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Comments
The display also showed the current weather conditions and the weather forecast (scrolling). Amazing!
The saleman said that it was a Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) receiver which I was not even aware was available for an OEM Volvo stereo. DAB
Is this the same case for you guys in the States? By the way, this is terrestrial digital radio not satellite radio (i.e. XM). I believe that Ibiquity is the U.S. technology provider, although it's supposed to be available in 30 countries around the world.
Thanks.
-rollie
We still own 2 Subies, I was just researching the XC90 for a friend (who is still undecided) and the ship sinking sparked my interest even further.
I do like the XC90, it's just not in my price range. Handsome ride, though.
-juice
odometer: 503 miles (mix of city/hwy)
avg speed: 31 mph
avg fuel economy: 20 mpg
is it a 5- or 7-seater? I'm wondering how much the extra weight affects fuel economy.
1. Premium sound system. Is it worth the $$? Do the premium and standard system show station i.d.? How is AM reception?
2. I do a lot of moose country driving on dark roads. If you have used Bi Xenon lamps in any vehicle you drive is the visibility markedly improved?
3. What is our average MPG in 2.5T or T6. I will not need the versatility package and most often will be driving alone or with one passenger.
I am presently leaning towards a 2.5T. Drove it and loved it. Have not tried the T6. Should I?
Thanks for any help on these issues.
1) We do not have the premium system. You do get station ID and messages. AM/FM reception is fine but the sound is adequate though I judge abit tinny, probably due to speaker quality (or lack there of).
2) We wanted the Bi-xenons but could not get them. Having said that we were pleasantly surprised at the illumination of the standard lights. They are plenty bright and I'm a stickler for wanting to be able to see, being a bit night blind.
3) Agree with a prior postor. We are averaging about 20 with combined driving, but the engine is not really broken in. I would guess about 60% city 40% highway. When just on the highway and using the current mileage calcs we are seeing reads of 23/24.
4) We find that the 2.5T had plenty of power and have no problems merging, passing or feeling like we are HP challenged. We chose it for the better mileage and are not unhappy with the choice.
Finally, we bought the climate package and those headlamp washers are a kick. Did not expect the virtual water jets of water which keep the headlamps sparkling. Plenty cool. Whether in mud or snow, this is the ticket. :-)
If considering crystal green know that in bright light this color appears silver. Only in overcast or dark can you pick up the green variation, but it's different and attractive.
If these vehicles are indeed equipped with DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast), then the AM and FM station broadcasting digitally would be clean digital sound.
Digital radio is supposed to be CD-quality sound since the signal is digital, without any analogue interference.
I am quite confused about this fact. QUESTION - Do any of the owners here get the DAB signals in their respective XC90s??
Volvo overseas delivery program. I am considering going that route
for an XC90, but had a couple of questions, and the good folks at
Volvo seem to be ignoring my email.
First off, they indicate that the car would need to be shipped to
the U.S. within six months of delivery, but we would really need to
have it in Europe for more like ten months before shipping it to the
U.S. Does anyone know if it is possible to get an extension of that
six-month limit?
Also, we are wondering if it will be possible to arrange financing
through our regular credit union for a purchase under this program,
when the car is not physically present in the U.S. for a creditor to
be able to enforce their lien. Does anyone have any experience with
this?
Thank you for your assistance.
David
Also, the XC90 brochure I have talks of a web browser integrated into the phone/navigation system to be available some time in 2003. Does anyone have any further information on that feature and when it is expected to be available?
Thanks,
David
Peoplefirst.com will finance cars purchased via the Eurean delivery. Many BMW owners did just that. Some banks/credit unions may not, but you will have to check with yours.
The trim was on the handles and shifter. Thankfully the steering wheel had wood trim. Can you can a heated steering wheel like in the X5?
thanks,
After that you have no registration or insurance.
Volvo is finalizing their Euro delivery package for the XC90.
What we do know is that there won't be any price break on the car. You will recieve the 2 free tickets, but thst is all.
Cars will be 2004's deliveries are scheduled to start in May in Europe.
Also, they are limiting the number of cars that will be available, and will probably have a quota system for the dealers.
The initial figure was 5 cars per dealership.
As for the Nav system, it cannot play DVD's.
Some credit unions and banks will finance TDS cars, others won't.
