RE: Volvo XC90 D5 | Shed of the Week

RE: Volvo XC90 D5 | Shed of the Week

Author
Discussion

Volvolover

2,036 posts

40 months

Friday 18th June 2021
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Frimley111R said:
Bill said:
That's a lot of metal for the money, but no. They're horrifically slow and wallowy when new, I dread to think what it's like now.
At least they are comfy. My BiL has an early X5, it's like a tractor with no suspension!
Yes they are exceptionally comfy.

Bill

52,472 posts

254 months

Saturday 19th June 2021
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Volvolover said:
Bill said:
Volvolover said:
It handles as well as you could expect from something that weight, its not awful by any stretch of the imagination, the gearbox isn't awful either (assume the late models had better mapping?) and neither is the turning circle that bad.
Username checks out! wink
Quick chaps, Sherlock Holmes has logged in with a proxy account….
You're in denial. They're big and comfy and safe. But they're also wallowy compared to a lot of the competition, slow with a pretty awful gearbox and have the turning circle of the QE2.

Court_S

12,764 posts

176 months

Saturday 19th June 2021
quotequote all
Bill said:
Volvolover said:
Bill said:
Volvolover said:
It handles as well as you could expect from something that weight, its not awful by any stretch of the imagination, the gearbox isn't awful either (assume the late models had better mapping?) and neither is the turning circle that bad.
Username checks out! wink
Quick chaps, Sherlock Holmes has logged in with a proxy account….
You're in denial. They're big and comfy and safe. But they're also wallowy compared to a lot of the competition, slow with a pretty awful gearbox and have the turning circle of the QE2.
Yup. An X5 of the same era is a better car to drive but less practical etc. The turning circle is rubbish, which was about the only thing my aunt moaned about in the many years she ran one.

aaron_2000

5,407 posts

82 months

Saturday 19th June 2021
quotequote all
Bill said:
Volvolover said:
Bill said:
Volvolover said:
It handles as well as you could expect from something that weight, its not awful by any stretch of the imagination, the gearbox isn't awful either (assume the late models had better mapping?) and neither is the turning circle that bad.
Username checks out! wink
Quick chaps, Sherlock Holmes has logged in with a proxy account….
You're in denial. They're big and comfy and safe. But they're also wallowy compared to a lot of the competition, slow with a pretty awful gearbox and have the turning circle of the QE2.
Big, comfy and safe whilst being absolute garbage to drive. The 1.9 Alhambra shed it replaced was a much more enjoyable and car like thing to drive.

Volvolover

2,036 posts

40 months

Saturday 19th June 2021
quotequote all
Bill said:
Volvolover said:
Bill said:
Volvolover said:
It handles as well as you could expect from something that weight, its not awful by any stretch of the imagination, the gearbox isn't awful either (assume the late models had better mapping?) and neither is the turning circle that bad.
Username checks out! wink
Quick chaps, Sherlock Holmes has logged in with a proxy account….
You're in denial. They're big and comfy and safe. But they're also wallowy compared to a lot of the competition, slow with a pretty awful gearbox and have the turning circle of the QE2.
Sure you’re right and I am wrong, they’re awful and I’d much rather drive an X5 with less seats and rubber band tyres with rock hard suspension. A real drivers car for the sporty man. I can’t understand why I didn’t realise sooner.





Bill

52,472 posts

254 months

Sunday 20th June 2021
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Got there at last! wink

Volvolover

2,036 posts

40 months

Sunday 20th June 2021
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Bill said:
Got there at last! wink
Didn’t we just rolleyes

Nicks90

543 posts

53 months

Sunday 20th June 2021
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I've had two of these now and both have fitted the brief perfectly.
First was a 2006 d5 that I sold at 200k miles. It need one rear suspension bush and a leaking gearbox cooler pipe in the 5 years we owned it.
Second is still owned by us, 2013 d5 with 60k and so far zero mechanical issues

It does what it says on the tin, its cavernous, comfy and safe. It's a 2t suv, why buy an suv expecting 'schporrrty' handling? You just end up with a rock hard crap vehicle. Looking at you bmw x5.
A lot of full size suvs have small boots, so you might as well have an estate. Looking at you Merc ml
A lot of full size suvs have crap interiors. Looking at you hyundai, kia and Ford.
A lot of full sized suvs can tow epic loads, but cost the earth and are as reliable as a 1970s alfa, looking at you rangerover.

