Hi Odysseus,
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Funnily enough, the cars I'm currently looking at for daily duties include:
V70 T5 or R
XC 90
S-Class 221
RX450h
So how does the 450h compare to the XC90, driving, speed, comfort, enconomy etc?
IceBoy
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odysseus
Few things will be as smooth as a W220 S Class, but the XC90s are nice cars and are good at cruising.
I don't know whether your S Class was a 320CDI or one of the petrols, but in terms of fuel consumption with an XC90 you're looking at between 28 and 32 for a D5, regardless of tune, maybe more if you're a 60 mph on the motorway type. Watch the road tax bracket. Due to weirdness in the CO2 output some of the 185 bhp D5s are in the £500 range. My 2012 62 plate Executive was £325 for a year last time I bought it.
My XC90 is primary family transport - my wife drives it most of the time while I drive our Lexus GS450H. The Volvo has 200 bhp which feels sufficient and it's not a car to sling along a twisting back road - it weighs 2.3 tonnes and is a big old bruiser.
I think they can be tuned, but you may well see issues with the increased power putting stresses on other things, especially the gearbox. Early 5 speed auto gearboxes are known to be trouble, and the later 6 speed units are the ones to go for. Personally I wouldn't bother tuning a XC90 unless it's one of the very early 163 bhp cars. Even a tuned one will 'only' be putting out circa 230 bhp and if performance is what you're after a different SUV might be more your groove. X5, ML, Q7, etc.
Happy to be corrected, but I think the XC90 specification ladder is.
SE
R Design
SE Lux
Executive
However R Designs were frequently subjected to much ticking of the options list, so you may find R Designs with comparable specifications to SE Lux's. Despite its name, the R Design has exactly the same power output as other cars in the range, so is essentially a trim level. Some Executive cars have massage seats (weird but quite nice now I'm used to them), and nicer leather.
Great car the XC90, no regrets from my side, though my criteria may be different to yours - needed to comfortably carry three kids in child seats + two adults + luggage. Potentially everything might feel like a step down from an S Class!
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
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