-rollie
i did not opt for the premium sounds, but am a bit surprised by the comment that it sounds 'tinny' or has poor sound. i will be the first to agree that the radio reception is not up to par, and initially thought the sounds was poor... then i tried it with cd, and adjusted the eq a tad, and am pleased with the results. it, of course, won't be as good as the premium system, but is still pretty good. i'm generally pretty picky about sound quality (i spent >$100 for a pair of headphones for work, and designed my own amp to make them sound just perfect)... of course, that doesn't make me an audio expert, just someone who is usually picky about audio and pleased with the sound of the standard system in my xc90 (although not with the reception).
not sure what dab is, but if it is digital subscription-based broadcast, the xc90 definitely does not have it... i think this is the standard broadcast text messages that the radio has the ability to receive. i don't think digital signals necessarily translate to cd-quality sound in the real world... my sprint pcs phone is a great example of that
First question: Does anyone have any information on or links to the the dealer installed DVD option? Cost, specs and interior pictures with it would be greatly appreciated.
Second question: What nav system is that and are there any reviews on it?
Third question: When ordering the vehicle is everyone being told there is a 5 month wait? Does it depend on the dealership? I'm not sure how dealer quotas work.
And lastly:
"Cars will be 2004's deliveries are scheduled to start in May in Europe."
What does that mean? We might be interested in overseas delivery. Does it mean that the cars in the program are 2004 XC90s? And they will be delivered this May? I was told by two dealerships in my area (Bay area, CA) that it will take 5-6 months to process our order. May would put us ahead of that timeline!
Getting excited about this car
OT
"Another benefit of not having a 3rd row in XC90 is that you can get the subwoofer, which is not available with the 3rd row option.
Sorry Crikey, you're wrong about this. Since all the XC90s in Canada are 7-seaters and the sub-woofer is offered here too - this logically means that the 3rd row does not displace the factory sub-woofer. :-)
-rollie
Actually, it does displace it, in the States anyway. Where are they putting the subwoofer in the Canadian models? I'm jealous. I have a 7-seat 2.5T and the subwoofer was not an option (if you build the car on the volvo site (using a US zip code) you'll see that subwoofer is removed as an option as soon as you choose the versatility package. Bummer.
Sharon
I'm torn between ordering a 2003 or waiting for the 2004 version. I'm prepared to wait (until June/July) if the 2004 models are 'tweaked' and resolve some of the complaints/disappointment expressed on this and other forums. For example, do you think issues like inferior FM reception or the perception that the 'Dolby II Audio system' needs refinement can/will be addressed?
Are you accepting orders for the 2004 models? Any further information regarding timing of delivery? Thanks very much for your knowledegable contributions to this forum.
Nobody is accepting orders for anything here. Buying and selling on the Town Hall boards is not allowed per the Terms of Use.
tidester, host
My fellow Canuck, I guess my post was misleading due to our beautiful national flag. I live in the U.S. now so sharon was right in saying that Actually, it does displace it, in the States anyway.
Like sharon, I, too, am jealous that it is an option in Canada and not in the U.S. Maybe I should just drive up to T.O. and get one. But then again, I would have to pay the 15% GST and the Canadian warranty might not be transferrable to the U.S. And then, there is that KMH gauge cluster. Hmmm....
Is not available till June.
We went with an outside supplier for a Sony sytem w/ a 7" power folding screen at $1695 installed.
We've sold 5 so far.
Subwoofer
Gets deleted with the versatility pkg.
Don't see how it can be had in Canada.
TDS(Overseas Delivery)
Will be 2004's. Volvo will make them available to pick up in Europe starting in May.
2004's in general
As far as we know, no changes are being planned for the 2004's.
There may be some changes later in the year.
So far none of our depositors have specified a 2004 over a 2003, although there is only one more allocation of 03's planned, so you may not have a ohoice and end up with an 04 anyway.
For certain the cars arriving this summer will be 04's.
Does anybody know anything about the T6 limiting power in 1st and 2nd gears?
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=59
So for daily driving on freeway on ramps does acceleration usually hit the turbo or not? How often and in what situations does the turbo kick in? Is there a big difference between the T5 and the bigger engine. I acutally liked the T5 when I test drove both at one of the moose test demos.
Added question, if the car is driven without sufficient acceleration to kick in the turbo, presuming this is possible, what are the long term issues? If I don't have how they work, any input appreciated.
Light pressure means that the boost is limited to 6 lbs but because the impeller wheel is smaller and lighter it spins up quicker with less lag.
The 2.4L 197hp engine uses the light turbo.
This engine reaches peak efficiency @1800 rpm.
Its power comes at the low end of the rpm band and its best for accelerating from stoplights etc.
Very seamless engine, because the old "turbo lag" is gone you really can't "feel" the turbo working.
The high output 247hp engine uses a larger higher output impeller that doesn't achieve peak output until 2800 rpm.
There is more lag with this engine so you will feel the turbo kicking in and out.
This engine is suited for high speed travel, passing and merging power.