As a do it all middle of the road, not best at anything but not the worst, it ticks a huge number of boxes and makes it a great all round vehicle.
Drive it as intended - smoothly and sensibly - with the view its a 2t high cog tank, and they are super comfortable and relaxing cruisers.

ahenners

593 posts

125 months

Sunday 20th June 2021
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Respectable lump of metal for the money, potentially going to open your wallet as well, but it's cheap to begin with. Good shed.

PorkerHam

65 posts

41 months

Monday 21st June 2021
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I had no idea these were considered unreliable. I ran one for 125k miles, over about 8 years and nothing ever went wrong....

In the end I swapped it for the new model, but, really, it did whatever I needed it to do.

It was neither quick nor dynamically interesting, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I have other cars for that. I wanted something that would carry a lot of people and stuff in comfort around town and, in the summer, around Europe. And that it did exceedingly well.

Volvolover

2,036 posts

40 months

Monday 21st June 2021
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PorkerHam said:
I had no idea these were considered unreliable.
They aren't in the grand scheme of things. Obvs as they get older and cheaper you get poorly maintained ones but they're very hardy. The guy i bought mine off runs a 300k plus mile one as his daily

castex

4,935 posts

272 months

Monday 21st June 2021
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We're running a 2011 XC90 R-Design, which is basically the racing version - shown here in its natural environment.



Nicks90 said:
why buy an suv expecting 'schporrrty' handling? You just end up with a rock hard crap vehicle.
hehe KK, well. It corners fairly reasonably but the ride is atrocious!

We love it. Takes all the sailing stuff, 7 decent seat options are a godsend for us 5 on long Euro trips. Seats are fabulous. Premium sound rocks hard.

It's not gone wrong yet, now approaching 150k miles.


brianpspratt

4 posts

119 months

Tuesday 22nd June 2021
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I had a 2009 D5 XC90 and I felt I took my life in my hands when driving it. Any exit from a side road, or acceleration from a slip lane was accompanied by a prayer that the engine would eventually respond to the the throttle pedal, it felt as if you could almost write a postcard to the engine management system for a quicker response. Dealer said it was to specification. I'm afraid I dropped it as soon as I could.

speedhunter1992

19 posts

68 months

Friday 25th June 2021
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My grandad had a fairly early one of these (on a 53-plate) from new. I thought it was fantastic. The interior was bright, the seats comfy, and it just felt incredibly solid. I never knew about the modular oil coolers, and my grandad's D5 was used almost exclusively for towing his caravan, so I wonder if he upgraded the oil cooler when he ordered the car. In the end, after 6 or 7 years, he traded it in for a 2010 XC60 because, of all things, the roof had begun to corrode underneath the paint. I've since heard bad things about the earliest water-based painted Volvos from this period, so perhaps my grandad's suffered from bad paint application from new. Either way, I still have fond memories of being ferried around in that car.

Leins

9,413 posts

147 months

Tuesday 6th July 2021
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So for my sins I’ve just bought one of these as our family bus. It’s a 2007 D5 SE AWD with 147k miles, and been owned by the same family since new

First impressions are it’s a lovely comfy sofa of a car, with handling to match. It’s got sufficient go once I accept the gearbox communicates via telex. Too early to say for sure, but I hope the fuel consumption shows an improvement over my old ML55, plus the road fund is nearly half of what I was paying on that at “just” €1034 pa here in Ireland. Seven seats are a bonus!

Next up I’ll get it a good service and do the belts / water pump plus a few other bits, and maybe treat it to a new set of tyres for the winter. If it starts throwing up lottery size bills then the plan might need to be rethought, but for the moment I’m luxuriating in the depreciation dodging and loving having a CD multi changer again! smile


Robert Green

39 posts

164 months

Saturday 14th August 2021
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We ran a 2011 SE Lux D5 for 4 years, and other than routine servicing and a replacement Particulate filter (at circa 100k miles) it was a reliable car. I enjoyed it, and with 200bhp it was brisk enough to keep up with traffic comfortably, and was quite fun to try and hustle along. You wouldn't want it as your only car if you enjoy driving, but with a Caterham in the garage the contrasts were fun!

It is impossible to get road rage in one of these, as you feel calm and unrushed. The car makes an idea family wagon with everything solid and childproof, and the space is so useful. The interior is very dated, but totally fit for purpose, apart from the terrible foot operated parking brake. Now replaced with a T8 in the new shape, which is much faster, better handling etc, but I still miss the old bus! Better to buy a more recent and younger series one than this shed, as it will probably be cheaper in the long run, as it seems the older cars can throw up some big bills. By the end of the production run a lot of the issues had been sorted...