RE: Volvo XC90 D5 | Shed of the Week
Discussion
My wife ran a 2010 D5 for 5 years, got it new and covered 98k miles in it and it was a very solid family bus, did everything we asked of it.
Biggest costs we had was a new intercooler as the original one was made of chocolate - a common fault on Volvo's of the era I believe. Other than that, 1 rear wheel bearing that I did myself for a total costs of £94 and then consumables only so you could say it was reliable.
As one commented earlier, no matter how it was driven it never got higher than 26mpg and the famous delay of the gearbox when you were setting off you got used to.
Biggest costs we had was a new intercooler as the original one was made of chocolate - a common fault on Volvo's of the era I believe. Other than that, 1 rear wheel bearing that I did myself for a total costs of £94 and then consumables only so you could say it was reliable.
As one commented earlier, no matter how it was driven it never got higher than 26mpg and the famous delay of the gearbox when you were setting off you got used to.
We ran one as the family wagon for 10 trouble free years.
I've heard the horror stories but mine was brilliant.
Not much fun to drive but so well designed for family stuff.
In its last years it was used as a tow car for my Clio, which it handled effortlessly.
I sold it at 160k miles as I didn't want to push my luck and my 'spider sense' for big bills was tingling.
I've heard the horror stories but mine was brilliant.
Not much fun to drive but so well designed for family stuff.
In its last years it was used as a tow car for my Clio, which it handled effortlessly.
I sold it at 160k miles as I didn't want to push my luck and my 'spider sense' for big bills was tingling.
Brilliant cars and ive owned 2 of them previously...
The only issue we had was with the 1st one, which is why we P/Ex for a brand new one (Good new deals)...and was something to do with the radio & parking sensors packing up (a common fault on these cars, apparently !)...and this was going to result in a bill of almost £2000!
Otherwise; No other issues and a very safe comfortable car. We had young 3 boys and picking up other kids and family meant that the other row of seats came in useful, too.
Soon after we bought the 2nd one brand new in 2009, we drove all the way to Scotland & around there (from Sussex) and with DVD screens fitted, comfortable seats and plenty of room in the boot - Its an excellent choice of transport for the family.
Also did France etc. & wasn't worried about it breaking down - unlike the Range Rover i currently have!
I think Clarkson has had 4 of them?...and says it was designed by someone who actually owned kids, rather than reading about them in a book!
I also believe that no one has ever been killed in an XC90?. The safety cage is made from boron steel and they barrel roll these cars at Volvos safety lab. A very solid, well built car - So an ideal choice if you treasure your families "safety & well being"..
The only issue we had was with the 1st one, which is why we P/Ex for a brand new one (Good new deals)...and was something to do with the radio & parking sensors packing up (a common fault on these cars, apparently !)...and this was going to result in a bill of almost £2000!
Otherwise; No other issues and a very safe comfortable car. We had young 3 boys and picking up other kids and family meant that the other row of seats came in useful, too.
Soon after we bought the 2nd one brand new in 2009, we drove all the way to Scotland & around there (from Sussex) and with DVD screens fitted, comfortable seats and plenty of room in the boot - Its an excellent choice of transport for the family.
Also did France etc. & wasn't worried about it breaking down - unlike the Range Rover i currently have!
I think Clarkson has had 4 of them?...and says it was designed by someone who actually owned kids, rather than reading about them in a book!
I also believe that no one has ever been killed in an XC90?. The safety cage is made from boron steel and they barrel roll these cars at Volvos safety lab. A very solid, well built car - So an ideal choice if you treasure your families "safety & well being"..
Ran a 4.4 v8 petrol version of one of these for 4-yrs and 40,000ish miles. The engine made a glorious sound but it was still slower than a cat sh*tting razor blades and the initial torque steer before the AWD kicked-in could be alarming. No major mechanical gremlins at least. The worst thing about it (aside from 17mpg average) was that the suspension was set to be super comfortable which it was in a straight line, but if you dared try to go around a roundabout the lean was so great it genuinely felt like it was going to fall over on its side - at any speed. That said, it easy swalllowed up a family of 4 and 2 dogs and delivered all safely to wherever we needed to go. The more recent version is vastly superior in every way, though it too still feels as though turning and cornering were generally frowned upon by the chassis designers. If I recall correctly the original XC90 was primarily designed and intended for the North American market where it's size and lack of handling finesse are less of an issue due to generally wider and straighter roads.
If you’ve ever driven one of these you will appreciate just how utterly s
te they are to drive.
I recently sold a 2011 low mileage D5 - it was like driving an oil tanker with wheels / only dynamically worse to drive - how people can think these are any good is beyond me.
Slow and wobbly at best
Steering left or right simply creates roll before any turn
(Aim it down the road and hope for the best!)
