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Comments
So the running boards will be a hindrance. She use to drive Mazda MPV, and the entrance height of both vehicles seems to be almost identical
The boards deflect some rocks thrown up by the front wheels if you drive on gravel roads, and they protect against low-slung doors in parking lots. They are plenty strong, too, as I can attest when one supported the front of the car and kept me from going further into a ditch (driver error).
next winter my wife's snow car will probably be our v70 with 16" blizzaks. but in case i trade that volvo for a C6 (dream), i'll need snows for the xc90. anyone got experience/recommendations with a particular brand of snow tires for xc90?
for the nonwinter seasons the factory michelins seem ok so i'd probably replace with a new set of those - any other recommendations/experiences from you folks?
i think many of us know the factory pirellis are miserably bad in terms of wear rate. at xc90 driver training i talked to two women who each had the factory pirellis wear out completely before 10k miles - dealer replaced them under warranty for one of these fine ladies. for the other the dealer provided new rubber at half price. but in each case they got the same old pirellis again, so they were probably worn out in another 10k miles...
thanks for the runningboard comments, lev & bigeddy. i had considered runningboards at first but am glad i didn't get them. my wife and i are both 5'8". our kids do ok ingressing/egressing too.
rvryryryryr, is it the windshield sprayer that doesn't work or headlight sprayers? how about the rear window sprayer?
Picked up 5 people at the airport together with 5 big luggages then drove to Las Vegas (280 miles). Though we were quite cramped the vehicle performed quite well and managed 16.7 mpg driving on the high desert.
I am not quite satisfied with the snow handling of a stock 18" Michelin, but also would not want to switch tires twice a year. So the winter biased tires with decent noise and comfort would be the best choice for us.
I have 18's on my Land rover and love them. More responsive than the 16", but the ride is harsher. Depending on the dampening characteristics, the Volvo's ride might be improved by going w/ the larger wheels.
Any thoughts??
Thanks.
Boris
I have chosen 18" for better handling, living in So. California.
Overall, 18" XC90 being newer, is less noisy than my 5 years old 16" S80 running on Continentals (CH95. And XC90 has much better handling. Those ContyTouring are not very good.
With all due respect to those "professional drivers", I don't think 18" vs. 17" wheels by themselves could ever improve handling by anywhere near 20%. What would they contend, 17" wheels are 0.75 g's (a fair number for an SUV) and 18" wheels achieve 0.90 g's (Porsche level handling)?
The fact is my former S2000, with measely 16" wheels, was a better handling car than a standard Boxster and comparable to the Boxster S with 17" and 18/19" wheels respectively.
IMO, 97% of drivers couldn't tell the handling difference between 17" and 18" wheels in a test drive. It's not like the difference in a BMW sedan that packages the larger wheels in a sport package with a stiffer suspension and higher performance tires. My guess is that those 97% of purchasers like the looks of the larger wheels better, but some need to claim better handling to justify the expense. An XC90 is a fine vehicle, but it's not a Porsche.
This is one of those cases when I would not argue with you.
I did like a handling of 18" better, but could not tell whether it was 5, 10 or 20%, and whether it was due to the wall stiffness or to the different thread pattern. But 18" do look better IMHO.
And the guys at the pit of that event, probably, just wanted to please us, the owners of XC90 with 18" wheels, when we (three attendees) have asked them to evaluate the difference. Though they were pretty firm saying that 18" handles better. I have tendency to believe them. At that event each of the prof. drivers does a bunch of crazy slalom laps every day.
Friends Don't Let Friends Modify Cars
Not trying to pick any fights, but it was a nice lead-in to plug some site content. :-)
Steve, Host
BTW buying the T2.5, AWD, premium pkg, climate pkg and xenon lights. I'm pretty excited. Trading in my V70 with 276k miles
Have you thought about Nokian WR tires (www.nokiantyres.com). I have the 235/60R18 and they are pretty good on my XC90. Bought them from etires.com
By the way, read your interview in our local newspaper (Atlanta Journal Constitution) on Friday. The article was talking about luxury vehicles and people who buy them.
And it is interesting to see the article again. The interview was originally taken for Detroit News in October 2004.
There are no issues w/ the turbos.
Change the oil when you are supposed to.
the final US T6's will be at the dealers in June.
I have to finally part company with my trusted 4Runner after 333,000 miles. The XC90 is on the top of my list as a replacement. But one of my main considerations is the gas mileage, especially with the forecasted oil prices. Can anyone out there give me an idea what kind of "real world" gas mileages you're getting with the T-6 or the V8?
