[volvorocks]

Pros
Looks nice and draws admiring looks and comments
Relaxing when cruising at a steady 70mph on cruise
Comfy seats
The gruff 5 pot engine is quite a nice sound
Big exterior wing mirrors
Feels safe.
Rarity and somewhat exclusive on road (there may be a very good reason for this)

Flaws/Cons
Hard to park and judge size
Keyless start operates only on clutch
Keyless stop does not apply handbrake (when you have parked and are egressing the vehicle)
12v socket missing in front stack if speccing smoker pack
“Premium” stereo has dropouts and not that loud nor clear nor worth the extra price. Older Dynaudio much better.
Wallowy handling - X3 actually better with ride comfort and handling with its optional suspension pack(mmm this will open a can of worms!!!)
Feels very large on the road although quite small when parked next to X5 Rangie or Santa Fe
Rangie easier to place on road despite being larger
Using Ipod or USB to play music - sensus gets confused and lists previous track name
Cruise not intuitive and has to be switched on every time vehicle started
Rain sense wipers not intuitive - if rain sensors are on (and in most cars that have this feature sometimes they go to fast when not raining or to slow when raining - if you flick the wiper stalk to do a sweep or flick to stop this it switches off the “rain sense” function - you then have to reset the rain sense function
Global closing of windows and sunroof needs keyfob to operate which defeats the object of it being keyless - (windows cannot be closed using the button on the door - but hey you can on a Citroen!!)
Ride is hard and crashy when going over bumps or over “road coming to end lines”
You can hear cars as though window is open even with “double laminate glazing” and wind noise
Trip mileometer primative - similar to a 1990 Ford Fiesta
No fuel gallons used on trip computer
Trip computer needs to be pressed and then scrolled through with separate wheel. Not intuitive
Not that economical D5 manual with fast and slow driving mix of urban and motorway 32mpg
Seat belt cuts into throat so very dangerous not to mention uncomfortable. No adjuster
Lack of storage options - why not have an in floor cubby and under seat cubby?
Large bottle of water (1 litre) will not fit in door bin
Small bottle of water if placed in cup holders falls over and fouls gear stick if full - so water bottle best be “half full”
Lack of cubby storage in boot - why not have cubbies in side of boot
Play stereo and (understandably) everything stored in door bins (only storage that is available really) vibrates
Feels unwieldy in town driving situations
Why not have an F1 style integrated fuel cap not a screw one. Dirty smelly fuel tainted hands similar to 1990 Ford Fiesta
Slippy leather steering wheel
Cannot use last few inches of space in boot as power tailgate will not close as it needs this extra space - which is understandable although manual closing boot lids do not suffer with this problem
When open door after ignition off cannot close open window with electric window switches (no 30 second power allowance)
Open door with ignition on - BONG BONG chime - so cannot play stereo say when parked up and relaxing on camp chairs looking at scenic views as you get BONG BONG chime
Cannot drive with belt off eg on private farmland or when reversing - BONG BONG chime
Different BONG BONG chimes -just to let you know that you are actually in a car say with the door open...yes I know...I opened the door...lol..so I know thank you..yes I turned the ignition on ...so i know...thank you again....as Jeremy Clarkson might say......well I dont know what he might say as he is un predictable ...lol..
Have to move head to left and backwards when moving sun visor to side window as head is hit with sun visor
Electric hand brake in the most ridiculous place - stretch to operate -why not place closer to driver
Unload car so door open with interior lights on - which go off after about a minute which means you have to shut the door and open it again to activate interior lights to see what you are doing - annoying late night early morning for neighbours with open door close door open door bang scenario
Open power tailgate and car rear lights illuminate (to warn boot lid is open supposedly) - which draws attention to your contents in the boot - yet there is no interior boot light so you yourself cannot see what is in boot!
When closing doors - they do not close with that re-assuring “thud” of a premium car.(2 do 2 don’t)
12v sockets fell “loose”
12v power socket in boot always live - so remember to unplug your microwave or portable fridge freezer - although can see the point in so far as if you want a quick shower with a portable shower you do not have to have the ignition on - although why not have a little switch in the boot - “on” (power permanently on) and “off” power only on when ignition on.
Vehicle not as potent nor accelerative when 5 people in (ok they were quite hefty!!) and unfair to compare to Jag XJR which is unruffled with extra weight. This Volvo vehicle knows it is carrying weight and complains!
Wash windows whilst driving with windows open and if headlamp wash comes on expect shower in drivers seat!
Chrome strip on bonnet feels flimsy - be careful when opening bonnet!
The dreaded DPF (common problem with all vehicles so fitted) - 12mpg on motorway when “regenning“ with accompanying power loss…!!! - sort of scientifically worked it out that the car is running with around 100bhp max!!

All cost options /technology / goodies not as good as what other car manufacturers offer as standard or cheaper as cost options and that which Volvo charge top dollar for

£38k…???……worth £22k max

If the car was a kid at school the teachers report may state - “Vera is a very clever girl and has ability and so much potential so could do so much better if she concentrated and applied her talents to the job in hand”

Sumary - “Style over substance”

Comments as always very welcome peeps.

Regards