XC90 II buying advice

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In the sticks

Original Poster:

108 posts

59 months

Thursday 5th January 2023
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Hi all. looking to buy a used XC90, circa 2018-2020 ish. Usage is mixed, but mileage per year is only around 10k. We've moving from a 5 pot D5 (XC70) and was wondering what the views are on petrol vs diesel. Half thinking the petrol doesn't have enough torque but having not driven one I'm not sure whether it's an issue or not?

Are there any must have's to look out for (heated windscreen) or things to avoid?

We're looking circa £35k ish, probably via selekt for piece of mind.

Appreciate this doesn't narrow it down too much but interested to hear owners views....

Murph7355

37,715 posts

256 months

Friday 6th January 2023
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Didn't drive a petrol when we bought ours, went straight for the D5. So can't comment on that...the D5 is decent enough (people complain about the noise, but it's not that bad IME). I did consider a T8, but the extra cost would never pay for itself in saved fuel.

Extras I'd look for...

- Pano roof is a must for me. Brightens up the interior
- Nappa leather (if this was still an option) really enhances the feel of the interior so worth having (ours is Blond...a colour I'd definitely have again, despite having two young kids)
- I wouldn't go mental on big wheels...
- If you have small kids, the central booster option is worth having
- not sure when the 12" driver's display was made standard, but definitely make sure the car has it
- ours is a spec'd up "Momentum", and personally think that's a decent way to go if the price is right...we had an R-Design mk1...don't have it on the mk2 (personally prefer the non-R-Design seats and the car doesn't need "handling enhancements")
- ours has the fancy active headlights which are very good and worthwhile if you drive on country lanes a lot
- heated seats and steering wheel are very worth having

Some of the above came in the "packs" Volvo started to offer....

Oh, and if you need to tow, the electric towbar is neat.

Murph7355

37,715 posts

256 months

Friday 6th January 2023
quotequote all
A bit more...

This one has the smaller driver's display...so the larger one was evidently still an option in 2019 : https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211231...

As an additional option, I like adaptive cruise.

Park assist is pointless so I wouldn't worry about that.

In the sticks

Original Poster:

108 posts

59 months

Friday 6th January 2023
quotequote all
Thank you, some really relevant points there.
Does yours have active suspension? not sure if that's a must at all or does it not roll too much (standard driving, I know it's not built to go round corners like a go-kart)

Murph7355

37,715 posts

256 months

Friday 6th January 2023
quotequote all
In the sticks said:
Thank you, some really relevant points there.
Does yours have active suspension? not sure if that's a must at all or does it not roll too much (standard driving, I know it's not built to go round corners like a go-kart)
No active suspension on ours and it's perfectly fine as a family car.

djone101

943 posts

284 months

Friday 6th January 2023
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I'd also suggest reverse camera or 360 camera are extremely useful - not standard on Momentum of 2018 - we added the reverse camera and Apple CarPlay as dealer fit later.

That one in the Autotrader ad has the 12.3 screen - same as ours. May not have been standard but I don't recall seeing one with a smaller display.

We've done 54,000 miles since getting ours new in 2018. Apart from a fault with the DPF that cropped up early and was sorted under warranty it's been trouble free. I'd struggle to replace it to be honest - which is why we haven't.

Murph7355

37,715 posts

256 months

Friday 6th January 2023
quotequote all
djone101 said:
I'd also suggest reverse camera or 360 camera are extremely useful - not standard on Momentum of 2018 - we added the reverse camera and Apple CarPlay as dealer fit later.

That one in the Autotrader ad has the 12.3 screen - same as ours. May not have been standard but I don't recall seeing one with a smaller display.
...
Agree with the reverse camera. Actually, the 360 camera would be useful too as the front can be tricky to judge and it's a big car for small parking spaces. (We do have reverse, don't have 360).

Ref the screen, it was the driver's display I was referring to, not the centre one. The one in the add looks to be the smaller version to me, only taking up the central part of the binnacle. I am pretty sure on the larger, full binnacle screen, you cannot have a central dial as that's where the sat nav, media info etc is placed.

chrisch77

623 posts

75 months

Friday 6th January 2023
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We've had our 2017MY D5 R Design for 2.5 years now and it is all the family car we could ever need. Ours is well spec'd with the Air Suspension (but sensible? 20" wheels), sunroof, 360 camera etc.

I'm not sure of the spec options particularly on later models but I would expect that Momentum models may lack many of the gadgets of R Design or Inscription models. Absolutely love the driver assistance stuff on ours such as the speed limiter and active cruise / pilot assist.

djone101

943 posts

284 months

Friday 6th January 2023
quotequote all
Murph7355 said:
djone101 said:
I'd also suggest reverse camera or 360 camera are extremely useful - not standard on Momentum of 2018 - we added the reverse camera and Apple CarPlay as dealer fit later.

That one in the Autotrader ad has the 12.3 screen - same as ours. May not have been standard but I don't recall seeing one with a smaller display.
...
Agree with the reverse camera. Actually, the 360 camera would be useful too as the front can be tricky to judge and it's a big car for small parking spaces. (We do have reverse, don't have 360).

