ma\
nual shift mode.
pg. 93 Automatic transmission (Geartronic)
Manual shifting - Geartronic
You can move the gear selector freely between the (MAN)ual and (D)ri\
ve positions while driving. Gears
2, 3, and 4 have a "lock-up" function which reduces engine speed and hel\
ps save fuel. The currently
selected gear will be displayed in the instrument panel (see
page 27).
l To access the (MAN)ual shifting position from (D)rive, pull the gear\
selector back slightly from D
and move it to the left to MAN.
l To return to the (D)rive position from MAN, move the gear selector to \
the right and push it forward to
the (D)rive position.
While driving
If you select the (MAN)ual position while driving, the gear that was b\
eing used in the (D)rive position
will also initially be selected in (MAN)ual position.
l Move the gear selector forward (toward "+") to shift to a higher gear \
or rearward (toward "-") to shift
to a lower gear.
l If you hold the gear selector toward "-", the transmission will downshif\
t, one gear at a time, and will
utilize the braking power of the engine. If the current speed is too hig\
h for using a lower gear, the
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2003 VOLVO XC70
pattern, load-, speed-, traction-, temperature-, and treadwear rating. N\
ever drive on mixed tires, except
for brief periods when the temporary spare tire is in use.
Always use properly inflated tires of correct dimensions. Tire size and \
inflation pressures are shown on
the tire pressure label located inside the fuel filler door.
Tire Rotation
Volvo recommends rotating the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000 km). Tir\
es should be rotated front-to-
back/back-to-front only. Tires must maintain the same direction of rotat\
ion throughout their lifetime, and
should never be rotated from one side of the vehicle to the other.
Temporary Spare
The temporary spare tire is for temporary, low-speed, short-distance use\
only. Replace it with a full-
sized tire as soon as possible, in accordance with "Tire Rotation" above\
. Do not drive on the temporary
spare at speeds above 50 m.p.h. (80km/h) or for distances greater than\
50 miles (80 km).
Never install snow chains on a temporary spare.
pg. 95 Driving economy
Economical driving conserves natural resources
Better driving economy may be obtained by thinking ahead, avoiding rapid\
starts and stops and
adjusting the speed of your vehicle to immediate traffic conditions. Obs\
erve the following rules:
l Bring the engine to normal operating temperature as soon as possible by \
driving with a light foot on
the accelerator pedal for the first few minutes of operation. A cold eng\
ine uses more fuel and is subject
to increased wear.
l Whenever possible, avoid using the car for driving short distances. This\
does not allow the engine to
reach normal operating temperature.
l Drive carefully and avoid rapid acceleration and hard braking.
l Do not exceed posted speed limits.
l Avoid carrying unnecessary items (extra load) in the car.
l Maintain correct tire pressure. Check tire pressure regularly (when tir\
es are cold).
l Remove snow tires when threat of snow or ice has ended.
l Note that roof racks, ski racks, etc., increase air resistance and also \
fuel consumption.
l Avoid using automatic transmission kickdown feature unless necessary.
l Avoid using the air conditioning when it is not required. When engaged, \
the conditioner's compressor
places an additional load on the engine. However, at higher driving spee\
ds, fuel consumption will be
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2003 VOLVO XC70
lower with the air conditioning on and the windows closed than with the \
air conditioning off and the
windows open.
l Using the onboard trip computer's fuel consumption modes can help you le\
arn how to drive more
economically.
Other factors that decrease gas mileage are:
l Dirty air cleaner
l Dirty engine oil and clogged oil filter
l Dragging brakes
l Incorrect front end alignment Some of the above mentioned items and othe\
rs are checked at the
standard Maintenance Service intervals.
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions should use (D)rive as o\
ften as possible and
avoid using "kick-down" to help improve fuel economy. Vehicles equipped \
with manual transmissions
should use fifth gear at highway speeds. At other times, choose the high\
est gear that still allows smooth
acceleration.
Weight distribution affects handling
At the specified curb weight your car has a tendency to understeer, whic\
h means that the steering wheel
has to be turned more than might seem appropriate for the curvature of a\
bend. This ensures good
stability and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these p\
roperties can alter with the
vehicle load. The heavier the load on the rear of the vehicle (e.g., he\
avily loaded (max. 220 lbs, 100 kg)
cargo area or when towing a trailer, the less the tendency to understeer\
.
Handling, roadholding
Vehicle load, tire design and inflation pressure all affect vehicle hand\
ling. Therefore, check that the tires
are inflated to the recommended pressure according to the vehicle load. \
See "Tire pressure" section.