If you can get a V8 for $800 over invoice, that sounds like a reasonably good deal. Assuming you plan on keeping the vehicle for several years, the extra money for the V8 would be well spent in my opinion. If the V8's added power, smoother transmission and extra goodies mean nothing to you, I think the 2.5 is a better option (and much better value) than the T6. Frankly, if they were priced identically, I'd take a 2.5 over a T6.
There are no incentives on the V8.
There is a free versatility incentive on the T6 worth $1806.
Steve, Host
Had I known the V8 prices would drop to $XXX over invoice in such a short time after introduction, I might have done things differently. My wife still prefers the MDX for size and features, but I didn't try as hard as I could to convince her otherwise. And I thought a trip to Sweden was going to be the only way to beat MSRP for all of 2005. Clearly not.
The V8 addition to the XC90 is great, but close-to-invoice deals so soon after introduction doesn't bode well. I wonder if V8 incentives are coming next. That would make the vehicle a really nice value, IMHO.
Thanks for the advice. Your explanation is very logical. Yes, all the tires are inflated to the same pressure per manufacturer's specification. In fairness to the dealer, they are willing to inspect the vehicle despite the excuse they gave me.
A follow up on a discussion we have a little while ago.
I have visited a Volvo dealership to take a look to the V50 that is one of the candidate to replace my S80 in a couple of years.
According to the sales person who has helped us with the test drive he sells many more 2.5T XC90 than V8, with the ratio 3-4 to 1.
I was pleased that a common sense in our demographic niche is prevailing.
It would be interesting if Volvomax can confirm or challenge this observation based on his experience.
It will explain, at least to me, why V8 prices are going down the same path as for all other models. I always considered V8 to be a marginal item for Volvo. It does not fit the brand image to me.
However, even if it is in lower demand than the T2.5, I would not characterize the V8 as a "marginal item". It certainly is a much better vehicle in every way than the T6 and should remain a solid contender for those who want a premium SUV with very competitive performance. But it does seem that the "rocket ship" marketing strategy has fizzled a bit.
And 15K is very marginal in my opinion.
We simply haven't had any inventory of V8's and alot of what we do have coming is presold.
Not everyone is a prospect for the V8. But, for those who are it is a heck of a buy.
The V8 AWD system moves to the 2.5T
Tire pressure monitoring system arrives as standard equipment.
Ash Gold and Crystal Green are gone.
Pearl White is available for the V8.
No mechanical changes to the 2.5T.
Thanks
Compare that to the Honda S2000 I used to own: 6,000 units a year, hand built, no interchangible parts with any other Honda/Acura product. And sold for $32k, $25k less than it's closest, higher volume competitor, the Boxster S.
I think the V8 XC90 is a great move for Volvo. It might even help sales of the XC90 2.5 by getting more prospects into the showroom.
I remember when V8 just came out I did a price comparison and the difference between the 2.5T package I have and a similar V8 was under 3K. I did it today, and I have priced the 2.5T with the options I have (2004 OSD @40,285 - and it will be 41,770 today) at 45, 430 and a V8 with the packages to get all the options I have (18" wheel, wood steering wheel, rear parking assist) at 50,285 - almost $5K.
Answering to habitat1.
Just my HO - one of the problems with Honda S2000 was it's exterior styling. It did not look appealing, someone would have a hard time to pay even $32K for it, unless you are a car enthusiast.
I've done a brief psychological test with my wife when we were walking down the street one day - I have shown her a new Crossfire and asked if she will pay 40K for it and she said - Yes - it was black with a lot of chrome - look really sharp - and then about two block down I've seen an S2000 and asked her if she would buy this one for $30K and she said - most likely No. I have recalled it, reading your posting.
Anyway
I saw a Euro spec XC90 Premier in Pearl. Pretty car.
Quick response to lev:
I am not surprised that your wife might prefer the Crossfire to the S2000, the former has been dubbed a "chic's car" by the press, with not a lot of substance behind it. Similar to the former SLK230 and the BMW Z3 1.8/2.5 and, most definitely, the Volvo C70. The S2000 exterior styling and basic interior features were just fine by me (and my wife). I was looking for a serious sports car, not a luxury car or someone's idea of a excessive styling exercise. (Although I have never owned a vehicle, before or since, that matched it's build quality and fit and finish). As for pricing, when I bought my 2002 in November 2001, the Edmunds TMV was $37,000 for my zip code ($4,500 over MSRP) and $40,000 for California. That was for the third model year of the car. The S2000 continues to rank neck and neck with the Porsche 911 as having the highest resale value of any car. So, notwithstanding your wife's preferences, the S2000 has done just fine for those who can tell the difference between a sports car and a non-sports car.