Tell me about the XC90....

[Nigel_O]

Wifey is looking for a big car - kids have left home, but we have a huge dog which touches both sides of her Grande Punto

The only time I’ll get to use it is for the annual trip to LeMans with our two sons, and the occasional trip to B&Q...

I really wanted a Disco 4, but the budget won’t stretch and the stories put me off.

So, I’m looking at XC90s - they seem to tick all the boxes for size, performance, kit etc

I’m looking at 2010-ish, 80k miles or less, budget around £10k - £12k. I’d like the 197bhp version, but I think I’ll struggle. I’m hoping to view a 2010 R-Design next week, with about 80k, up for £11.5k

Is there anything I should look for? Anything to avoid? Any options that are well worth having? Any common mechanical issues?

Never been near a Volvo in my 38 years of motoring, so I’m well out of my comfort zone on this one

Thanks in anticipation

[Nigel_O]

Thanks for the feedback chaps

The R-Design fell through (dealer backed out of buying it from the Volvo main dealer as it wasn't good enough)

Still looking....

Beginning to wonder if a Merc ML350 is a viable alternative

[Nigel_O]

Just a thought - I assume the manual box is best avoided?

I imagine the auto box suits the nature of the car much better

[Nigel_O]

Struggling to find an R-design with low enough mileage within budget, so I’m extending the possibilities to an ML350cdi or possibly an X5

[Nigel_O]

Well - after much deliberation between the XC90 and the Merc ML, we’ve gone and bought.....

A 2012 XC60

SE Lux in white with ivory leather and all the usual toys - drives very well - far smoother than the XC90 we drove last weekend

As mentioned above, we really started to struggle with the Merc’s image and I’m massively surprised with the Volvo’s build quality

Wifey is chuffed and it means I get a decent ride with my two lads for LeMans in June

[Nigel_O]

Register1 said:

Can you please describe what made you go for the Volvo?

Image (or more precisely, the lack of negative connotations). As somebody mentioned earlier, the Volvo doesn’t seem to suffer from some of the image issues of the Merc, BMW and Audi SUVs.

However, after driving the XC60, I was hugely impressed by the quality. Very close to the Germans, if not their equal.

Finally, because it’s not German, we got newer and less mileage than we would have if we’d gone for the Merc

I have to say though, the 60 is a far nicer drive than the 90 - probably because it’s a newer design and has less off-road pretensions