Loads should be distributed so that capacity weight or maximum permissib\
le axle loads are not
exceeded.
pg. 96 Points to remember
Cooling system
The risk for engine overheating is greatest, especially in hot weather, \
when:
l Towing a trailer up steep inclines for prolonged periods at wide open th\
rottle and low engine rpm.
l Stopping the engine suddenly after high speed driving (so-called "after\
-boiling" can occur).
l To avoid overheating, the following rules should be followed: Do not dri\
ve for prolonged periods at
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2003 VOLVO XC70
Electrical system
When replacing the battery or when carrying out work involving the elect\
rical system, the following
should be observed:
l A battery connection to the wrong terminal will damage the electrical sy\
stem. Be sure to connect the
positive battery cable to the positive battery terminal and the negative\
battery cable to the negative
battery terminal.
l If booster batteries are used for starting, they must be properly connec\
ted to minimize the risk of the
electrical system being damaged. For correct connection, see "Jump start\
ing" section.
l Never disconnect the battery circuit (for example, to replace the batte\
ry) while the engine is running,
as this may damage the generator. Always make sure that all the battery \
connections are properly
cleaned and tightened.
l If any electrical welding work is performed on the vehicle, the battery'\
s ground lead (negative cable)
and all the connecting cables of the generator must be disconnected and \
the welder cables placed as near
the welding points as possible.
l The radio must be turned off before the battery is disconnected.
l Switch off the ignition for at least 10 minutes before disconnecting the\
battery.
pg. 97 Roof racks/Load carriers
Load carriers (accessory)
Load carriers are available as Volvo accessories. Observe the following \
points when in use:
l To avoid damaging your car and to achieve maximum safety when driving, w\
e recommend using the
load carriers that Volvo has developed especially for your car.
l Volvo-approved removable roof racks are designed to carry the maximum al\
lowable roof load for this
vehicle: 220 lbs (100 kg). For Non-Volvo roof racks, check the manufac\
turer's weight limits for the rack.
l Never exceed the rack manufacturer's weigh limits and never exceed the m\
aximum rated roof load of
220 lbs (100 kg).
l Avoid single-point loads. Distribute loads evenly.
l Place heavier cargo at the bottom of the load.
l Anchor the cargo correctly with appropriate tie-down equipment.
l Check periodically that the load carriers and load are properly secured.\
l Remember that the car's center of gravity and handling change when you c\
arry a load on the roof.
l The car's wind resistance (and correspondingly, fuel consumption) will\
increase with the size of the
load.
l Drive smoothly. Avoid rapid starts, fast cornering and hard braking.
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2003 VOLVO XC70
Load carrier attachment points
Attaching load carriers (models without rails)
The attachment brackets for the load carriers are located under the roof\
molding.
1 Make sure that the load carriers are placed in the right direction. Se\
e the mark on the decal under the
cover.
2 Press the guide lugs into the holes (1).
3 Carefully lower the opposite side of the load carrier to the roof.
4 Loosen the tightening wheel slightly. Slide the hook on the load carri\
er attachment into the attachment
bracket under the roof molding.
5 Turn the tightening wheel to secure the load carrier in the attachment\
bracket.
6 Repeat this procedure for the other load carrier attachments.
7 Check that the hooks on all four load carrier attachments are securely\
tightened in the respective
attachment brackets on the roof of the car.
8 Press down the covers.
Check periodically that the load carriers and load are properly secured.\
Reducing wind noise and improving fuel economy
To maximize fuel efficiency and minimize wind noise, Volvo recommends th\
at load carriers be removed
when not in use.
pg. 98 Load carriers (models with rails)
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2003 VOLVO XC70
Position of load carriers
Make sure that the wing-shaped load carriers are installed on the roof r\
ails with the rounded edge
forward (see the inset illustration above). The load carriers are iden\
tical and can be placed anywhere
along the roof rails.
Reducing wind noise and improving fuel economy
To maximize fuel efficiency and minimize wind noise, Volvo recommends th\
at load carriers be removed
when not in use.
Fitting the load carriers (accessory)
Make sure that the load carrier is pressed firmly out against the roof r\
ail. Screw the load carrier in place.
Use the supplied torque wrench and tighten to the mark on the wrench (c\
orresponding to 6 Nm). See
illustration.
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2003 VOLVO XC70
l First connect the auxiliary battery positive (+) terminal (1) to the\
positive (+) terminal in your car's
engine compartment (2), located under a small black plastic cover atta\
ched to the fuse box cover,
marked with a "+" sign. Remove the cover on the main fuse box if necessa\
ry to access this terminal. See
page 113.
l Then connect the auxiliary battery negative (-) terminal (3) to the \
ground point in your car's engine
compartment (4).
Start the engine in the assisting car, then start the engine in the car \
with the dead battery.
l After the engine has started, first remove the negative (-) terminal j\
umper cable. Then remove the
positive (+) terminal jumper cable.
CAUTION:
Improper hookup of jumper cables or use of other than 12-volt batteries \
could result in damage to
equipment and/or the battery.
WARNING!
l Do not connect the jumper cable to any part of the fuel system or to any\
moving parts. Avoid
touching hot manifolds.
l Never expose the battery to open flame or electric spark.
l Do not smoke near the battery.
l Batteries generate hydrogen gas which is flammable and explosive.
l Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do not allow battery fluid to cont\
act eyes, skin, fabrics or
painted surfaces. If contact occurs, flush the affected area immediately\
with water. Obtain medical
help immediately if eyes are affected.
Failure to follow the instructions for jump starting can lead to persona\
l injury.
NOTE: Refer to
pages 138-139 for information on properly maintaining the battery.
PROPOSITION 65 WARNING!
Battery posts, terminals, and related accessories contain lead and lead \
compounds, chemicals known
to the state of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm. Wash h\
ands after handling.
pg. 104 Winter driving
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