2016 Volvo XC90

[realsgy]

I find this car intriguing, especially the price/performance ratio. Anyone who drove this can comment on how it compares to the X5?

[tongx051]

volve is by no means a luxury brand. I wouldn't pay 50k plus for that car especially a 4 cylinder.

[BayX5]

Considered it because of a usable 3rd row, improved looks(especially R design) and price.

The best way I can describe it is a SUV version of a GTI. Good value, peppy and sharp looking but you don't get one if your budget allows you to get something more refined.

Doesn't help that I was comparing it to my 50i and that I dislike digital display and big screens on a car.

[kip1]

Looks good, full of new tech, volvos are slightly soulless, I would consider it a good alternative to the X5.

[Snow-Kidney]

Doesn't drive as well as an X5 and if you like buttons to control everything this isn't the car for you. Looks good.

[kanvas]

Inside looks neat and unique. Design of car isn't exactly my cup of tea, however.

[Kzang]

The drive feel is the key here... The Volvo XC90 driving dynamics is not par with BMW and Porsche's. If you don't care about that then it might be a good SUV.

[realsgy]

Thanks all for responding!

Originally Posted by Kzang

The drive feel is the key here... The Volvo XC90 driving dynamics is not par with BMW and Porsche's. If you don't care about that then it might be a good SUV.

Thanks! How it drives is mainly what I care about, otherwise I would not have dropped 4.5K on the DHP Besides the fact that it is FWD, how is the handling? Did you try the air suspension version?

Does anyone know how they managed to make the car 300lbs lighter than the X5? They are almost the same size, the XC90 is even wider by 3" and a bit longer. Is this the difference between the 4cyl vs. 6cyl engine?

[realsgy]

Originally Posted by kanvas

Inside looks neat and unique. Design of car isn't exactly my cup of tea, however.

Yes, it looks nice. This is, however, what turns me off, in the Volvo and also in almost every other SUV:



Those large vertical vents yell 'TRUCK!' at my face every time I sit in

[m3_08]

Originally Posted by realsgy

I find this car intriguing, especially the price/performance ratio. Anyone who drove this can comment on how it compares to the X5?

very simple - taking delivery next week. wife will be driving and i see it's a great family SUV. Unless I pay for x5M there is no difference between x5 and xc90.

[realsgy]

Originally Posted by m3_08

very simple - taking delivery next week. wife will be driving and i see it's a great family SUV. Unless I pay for x5M there is no difference between x5 and xc90.

Nice! Are you getting a T6 or a T8?

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by Kzang

The drive feel is the key here... The Volvo XC90 driving dynamics is not par with BMW and Porsche's. If you don't care about that then it might be a good SUV.

[patrobX5]

Originally Posted by realsgy

Nice! Are you getting a T6 or a T8?

Has to be the T6 because T8 is only coming end of the year.

I find the R-Design looks amazing

[m3_08]

Originally Posted by realsgy

Nice! Are you getting a T6 or a T8?

Getting t6 fully loaded. paying MSRP but it's 15K less than loaded x5 and some options even not available in x5. Plus interior looks much better to our taste.

About the 'driving and comparing to x5' I found that xc90 is at least the same as x35i. I drove all x5s including x5M and only x5M is true BMW.
X5s with M badges still drives like Buick to me.
Clearly I compare with my current DD - 2008 E92 m3 and it's a high standard.

[akhter]

Originally Posted by m3_08

Getting t6 fully loaded. paying MSRP but it's 15K less than loaded x5 and some options even not available in x5. Plus interior looks much better to our taste.

About the 'driving and comparing to x5' I found that xc90 is at least the same as x35i. I drove all x5s including x5M and only x5M is true BMW.
X5s with M badges still drives like Buick to me.
Clearly I compare with my current DD - 2008 E92 m3 and it's a high standard.

So the T6 is more like the m3 than x5? or because they are both so far interms of drive that other factors like price and bigger interior played a bigger role?

personally I didn't even seriously consider the xc90 because i change cars every 3 years and resale of xc90 would be crap here (and we have no leasing). Also i like the x5 look much more. I do agree coming from a bmw sedan the x5 feels like a boat.

[m3_08]

Originally Posted by akhter

So the T6 is more like the m3 than x5? or because they are both so far interms of drive that other factors like price and bigger interior played a bigger role?

personally I didn't even seriously consider the xc90 because i change cars every 3 years and resale of xc90 would be crap here (and we have no leasing). Also i like the x5 look much more. I do agree coming from a bmw sedan the x5 feels like a boat.

Second- in terms of price , features and interior design xc90 is a valid candidate as a family SUV. So far X5M is a good upgrade for me if I justify the price for myself.