At low speeds the HT engine doesn't feel any different than the light output engine.
Actually it can be a hair slower.
As for long term, there are no issues with the impellers, the wheels always turn, as the engine exhaust gasses make them spin.
Driven gently or hard, with proper maintenance they should last the life of the car
How often is service needed? what kind of service? Will going to an outside source say for oil changes void my warranty? Also the time factor for waiting, I'm not too sure I can wait 3-4 months for the vehicle to come in, I have a bit better things to do with my time as I'm sure alot of you do.
I had previously looked at the Kia Sedona, the Toyota Sienna and the Dodge Durango but all those proved themselves not worth the cost and lacked the safety features and look I was out for.
I'm concerned by all these negatives I keep hearing.. the radio going dead, lower mpg, carseat configurations, Nav (which I don't plan on getting)So far all this SUV really has going for it from the sounds of it is the name and the safety features.. if I'm wrong in assuming so please set me straight. Have any of you not had any problems at all? Am I smarter to wait for next year's line? It doesn't sound like many changes plan to be made right now.. if anyone knows anything please let me know.. I still have my heart set on the XC 90 2.5 versatility and premium package though the leather doesn't appeal to me all that much with 3 young children..I just want to know I'm making the right choice..
I have the navigation, also. There is nothing wrong with it. Works great.
...package though the leather doesn't appeal to me all that much with 3 young children.
For what it's worth, I can tell you, as another mother of 3 children, that I will never have another car without leather. It is SO much easier to keep clean. The kids' spills wipe right up; no soaking into the upolstery. I just returned an ML320 with leather seats. It carried 3 kids--and sometimes more--every day for three years. The leather looked great--the only mistake I made was getting black. It showed their every footprint--but cleaned up nicely.
I asked the Volvo dealer if he thought Volvo would be moving to included maintenance like Mercedes did for the ML series. He said he thought Volvo was about 2 years away from doing that.
Safety: While the XC90 seems to have the safety advantage, it hasn't been proven yet. I know of two cases in which an ML320 was totalled but the passengers walked away unharmed. And as far as I can tell, the ML320 is the only competitor with side rear airbags and curtain airbags.
Rollover: My teens will be learning to drive in this car and I am concerned about inexperience and driver error and rollover...the other SUVs seem to be higher and narrower than the Volvo. The MDX which is also lower and wider does not have the rear side or curtain airbags.
3rd Row: I ordered the T6 3rd row for carpooling, but it is really too small for older kids. Doesn't the ML320 have more space in the 3rd row? I decided against the GX470 because the 3rd row is too definitely too small and the center of gravity seems too high. I had an Expedition several years ago which would work but the size is annoying...(mileage was low, too...but seems that the T6 won't be much better).
Any thoughts????????????????
That all said, one thing that might be useful to consider is a seat cover. I'm not sure if Volvo has an OEM accessory that "custom fits" yet.
I've never had leather in a car before but I do have leather couches that have been beaten to hell and back by kids. But if I just wipe them up they look as good as new. I can't say the same about my cloth seats in our cars. Oh...can't you just DIG that smell of rancid milk that has soaked into the upholstery. Yummmm!
The rear seats in the Volvo are made for kids or smaller people. I'm 6'3" and I would not want to ride back there for more than 15 minutes. My wife is 5'5" and she said it wasn't bad at all. Chances are if you are carpooling with 6 kids at least two of them are going to be 5'5" or under (also a good chance of that with 7 adults!). Also, kiddie carpooling tends to be for short distances so supreme comfort really isn't a high priority - especially since kids tend to be infinitely more flexible and durable than us hehe. I can understand that all their stuff might not fit along with them but if that is requirement then you have to seriously reconsider that Expedition again (or the superior Sequoia).
Our decision actually came down to XC90 v. Sequoia...we really had to think hard about how much space we might need.
OT
The XC90 is a fabulous vehicle but it is a $38-48,000 car.
Volvo does give loaners with scheduled services, but they don't pay for maintenance.
Volvo's whole reason for building cars is safety, this is what sets them apart.
The Siena is a nice van, not really impressive though.
We sold a 2000 to a very good customer, I drove it the other day it was creaking and rattling.
Had to take it to Toyota for some warranty work, big difference in treatment with the service dept.Service intervals for the XC90 are every 7500 miles, incl. oil changes.
Oil change at a dealer should run @$25.
Interval services should be from $150-500.
Bottom line if you can afford the XC90 go for it.
Just make sure it really fits your budget.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=59
It mentioned a new 6-sp automatic trans. for the T6 would be coming "soon". Does anyone (volvomax?) have info on the accuracy of this statement and when it may be available in the U.S.?
Thanks,
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.