| Well, it finally
happened. Volvo now has a sport utility vehicle. The next thing you know
Porsche will be coming out with one. Actually, we've known about the Volvo SUV for quite a while now. What I
found surprising about the XC90 was that it was an all-new vehicle, not a
modification of one of the Swedish manufacturer's fine station wagons,
like their AWD wagons. Nor is it a variation of the Ford Explorer, which
might have been expected since Volvo is now a part of the Ford Premium
Group (with Jaguar and Land Rover).
 No, the XC90
is its own vehicle, and it's a darned good one at that. The XC90 is all
Volvo, from the luxury leather interior to the side impact protection
airbags in the rear.
Built on the P2 large car platform that is also used by the S80 luxury
sedan, the XC90 has little "sedan" about it. It's a vehicle you climb up
into, just like any other self-respecting SUV, and it has cargo area to
spare, although you may remember I was thrilled with the amount of cargo
area available in the S80. And although it has an excellent ride for a sport
utility, it's still a little truck-like.
The XC90 also looks like a sport utility. It has the class-typical
robustness and ruggedness, with a little of the luxury as well. It's a
Volvo, of course, from its family grille to the shoulders over the
taillights.
Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine that delivers
268 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 280 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,800 to 5,000
rpm. Power reached all four wheels through constant all-wheel drive and
a four-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode that Volvo
calls Geartronic. This was a nice combination.
 We drove
the XC90 intentionally one day as soon as we could get it out of the
driveway. You see, I had some serious shoveling to do. But I wanted to try
the all-wheel drive capabilities and a fresh snowstorm is the ideal way. We
hit deep snow and freshly-plowed streets and had no difficulty negotiating
all conditions. Unfortunately, we weren't able to give the AWD capabilities
a more rugged test because the road crews did such a good job. But on
slippery hills and in tough road conditions, the XC90 did a great job.
At all times we were in comfort. We had heated leather seats and an
excellent HVAC system that kept us cozy.
Our tester was the seven-passenger version of the XC90. There were three
rows of seats; two buckets up front, a three-passenger bench in the second
row and two buckets for the third row. We tried the third row seats and
legroom was tight. It was fairly easy to get back there, but the middle
seats would have to be pushed forward for a full-sized adult to be
comfortable. There was plenty of room for a couple of children, though.
The XC90 has a healthy cargo area. With the second
and third row seats folded Volvo claims 85.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
Even with all the seats up, there's plenty of room behind the third seat.
But unless you have children you want to put back there often, I'd opt for
the five-passenger version.
 One problem with
putting older children back there is that there are sound system controls.
So they can change the entertainment to suit them, which has the potential
of driving the parents crazy in the front seats.
The EPA rates the XC90 as 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway. We only averaged
13.6 mpg in a mix of driving conditions that admittedly had no long drives.
We only tried the manual shift mode a few times and while it worked well, I
didn't feel it was necessary in a sport utility. It might have a function if
you're going to use the XC90 in serious off-road conditions, but the vehicle
doesn't have a low-low setting that would take maximum advantage of that, so
its value is questionable.
The bottom line on our XC90 T6 tester was a healthy ,555. This comes from a base
price of ,975, plus 0 for metallic paint; 5 for a Climate Package
that includes heated front seats and headlamp washers; ,675 for a
Versatility Package that includes the third-row seats; ,300 for a Premium
Package that includes 18-inch alloy wheels, premium sound system, power
retractable rearview mirrors and a wood steering wheel; 0 for bi-xenon
headlamps; 0 for a reverse warning system that never seemed to beep at
the right time; and a 0 destination charge. The XC90 is also
available with a 5 cylinder engine and a starting price of just under
,000. That model, called the 2.5T, is available in either
front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
All in all the XC90 is an excellent competitor for the Mercedes-Benz
ML320 or the small Lexus. It has a lot of great features, and some that
aren't really necessary that can have a big impact on the bottom line.
© 2003 The Auto Page Syndicate
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How does the XC90
fit your driving style?
Conservative
drivers
Volvo has a reputation for
safety and the XC90 is no exception. Everything about this vehicle
feels smooth and solid, from its steering feel to its powerful brakes.
All in all, an ideal choice for this type of driver in the market for an
SUV.
Sporty
drivers will
like the steering feel and the powerful brakes, but the engine could use
more low end grunt.
Fast
drivers Seems like blasphemy to driver a
Volvo fast. Oh, it can handle most anything that you throw at it,
but you have to worry about what people will think. If they see a
Volvo being driven fast, they will assume that you must have stolen it
because a true Volvo owner would never drive like that.
Specifications
2003 Volvo XC90 T6 SUV |
Family Car Parts Store
