[xco]

Originally Posted by Arianne

Since you ask...

Like

• handling (XC90 was like a bus on these Scottish Borders' country roads)
• less tiresome when in Edinburgh city centre & in towns
• longer first gear (ours is manual because Mrs A insisted - XC90 had very short first gear due to absence of low ratio box)
• engine (our XC90 was a 2006 185bhp D5)
• refinement
• amazing ICE - I actually love driving alone because the sound system is fabulous when set to driver only
• fuel economy (VEA engine is great for that)
• modern cabin
• heated windscreen (not an option on XC90 which is weird for a Volvo - our previous Ford Galaxy had it for goodness sake)

Don't Like

• less room (the XC90 is huge and we didn't even need to think about the luggage, just pile it in there)
• FWD (XC90 was AWD and, on balance, if I could have got the VEA D4 with AWD I would have taken it. Life's a compromise for me and my wallet)
• overcomplicated controls
• slightly lower ride height & miss that full-size SUV feeling (but that's the price of gaining the handling)
• the memory seat doesn't start moving until you open the driver's door - crikey that's poor. I wait and get wet while Mrs A's seat position (nose almost touching the window) slowly moves backwards. It doesn't help a marriage when, every day, you spend 15secs contemplating why your wife drives the car in such a way that you have to stand in the rain and wait to get in! And then, when you do.........you have to adjust the rear-view mirror as a female-of-the-species follow-though body blow

As for reliability.....sadly neither the XC90 nor this XC60 acquit themselves very well. The track record of the XC90 was not good but we still loved her (some women are like that - expensive but great to have as company!). Her little sister, our XC60, has similar traits we think

This one will be moved on between 3-4yrs old. All that technology doesn't bode well. We held on to the XC90 for 8yrs, thinking that lots of love and dealer attention would mean trouble free motoring because it was a Volvo. But it was not to be and the final straw was a rumbling rear wheel bearing all the way back from Italy in Summer 2013 - goodbye XC90. Got £9.3k for her on eBay though - 8yrs old, 4mths MOT and 115k on the clock. Pretty good when the dealer offered £4.5k!

Ah well, such is life. Carting tomorrow night which will be a different experience (not with the Volvo!).

Arianne

Thanks m8 for that good to know peoples views before and after purchases.