Quote:
Originally Posted by Parisien
So Simon, after a reasonable period of owning, how does it actually drive, pulling away, whats it like at over taking, handling, level of refinement, road noise, gear change, practicalities of daily use....and dare I say, had any issues......indeed all those things that add to the ownership or pride in driving a new Volvo!
P
|
Well, quite a few questions here to answer...........
I have now owned "her" for 5 weeks and this weekend clicked over into 1,000 miles and also completed the bonding process with her 1st full wash which allowed me to really get into all the bodywork nocks & crannies.
So in reply to the above:
1. How does she drive?
Having come from a long line of Volvo's with mainly D5 power units, it was really nice to get back to a really grunty T5 Petrol unit
(much like my original 850 T5 from a few decades ago) now that Volvo have decided to allow us UK owners to have a petrol option for the XC60 drivetrains.
I am finding that the engine is now beginning to loosen up slightly so consequently I am gently extending the power delivery modes and am consistently having to make sure other drivers are not wondering why I have a constant smile on my face as I pass them......
My average MPG over 6 years of 2 x XC60 D5's over c70,00 miles was c32.5 mpg, so I was expecting with my push on driving style to be lucky to see an average greater than 29.9 mpg. Ignoring the 1st 500 miles my average is on fact coming out at at just over 30 mpg with a 30.9 on a long Motorway journey this week at c80 mph so I am pleased with this performance with a still tight engine ....... but I am prepared for any improvement as the engine further loosens upto 10,000 miles to be balanced by a slightly heavier right foot.
2. What's it like at pulling away, overtaking, handling?
I think the expression of like "sh*t of a shovel" would be most applicable especially as the engine continues to loosen up which reflects the view of the majority of T5 owners even without the Polestar option.
I have read some forum postings re an initial acceleration delay on moving off but these comments only seem to apply to D4/D5's rather that T5's, plus as in all previous Volvo's I have gone for the Polestar option which remaps many key powertrain performance values for those drivers who demand that power performance levels.
Consequently I have absolutely zero issues with pulling away or overtaking which bearing in mind we are talking about a pretty heavy SUV is a reflection of the powertrain deliverability.
The adaptive air suspension gives me a good range of handling levels much like my previous XC60's which had the 4C suspension. Strangely I find my self using the default "Comfort" mode for the majority of the time v the middle "Sport" mode that was always my default mode with the 4C previous models.
3. Level of refinement & road noise?
Without any doubt this 2nd generation SPA based XC60 is a game changer for Volvo in that it takes the most popular Volvo model up into a new league.
In recent weeks I have had two business colleagues who have been brought up on the standard breed of Germanic BMW/Mercedes/Audi stable fodder now look to place Volvo XC60 orders. The whole internal ambiance of the XC60 cabin has shown how Volvo have raised their game to the next level which my local dealer told me has caused them a new problem - what to do with all the Germanic models now being taken in as part-exchange - I think that tells you enough?
A good test on any car build is the "sound" when you close doors and when washing it this weekend it was very rewarding to hear that solid quality clunk of a closing door that reflects a quality design/build process
.
4. Practicalities of daily use?
Not sure what is meant here, but this XC60 is just as happy going to Tesco or parking in a multi-storey carpark as it is on the M25. I think the slightly larger XC90 may have a different level of daily use issues due to its size though.
5. Any issues so far?
Absolutely zero problems to report. With this being a new model I purposely waited 6 months from the start of the new production run last year to ensure any early teething bugs were ironed out first. But as this new XC60 is built on the same already developed SPA platform as the existing XC90 you could say that is has now had twin development phases..........if that makes sense.
Hope this helps you.