True Residuals for xc90 is unknown but my lease is cheaper than loaded x35d I compared to so for me it's a solid choice.

[P1]

I had an S80 back in the days and it was one of most comfortable cars I've ever had. The new XC90 R-Design looks amazing, as does the XC60. Nice SUVs.

[crackerjack15]

I drove the XC90 with air suspension and while I thought it was nice and seemed to have decent power, I did not like the 4cyl. Maybe it's psychological but I think it needs more engine. The interior is very nicely done, if you like that style. Touch screen worked ok, but I like buttons.

Wow, some of you guys say the X5 rides like a boat? Jeeze, you guys must be driving some pretty firm vehicles previously. I have 3000 miles on my 15 35i Msport with 20's (std susp.) and I just went on a 5 hour trip each way. I personally think my X5 can be extremely stiff and slightly bouncy over uneven pavement. But I do love it, and the huge tires!

[patrobX5]

Here is another version of the XC90. I read there will also be a Polestar tuned version coming out in the near future.

[artem123]

I test drove one, after 5-6 min, asked the sales guy to take me back to lot. Could not even finish the test drive. 4 cyl engine there is a joke. The way it drives simply ( IMHO) cannot be compared to F15. The way new Volvo XC90 drives killed all nice bells and whistles it has. I was a bit shocked, since my good bud had XC60 and i was always in favor how SOLID it felt.

[realsgy]

Originally Posted by artem123

I test drove one, after 5-6 min, asked the sales guy to take me back to lot. Could not even finish the test drive. 4 cyl engine there is a joke.

On paper it perfors similar to the i35's I6 engine and the 0-60 time is the same for the two cars. So what was the issue with it in practice?

[Influence]

T6 Inspiration or something like that. Fully loaded up with like a $71K sticker. Had the air suspension option.

We're moving up from a 2013 X3 3.5 MSport with the Dynamic Handling Package (absolutely love Sport and Sport+ modes). I've got a 2008 335i RWD sport package as well for a baseline.

In a nutshell:
Interior quality/style is significantly superior to an X5. Clearly this is subjective, but the design really is inspired and materials are top-notch. The IKEA-inspired modern design may not be to everyone's taste, but both my wife and I felt the interior was noticeably more "expensive" than the X5. Perforated leather and real seat cooling (not merely "ventilated" a la X5) worked very nice on the really hot day we drove the truck.

Personally do not care for everything being on a touchscreen. I like simple buttons and knobs. Try changing the temperature in the XC90 with the stupid slider on-screen when on a bumpy road. Still as far as in-car touch screens go, this was the best I've yet seen.

More bells and whistles inside than an X5. Most of it is useless, but you feel like you are getting your money's worth (more so than the rather spartan X5 interior which is perfectly functional though)

Exterior: pretty darn good looking if you ask me. They are going to sell a ton of these based on the looks alone.

Usable 3rd row seat. We don't need it, so folding down those seats gives a much larger cargo area than an X5.

Oddly, the XC90 didn't feel (or drive) like a huge 3-row SUV (like an Explorer, Durango, Q7, etc).

Drive:
Surprisingly competent with the air-suspension in "sport" mode. Both us us hated it in any of the other modes though. Way too much body lean/sway. Nicely buttoned down in sport mode without being too firm. Steering feel/feedback was decent in Sport mode as well. No better/worse than the X5s electric steering. I pushed it pretty hard through some high-speed mountain roads and came away pleasantly surprised. I'd imagine that the base suspension would not satisfy most Bimmerpost members. Not sure how the R-design will be different as I haven't been able to find one in NJ to drive yet.

Excellent visibility due to the large expanse of glass surrounding you. Good side view and rear view mirrors too. I loved the "frameless" rear view mirror. About time BMW started using these.

However, both of us felt that the engine was completly underpowered. I had read the specs ahead of time and just can't agree with them. We had the A/C running (over 90 that day) and the truck was just a pig. No way is this a low-6 second 0-60 truck like the numbers say. More like a 7.5. My butt-O-meter is pretty well tuned and this thing was slow. Inadequate in our view. I'm sure that the T8 will be more to our liking.

One thing that really bothered me is what almost felt like torque steer coming through the steering wheel an any hard acceleration while turning. I could feel one of the front wheels almost chattering under acceleration. It is possible that there was an issue with the front differential or something like that, but I picked up on it immediately.

Still, we liked it enough to not cross it off our list. We'll drive a T8 hopefully before our X3 lease is up in December. Still leaning towards an MSport X5 3.5 with DHP (or at least adaptive M dampers) at this point in time though