Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/24/24 3:29 p.m.

What do we know about them? 

We have scratched the Explorer off the list for now. The Volvo looks fairly comparable but I don't know anything about them. 

Thanks. 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
7/24/24 4:46 p.m.

We have 2017 and 2019 Volvos, both in the 60 series.  They both have 30-40k miles on them.  Both are AWD.

They're both Greely-era cars, which, frankly, seems better that when Ford had the wheel.  Both have had minor ish issues, but nothing major.  Both were bought new, and everything except the back brakes on my wagon have been covered by warranty.

If you are looking used I would investigate Volvo-branded CPO cars and what that covers. I don't have any reason to believe these will explode, but they are not simple cars.

The 90 series are pretty roomy.  I don't think they get different engines than the 60s, but don't take that for gospel.  Both the T5 and T6 will be 2.0 4 cylinders, turbo for the T5 and twincharged for the T6.

They have plenty of daily oomph for the smaller cars and are probably OK for the bigger chassis, which weigh roughly 300-350 pounds more, I think.  They make decent torque and the 8 speed ATX is a smooth and responsive unit.

Fit and finish is nice on both cars. Interior materials on the 2017 are actually a little nicer than the 2019, though it is almost the last year for that generation, so it's a bit dated.  The '19 is the first year of the current models.  Not sure how that applies to the 90 series - I believe 2018 may be the first year for the newer, crisper styling in the 90.

Both cars make great dailies or road-trip machines, comfortable and smooth without giving up too much handling.  Steering feel in the '17 is nice and firm; the '19 is a little more boosted.

Both have excellent seats with lots of adjustment and 2-person memories.

 

 

Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/24/24 7:05 p.m.

In reply to Duke :

Thanks! 

daytonaer
daytonaer HalfDork
7/24/24 7:34 p.m.

To add on: the passenger seat power adjustments seems to be an option. 

 

If you get tempted by slightly older: I was scared away by the piston/ring recall for 15-16, 18 should be fine:  Recall

 

Safe comfortable vehicles....

JoeTR6
JoeTR6 SuperDork
7/24/24 8:01 p.m.

We have a 2020 XC60 T6.  It's pretty much what Duke said.  The only thing that occasionally bothers me are the touch screen controls.  My wife pretty much gave up trying to figure most of it out.  Overall, we are quite happy with it.

GTwannaB
GTwannaB GRM+ Memberand Dork
7/24/24 8:22 p.m.

Relevant to my interests. What are folks experiences with the plug in hybrid? Anyone drive one without plugging in. I have a small garage door, charging would be rare. 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
7/24/24 8:32 p.m.

If it has the panoramic sunroof, clean the drains regularly. The wagon has leaked twice.

I think the '17 S60 was made in China and the '19 V60 in the Carolinas. Workmanship is great on both of them.

If you're of a mind to, you can get a Polestar flash for about $1200 that gives a substantial midrange bump in power. It firms up the automatic shifts a bit.  But the nicest part is that it shifts the AWD torque split aft.

I get about 23.5 mpg in town and about 28.5 on long trips cruising at 75-80.  I'm not a jackrabbit in town but I'm not gentle either.

I recommend looking for one with the Advanced package, which adds a good adaptive cruise, maybe a heads up display, and some other niceties.

The headlights give solid illumination and all the automatic lighting features work well.

 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
7/24/24 8:39 p.m.

I don't have any experience with the new 40 series.

I did get a newer 60 as a loaner with the B5 or B6 drivetrain, which is a mildbrid that adds about 20 hp from the oversized starter during tip-in and acceleration.  That was a very nice driving car and I liked it a lot.  I don't think that appeared until 2023 maybe.

Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/25/24 8:21 a.m.

In reply to Duke :

The one we are going to be looking at is the Momentum package. It looks like all trim levels on the XC90 come with most of the bells and whistles like adaptive cruise and HUD. 

I doubt I'll get it flashed. This is going to be the wife's car and she won't care about the extra HP.

Her requirements are 3rd row for the grandkids. Not as big as her Suburban but Touareg size or bigger, AWD or 4WD. I tried to talk her into an EV but that was a hard no. This looks to check most of the boxes and she likes that it's some color other than tan, silver, or white.

Front Driver 3/4

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
7/25/24 11:37 a.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

I like the XC90

But, the Korean Palisade/Telluride is a "style copy" of the XC90; considering?

Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/25/24 12:11 p.m.

In reply to John Welsh :

Not at this time. They just recalled all of them for bursting into flames due to seat motors stalling. 

I don't hate the Koreans, but this is the wife's car. I'll let her pick it. 

 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
7/25/24 12:28 p.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

That will be a nice drive.  I bet she likes it.  Hope it works out for y'all!

[edit]  The touch screen isn't that hard to navigate.  Media stop / start / skip / volume controls are physical buttons on the steering wheel and also the base of the stack; you only need the touchscreen to change source.  HVAC controls (except F/R defrost) are via the touchscreen, but only 1 click in and they are pretty easy to adjust.

You'll have a bunch of customization settings:

  • seat position
  • outside mirror positions
  • radio preferences and favorites
  • steering weight
  • DRL on / off
  • Lock / unlock preferences
  • etc

Most of these file under "set and forget" but they can be saved to profiles that are tied to individual remotes, so you can each have a setup and whoever unlocks the driver's door will find the car waiting for them.

 

Colin Wood
Colin Wood Associate Editor
7/25/24 3:18 p.m.

In reply to Duke :

I was playing around with the configurator on the site the other day (mainly looking to see how much wagon I could afford) and was curious what the Polestar flash entailed.

From what you are saying, that sounds like a nice sweet spot without having to shell out for a Polestar model. (Though I totally would if I had the cash, the gold seatbelts are super rad.)

Duke
Duke MegaDork
7/25/24 4:01 p.m.

In reply to Colin Wood :

Knock yourself out.  And here's what it does in layman's terms.

Oddly enough, they no longer list my car (2019 V60) though mine has the option.

 

xflowgolf (Forum Supporter)
xflowgolf (Forum Supporter) SuperDork
7/25/24 4:15 p.m.

An '18 should be safe from the piston ring problems. My wife has a 2016 and we ended up luckily covered by the extended warranty (result of class action lawsuit) so when it started eating oil we were still within the 5 year 100K mark (barely).  It now has a new motor courtesy of Volvo.  
 

The vehicle itself drives great, and I still think it's one of the best styled CUV's in its class.  Biggest gripe we've had is the aluminum trim is like a foil backing and its edges have come loose in spots leading to sliced kids fingers on door pulls, and I recently cut my finger on the steering wheel (like a paper cut).  Fairly common, fixable, but just stupid to have to deal with.  

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