Ref the screen, it was the driver's display I was referring to, not the centre one. The one in the add looks to be the smaller version to me, only taking up the central part of the binnacle. I am pretty sure on the larger, full binnacle screen, you cannot have a central dial as that's where the sat nav, media info etc is placed.
My mistake - you're absolutely right - that is a small driver display. The larger one is the one you want in my opinion.

Our Momentum has the full adaptive cruise and it's great for longer trips or queuing in slow traffic.

I did consider replacing but the economy on the newer petrol options looked quite a lot worse than the old diesel versions. Although the price differential between petrol and diesel costs right now would offset that quite a bit.

In the sticks

Original Poster:

108 posts

59 months

Friday 6th January 2023
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Petrol vs Diesel is also a consideration. Sounds like the D5 is the most popular but do any of you have a T5? If so, what's it like

sam greenock

294 posts

120 months

Monday 9th January 2023
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We had a diesel R-Design Pro, a 2018 model year from new for 2 years, it was on a lease.

It was a great car I couldn’t really fault it, only thing it didn’t have was the pano roof.

I would happily have another one but the wife wasn’t that keen on it, she hated 5he active lane control stuff and she thought the front sports style seats to hard at the sides

Stuart70

3,935 posts

183 months

Monday 9th January 2023
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Got a ‘21 plate Inscription - pano roof, 360 camera, all the toys.
Comfortable and good quality without being ostentatious or shouty.

Great car, does everything carries everything.
Not quick, not as refined as it could be, but our third on the trot from a mk1 made out of pig iron to this one!

Two kids in their 20’s who will still travel with us, two dogs and a house in France, I don’t think there is a better solution for our needs.

Murph7355

37,715 posts

256 months

Tuesday 10th January 2023
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sam greenock said:
....

I would happily have another one but the wife wasn’t that keen on it, she hated 5he active lane control stuff and she thought the front sports style seats to hard at the sides
For the OP, you can turn all the active stuff off if it becomes obtrusive.

I also felt the sportier seats were harder when I sat in them. The standard leather (on all seat types) is also quite utilitarian - none the worse for that necessarily...but ours has Nappa leather which is a significant step up in the way it makes the cabin feel. (Ours was a dealer demo).

drmike37

462 posts

56 months

Tuesday 10th January 2023
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I had a B5 petrol mild hybrid 2021 model as a hire car last year (standing in for my destroyed Disco 5 while waiting for insurance).

A couple of weeks with it and I thought:

Really practical family bus. Could carry kids and friends easily.
Quite comfy, but you could really feel the 21" wheels.
Suspension could have been softer.
Quick enough.
Poor economy. Even on a long run only got 28mpg.
I missed the torque of diesel, despite the hybrid assistance.
Couldn't get on with the infotainment screen.
Stereo sounded good and the DAB was waaaaayyy better than on the Disco.
Cruise control was good.
Inside was quite dark.

If I had to have one, I think I'd go diesel (D4 so I don't have to worry about power pulse pipes) and spec the smallest wheels possible. Light coloured interior. Ideally I'd like to hear the B&O stereo too.
I preferred the Disco in every way except infotainment functionality (Apple CarPlay was a godsend when it arrived in an update).

sam greenock

294 posts

120 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
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Murph7355 said:
sam greenock said:
....

I would happily have another one but the wife wasn’t that keen on it, she hated 5he active lane control stuff and she thought the front sports style seats to hard at the sides
For the OP, you can turn all the active stuff off if it becomes obtrusive.

I also felt the sportier seats were harder when I sat in them. The standard leather (on all seat types) is also quite utilitarian - none the worse for that necessarily...but ours has Nappa leather which is a significant step up in the way it makes the cabin feel. (Ours was a dealer demo).
Thanks for responding....

We tried turning the driver assistance stuff off for her but every time the car was re-started it all came back on again - she got pig sick of it

Hopefully by end of this month I'll have managed to get her to visit our local dealer to have a re-look at them - I quite fancy the ultimate version

Murph7355

37,715 posts

256 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
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Pretty sure I set mine up once and have just left it.

I certainly don't have the lane change assist on as it's crap (on all cars) on country lanes. And the people/crash detection gubbins I either have off/set very low for similar reasons.

Having 7 seats we find very useful when grandparents visit. We put our kids in the rearmost seats but leave the centre middle row seat down. As a family workhorse we think it's unbeatable. (I had a good look at Discos, Q7s, Merc GLS etc and none of them worked as well for our use).

Assuming we can eek this one out a couple of years, we'll possibly get the electric version next.

sam greenock

294 posts

120 months

Tuesday 7th February 2023
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Murph7355 said:
Pretty sure I set mine up once and have just left it.

I certainly don't have the lane change assist on as it's crap (on all cars) on country lanes. And the people/crash detection gubbins I either have off/set very low for similar reasons.

Having 7 seats we find very useful when grandparents visit. We put our kids in the rearmost seats but leave the centre middle row seat down. As a family workhorse we think it's unbeatable. (I had a good look at Discos, Q7s, Merc GLS etc and none of them worked as well for our use).

Assuming we can eek this one out a couple of years, we'll possibly get the electric version next.
Ordered a new XC90 Ultimate, got a really good deal on it. Wife happy as the seats are different and not as stiff

Get it towards end of next week ( landrover defender 110 240 HSE with many extras for sale biggrin )