Poor mpg ( D5 is a good engine but not in one of these turds)
Very expensive to fix and not robust
Over-rated and horrible to drive .
te they are to drive.I recently sold a 2011 low mileage D5 - it was like driving an oil tanker with wheels / only dynamically worse to drive - how people can think these are any good is beyond me.
Slow and wobbly at best
Steering left or right simply creates roll before any turn
(Aim it down the road and hope for the best!)
Poor mpg ( D5 is a good engine but not in one of these turds)
Very expensive to fix and not robust
Over-rated and horrible to drive .
Supremely comfortable things, and personally I think they drive OK if you're not in a hurry, and accept that any sort of enthusiastic driving is off the cards. I nearly bought one a few years ago, but was put off by the reliability horror stories, and some of the eye-watering repair bills people were reporting. Then by chance got chatting to a friend of the other half's who's husband had just succeeded in rejecting his new D5 after 3 months due to persistent electrical faults.
Such a shame, as there's so much to like about these, IMO.
Such a shame, as there's so much to like about these, IMO.
We've had a 2010 2.4 D5 for about two years, and I have to say it's really grown on me.
Yes, the yawning chasm between pressing the accelerator and anything happening is terrifying at roundabouts, yes it's bigger and heavier than any car has any right to be, yes the transverse engine means it's got a turning circle bigger than St Paul's cathedral, but it's like this big chonky tonka toy of a thing, and it just gets under the skin.
The driveline became a lot smoother and the handling was greatly improved when we fixed a broken engine mount. The seats are among the very few I've ever found comfortable, the third row are genuinely useable, there's tonnes of space, and - while not sprightly - it is refined on the motorway and feels like it would just chug on forever everywhere else.
Sat nav is terrible, though.
Yes, the yawning chasm between pressing the accelerator and anything happening is terrifying at roundabouts, yes it's bigger and heavier than any car has any right to be, yes the transverse engine means it's got a turning circle bigger than St Paul's cathedral, but it's like this big chonky tonka toy of a thing, and it just gets under the skin.
The driveline became a lot smoother and the handling was greatly improved when we fixed a broken engine mount. The seats are among the very few I've ever found comfortable, the third row are genuinely useable, there's tonnes of space, and - while not sprightly - it is refined on the motorway and feels like it would just chug on forever everywhere else.
Sat nav is terrible, though.
My aunt had a late D5 from new for ages and it was really reliable.
Not dynamic in the least to drive but was comfy enough. Spent it’s life lugging three kids and a Labrador around. The sat nav was hilariously bad with its silly little remote. I drove it a few times and the two things that stood out were the turning circle (it was like an oil tanker) and the gearbox. You’d press the accelerator which which writes letter and post it second class to the engine. At that point it might think about accelerating.
She’s replaced it with the latest version. Which is lovely but it’s bloody huge.
Not dynamic in the least to drive but was comfy enough. Spent it’s life lugging three kids and a Labrador around. The sat nav was hilariously bad with its silly little remote. I drove it a few times and the two things that stood out were the turning circle (it was like an oil tanker) and the gearbox. You’d press the accelerator which which writes letter and post it second class to the engine. At that point it might think about accelerating.
She’s replaced it with the latest version. Which is lovely but it’s bloody huge.
rallycross said:
If you’ve ever driven one of these you will appreciate just how utterly ste they are to drive.
I recently sold a 2011 low mileage D5 - it was like driving an oil tanker with wheels / only dynamically worse to drive - how people can think these are any good is beyond me.
Slow and wobbly at best
Steering left or right simply creates roll before any turn
(Aim it down the road and hope for the best!)
Poor mpg ( D5 is a good engine but not in one of these turds)
Very expensive to fix and not robust
Over-rated and horrible to drive .
So, to be clear, you don't like them?te they are to drive.I recently sold a 2011 low mileage D5 - it was like driving an oil tanker with wheels / only dynamically worse to drive - how people can think these are any good is beyond me.
Slow and wobbly at best
Steering left or right simply creates roll before any turn
(Aim it down the road and hope for the best!)
Poor mpg ( D5 is a good engine but not in one of these turds)
Very expensive to fix and not robust
Over-rated and horrible to drive .
I hate the XC90 no matter how much I want to like it. They're just so agricultural to drive, the engine is underpowered, the seating position is horrible, the manual box is genuinely the worst I've ever used and it feels pretty cheap inside. They're a little better with the auto box but still dreadful, only car I've ever owned that I thought was worse to drive than a W163 ML270.
I became the second owner of mine in 2007 from a Volvo dealer.
Cosmetically it makes this one look concours so now I know what mine is worth.
Swallows loads, offspring + their accoutrements as well as miles fairly effortlessly.
Driven all over the UK and France, the latter using the standard sat-nav!!
