Needs improvement: Gas mileage, handling, rear visibility, difficulty getting to third row.
Good points: Appearance, safety features, room, highway ride, versatile seating
It's big, expensive, guzzles gas, and is loaded with features, but Volvo's entry into the SUV field promises to appeal to those who want to rationalize that they need a sports utility vehicle for versatility and safety.
Mom's view: Caring people have grown to fear large SUVs because of damage they do the others and the environment. Studies have well documented that large SUVs are also a danger to their own occupants, largely from one vehicle accidents resulting in rollovers and deaths. Volvo has done a good job of alleviating those fears with this new XC 90. It is loaded with safety features and more environmentally friendly than most others large vehicles.
Inside, Volvo has the ability to carry seven people. With 93 plus cubic feet of cargo room, and a Volvo claimed 64 different seating configurations for the XC 90's 9.5 feet long cargo area, this is certainly a true utility vehicle. Furthermore, Volvo offers an optional third seat for those who are small or agile.
The front seats are comfortable, and you have separate controls for the rear air conditioning and an optional rear sonar system that is a must because this Volvo offers extremely poor rear visibility. The visibility to the sides is okay, but the hood slopes away so steeply that you can not see where your fenders are leaving parking lot maneuvers one of judgment as much as hope.
We tested the $46,000 XC90 AWD T6 version. A less powerful, but less expensive model is also offered. We weren't impressed by the acceleration of the XC90 regardless of the 268 hp rating for Volvo's flag carrier. Maybe it was the hot weather, but this engine was just adequate. However, nothing prepared us for the gas mileage we got in mixed driving. We barely got 15 mph on premium. We recommend you consider the base version which has less horsepower and is less costly to operate. Both require premium fuel.