Volvo XC90 - Thoughts?

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Renn Sport

Original Poster:

2,761 posts

208 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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We are considering purchasing a XC90 D5 from around 04-06.

I just wondering if any PH'rs own or have any thoughts on this model that would share.

I'll be selling our Zafira, VW Microbus and BMW E39 to be replaced by the XC90.


We will be using it to move the family of 5 (with 3 kids under 5). We frequently have visitors so the extra couple of seats are a must.

I'll be using it to tow my Motorcycle to track days (trying to give up road riding) and also perhaps towing a Porsche or two for fettling.

It looks to me that this model may be able to handle it all with aplomb.

Thoughts?


crostonian

2,427 posts

171 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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Be careful!

4wd system ceases to work due to worn splines on input shaft into box, basically makes car front wheel drive, no warning lights appear so the only way to check is to see if it will spin it's front wheels on loose surfaces. Cost to repair is anything from £250 to £1000 depending on where you take it and how badly seized up it is.

Also check the handbrake works especially on Autos as the cables seize up. They run through the body which can make replacement labour intensive, the knock on effect can be seized rear hubs, scored discs and new pads, potential spend of up to £600

Check the stereo unit stays on, switch it on and leave for a couple of minutes, if it stays on fine, if not you need a new unit. £1200 from Volvo and you can't fit one from another car so don't buy a second hand unit.

The interior trim isn't very robust and the leather cracks badly on the drivers seat. The pre 2006 165bhp cars are also very slow and harsh, not a refined car at all.

Yes they are safe, seat 7 and still look like the current model but that's about all I could recommend them for. Oh and if you are looking at a rare manual check the dual mass isn't noisy, that's another grand!

Deva Link

26,934 posts

244 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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These are a bit of a can of worms. As well as the 4WD issue mentioned above, the older auto boxes aren't reliable, on the D5 the cambelt and everything associated with it needs changing regularly so you'll have to budget for that unless you're certain it's been done. I think that engine has injector issues too, and they're very expensive.

mart73

56 posts

140 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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Bought an '06 185bhp D5 for the wife 3 months ago. Initial thoughts... lovely comfortable cabin & the hi-fi is just epic. I really enjoy driving it. Rolls a wee bit in the corners, but it's a big old beast which rides high so I guess it's to be expected.
Had to get something to seat 3 under 7's in, as fitting 3 car seats in is an utter nightmare in pretty much everything else.

Downside, fuel economy is terrible. I've run it on V-power & BP Ultimate in an effort to get more to the gallon (& prevent DPF issues), but so far, with a mixture of 70/30 town v A road driving, we've not got more than 23.5mpg.

In the next month it should have some more long distance trips which I'm hoping to crack at least 33mpg!

We knew it may be costly to run, but were prepared to live with it in return for getting something more comfortable for the kids to travel in.
Over all, it's great, the tinted glass helps keep the kids cool & for practicality it's great.

blueST

4,378 posts

215 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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mart73 said:
Downside, fuel economy is terrible. I've run it on V-power & BP Ultimate in an effort to get more to the gallon (& prevent DPF issues), but so far, with a mixture of 70/30 town v A road driving, we've not got more than 23.5mpg.
My mate has an 05 model and he was having similar economy. Turns out there was a problem with the intercooler, which has been replaced. He's now getting much better mileage and it feels more lively too. There were no warning lights, the only symptom which is what alerted him, was black oily deposit under the bonnet.

He has had a lot of the suspension bushes replaced too after it became a bit creaky.

mart73

56 posts

140 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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blueST said:
mart73 said:
Downside, fuel economy is terrible. I've run it on V-power & BP Ultimate in an effort to get more to the gallon (& prevent DPF issues), but so far, with a mixture of 70/30 town v A road driving, we've not got more than 23.5mpg.
My mate has an 05 model and he was having similar economy. Turns out there was a problem with the intercooler, which has been replaced. He's now getting much better mileage and it feels more lively too. There were no warning lights, the only symptom which is what alerted him, was black oily deposit under the bonnet.

He has had a lot of the suspension bushes replaced too after it became a bit creaky.
Thanks for the info - worth further investigation!

sticks090460

1,074 posts

157 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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I have one that's more recent (59), and the job I wanted it for I.e. hauling the family about, it's brilliant. The seats are incredibly comfortable, there's tons of space, the stereo and integrated DVD are great, and it feels like a quality piece of kit. The comments about fuel economy are well-made - you can get 33mpg on a long run, but 22-24 is more usual in mixed driving. I'd definitely have another if I needed the 7 seats. I'm pretty sure I still have 4wd.....

Ranger 6

7,042 posts

248 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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From a neighbour's experience - turning circle is woeful.

mattman

3,174 posts

221 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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we bought an 04 D5 SE 4/5 months ago - its great. Yes it can have problems, but every car will and you only hear about the bad stuff on forums.
Buy on condition rather than age, we had to look at a lot before we found ours and ended up buying a slightly older car than planned as the condition was so much better. They are family cars for people with typically lots of kids and can be abused.

Easy to check the AWD system as mentioned, you can fix the stereo with 2nd hand parts if you need to, the CD players can be tempremental (£300 to fix) and the system is linked via fibre optic so hard to replace.

We get around 26-27 around town, 31-33 on a run and sometimes higher if lots of motorway on cruise.

I tow my son's kart in a box trailer and its brilliant, better and more stable than my previous passat and E39 touring.

For me its a yes, and certainly a lot nicer than a Galaxy or similar

oh yes, and turning circle of a small barge!