I may have been lucky but apart from a healthy appetite for discs, pads and tyres there have been no significant issues nor what I'd consider excessive bills over that 14 year period/160k mileage - touch wood...
Some annoying electrical gremlins: Sunroof took on a mind of its own so once it was closed I took the motor out; Stereo unit stopped working so I took it out and had it fixed by a specialist; Wife lost one of the keys so that wasn't cheap to replace/recode; Parking sensor operation is now hit and miss if you'll pardon the pun.
Routine servicing is performed once a year by a superb independent in Milton Keynes and VED/insurance is inexpensive.
Despite it's driving dynamics, I'd be loathe to rid myself of it.
Fortunately there are other things owned which I can drive/ride so I can take a break on occasion.
Cosmetically it makes this one look concours so now I know what mine is worth.
Swallows loads, offspring + their accoutrements as well as miles fairly effortlessly.
Driven all over the UK and France, the latter using the standard sat-nav!!
I may have been lucky but apart from a healthy appetite for discs, pads and tyres there have been no significant issues nor what I'd consider excessive bills over that 14 year period/160k mileage - touch wood...
Some annoying electrical gremlins: Sunroof took on a mind of its own so once it was closed I took the motor out; Stereo unit stopped working so I took it out and had it fixed by a specialist; Wife lost one of the keys so that wasn't cheap to replace/recode; Parking sensor operation is now hit and miss if you'll pardon the pun.
Routine servicing is performed once a year by a superb independent in Milton Keynes and VED/insurance is inexpensive.
Despite it's driving dynamics, I'd be loathe to rid myself of it.
Fortunately there are other things owned which I can drive/ride so I can take a break on occasion.
We had a brand new XC90 as a courtesy car over Christmas last year.
Awful thing, sluggish coarse engine, and a gearbox that didnt seem to react to any kind of throttle input.
Not sure what the engine was, said D5 on the back, might aswell have had a large maraca under the bonnet for all the racket it made!
Only redeeming features were comfy seats and it looked nice.
It put me off ever owning one.
Seems like Volvo have carried these traits over from the old model!
Awful thing, sluggish coarse engine, and a gearbox that didnt seem to react to any kind of throttle input.
Not sure what the engine was, said D5 on the back, might aswell have had a large maraca under the bonnet for all the racket it made!
Only redeeming features were comfy seats and it looked nice.
It put me off ever owning one.
Seems like Volvo have carried these traits over from the old model!
knebworth01 said:
We had a brand new XC90 as a courtesy car over Christmas last year.
Awful thing, sluggish coarse engine, and a gearbox that didnt seem to react to any kind of throttle input.
Not sure what the engine was, said D5 on the back, might aswell have had a large maraca under the bonnet for all the racket it made!
Only redeeming features were comfy seats and it looked nice.
It put me off ever owning one.
Seems like Volvo have carried these traits over from the old model!
I've had a couple of Volvo loan cars...one was a 2019 XC90 with the 2.0 petrol 4 cylinder engine, and the other was a 2019 XC60 with the 2.0 diesel engine. Other than the thirst the petrol XC90 wasn't all that bad I thought, but the diesel XC60 was a laughably poor engine though for me. It was noisy/rough/and not in anyway refined for sure. Awful thing, sluggish coarse engine, and a gearbox that didnt seem to react to any kind of throttle input.
Not sure what the engine was, said D5 on the back, might aswell have had a large maraca under the bonnet for all the racket it made!
Only redeeming features were comfy seats and it looked nice.
It put me off ever owning one.
Seems like Volvo have carried these traits over from the old model!
Volvo certainly could do with finding a decent engine builder from somewhere...and fast I reckon!
cerb4.5lee said:
I've had a couple of Volvo loan cars...one was a 2019 XC90 with the 2.0 petrol 4 cylinder engine, and the other was a 2019 XC60 with the 2.0 diesel engine. Other than the thirst the petrol XC90 wasn't all that bad I thought, but the diesel XC60 was a laughably poor engine though for me. It was noisy/rough/and not in anyway refined for sure.
Volvo certainly could do with finding a decent engine builder from somewhere...and fast I reckon!
These 4 pot VEA engines are poor, after decades of making some very interesting and often times superb engines they seem to have decided to just use dross as a stopgap until they can go all electric. Volvo certainly could do with finding a decent engine builder from somewhere...and fast I reckon!
The current range is absolutely sky high on static/showroom appeal but they're all dynamic duffers with engines ranging from mediocre to awful, but the biggest shock for me particularly with the XC90 and XC60 is just how bad the ride quality is.
What makes this more perplexing is that they used the extra space freed up by going to 4 cylinder only platforms to use proper double wishbone front suspension, and they all have sophisticated rear suspension too and yet they masterfully combine poor handling with very poor ride quality.
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