Very funny, I have an active outdoor type family. The XC90 is a good compromise, it seems to be a very well built safe car that will offer a lot of protection in an accident. I have a lot of motorway driving to do over the next year or so and the extra economy / speed / comfort over a larger 4X4 is much appreciated already. I only need a little more space inside for weekend trips and I do not need the extra seats, I am happy to tow a trailer for longer expeditions. Before I bought the vehicle I was told they were fairly easy to remove, it did seem larger when empty but when I started loading it up the space soon diminished.
I have a roof box but can not fit it on this XC90 alongside two kayaks, they are kind of large and old, so also heavy - I use them as roof boxes, when packed with kit they are close to the max roof weight between them, one is here:
http://aviewfromvaldovino.blogspot.c...max-results=20 .
Bear Gryls indeed :-)