Renn Sport

Original Poster:

2,761 posts

208 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
Wow! Thanks for the responses.

Sorry been head down at work...

I am rather concerned about the 4WD issue and need to look into the best way to test it? Loose surfaces are not always available to try an test traction. ???


The issue I am concerned with are the mileages the Diesel can cope with because my price bracket the cars I am looking at are around 100-120k.

Also do these diesel engines respond well to a wel intended Chip upgrade?

billywhizzzzzz

1,989 posts

142 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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We have an 04 D5 for family duties - 4 kids and live up a long rutted track. I sought out a manual as heard bad things about the hesitation of the autos. Basically, it's been great - great interior (as long as you don't get wood (so to speak) and the driving experience on small country roads is fantastic. I like the understated (compared to awful bling of most SUVs) looks too. The engine is a bit harsh, but you can make good progress (the manual is quicker than auto) - but ultimately is a bit underpowered thus I'm getting it remapped tomorrow. I'd really recommend it - difficult to think what else we'd replace it with - definitely not a Discovery (reliability in those is terrible)... Only problem has been the 2wd/4wd sensor which has an intermittent fault and no one seems able to fix. In 10000 miles we've averaged 32.3 mpg too (quite a bit better than my audi S4 but not as good as 330d)

Sam.F

1,144 posts

199 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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The earlier diesel ones with the less powerful engine and the auto 'box were notorious for being a bit slow off the mark.

GreatGranny

9,097 posts

225 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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Bought a D5 185bhp a few months ago and its pretty good
Average about 29 but it rises to 35 on a run
Very good seats as all volvos have
Gearbox is hesitant but smooth once off the mark.
We tow a caravan and its superb for that
As mentioned turning circle massive so avoid tight far parks
Overall its a pretty good package.

PDenyer

367 posts

207 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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Just got rid of the GF's XC90 , what a hateful thing ..
Geartronic and 2.5 diesel meant horrible clattery engine noise at anything other than cruising speeds .
The seats were pretty bad too especially for a front passenger during any cornering , kids liked it though...

Straight swapped the 54 plate XC90 for a brand new Swift , just a bit smaller , kids like it even more!

zetec_s6

131 posts

245 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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We've got a 54 plate d5 and it's been great, loads of space (can fit a single bed in the back) and a good driving position. It does roll in corners and isn't exactly quick but i doubt that was a requirement when it was designed and certainly wasn't when we bought it.

Reliabilty wise it's been fine, other than having to fix the 4 wheel drive, and averages low 30s, mainly on b-roads and 35-40 on longer motorway runs of you stick to 70. The side of the passenger seat has got cracks in the leather but strangely the drivers seat hasn't, i found that light interiors make this less obvious but has lived up to the abuse of 2 toddlers.

We're thinking of changing to a small mpv now we don't need pushchair all the time so if you're after a 100000 mile car which has had the 4 wheel drive fixed let me know wink

Deva Link

26,934 posts

244 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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A lex said:
Cambelts are every 10yrs or 90k miles and cost about £200-250 from a good indy.
It's the tensioner that fails early, and it's recommended to change the pulley at the same time too. Some gen here: http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/archive/index.php/t-...

yellowbentines

5,296 posts

206 months

Monday 30th July 2012
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Jeez, glad I didn't buy one when I was looking a few years back, it seems that seating 7 is their only plus point going by comments on this thread!

Let me get this right, slow, thirsty, terrible turning circle, potential for very expensive borkage of gearboxes, DPFs, DMFs, radiators and stereos, and a 4wd system that may or may not be 4wd!

zetec_s6

131 posts

245 months

Tuesday 31st July 2012
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yellowbentines said:
Jeez, glad I didn't buy one when I was looking a few years back, it seems that seating 7 is their only plus point going by comments on this thread!

Let me get this right, slow, thirsty, terrible turning circle, potential for very expensive borkage of gearboxes, DPFs, DMFs, radiators and stereos, and a 4wd system that may or may not be 4wd!
When you compare it with the alternatives, Disco 3, X5, M-Class, Toureg, slow, thirsty and terrible turning circle are all standard, the XC90 is 5-10 mpg better than the others and not noticably slower. From a driving point of view my preferance would be the Toureg but with only 5 seats and 25mpg I couldn't justify it.

billywhizzzzzz

1,989 posts

142 months

Tuesday 31st July 2012
quotequote all
yellowbentines said:
Jeez, glad I didn't buy one when I was looking a few years back, it seems that seating 7 is their only plus point going by comments on this thread!

Let me get this right, slow, thirsty, terrible turning circle, potential for very expensive borkage of gearboxes, DPFs, DMFs, radiators and stereos, and a 4wd system that may or may not be 4wd!
Slow? manual is 10 secs to 60 without remap
Thirsty? ours does low 30s (av over 10000 miles)
Turning circle? No worse than competitors
Gearbox? Not if you get a manual
Radiator and Stereo - 1st I've heard



crostonian

2,427 posts

171 months

Tuesday 31st July 2012
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Despite me thinking they are rubbish I still buy them for stock but always try to allow a large margin to cover the potential faults. The main reason people buy them seems to be to ferry around kids, 7 seats and excellent ncap rating for passenger safety. Must say the later 185 bhp cars, identifiable with the indicator repeaters in the mirrors are a much nicer drive. As others have said for £6k to £10k there isn't a lot of choice for a premium 4x4 with 7 seats - Disco 2s are awful things and outdated, you are at the entry level of Disco 3s so could be a costly ownership proposition and Merc ML Series 1s aren't exactly the last word in quality either.