Just a little too dull and sensible?

[Raiderfan]

One kid and one dog? Dear God, I envy you!

If that's all I had to cart around, it would be the easiest decision known to man: a Merc C350 CDI Estate. Fan-freakin'-tastic. That V6 diesel is a peach.

But with three kids and two dogs...just too damn small...

Al

[Daleman]

I don’t think the XC60 is particularly roomy and if the Mercedes V6 is considered a belting engine I would think the E class so equipped is the way to go for space and power.

[Vecais]

Originally Posted by Teejay1

AWD and 4WD does not improve grip under normal conditions so unless you push the car in order to make the rears kick in you are driving a FWD car.

Only when you are pushing to the limits does a AWD or 4WD provide better overall balance. Since all corners of the car are providing some drive you have slightly less chance of having oversteer/understeer.

Most people are happy either way and would not notice any difference because they drive well under the capability of the car either FWD or AWD. My comments were made in response to the OP who finds his driving with the XC60 dull and trying to pin down the reason for that. I enjoy driving my D5 XC60 and find it far better than other 4WD and AWD SUVs I have owned, both handling and power response.

The ultimate comparison would be to take a XC60 T6 for a test drive and see if that is dull to drive.

[Dellsonic]

Next time you buy a car you might consider a test drive. Mistakes are costly.

<BG>

I know, I have made lots of mistakes myself.

Volvo does what is says on the tin. if you want a big 4WD car, its time to slide out your cheque book. Suggest you look at a speccy Range Rover with Overfinch, or Porsche!

Dell

[Raiderfan]

Originally Posted by Daleman

I don’t think the XC60 is particularly roomy and if the Mercedes V6 is considered a belting engine I would think the E class so equipped is the way to go for space and power.

Middle rear seat on an E-Class is significantly narrower in an E-Class than an XC60...just as it is on a 5-series, Q5, X3 etc etc.

The XC60 is the only car of its size we've found where we can fit a full-size child-seat in the middle seat and have our two (squabbling) boys separated by their baby sister.

Go a size up (Q7, M-Class, X5) and they all have wider seats.

And if I was going for an E-Class, I'd go the whole hog and get an M-Class, which is almost exactly the same width and length, but in my view is better looking than the E-Class.

[Daleman]

Originally Posted by Raiderfan

Middle rear seat on an E-Class is significantly narrower in an E-Class than an XC60...just as it is on a 5-series, Q5, X3 etc etc.

The XC60 is the only car of its size we've found where we can fit a full-size child-seat in the middle seat and have our two (squabbling) boys separated by their baby sister.

Go a size up (Q7, M-Class, X5) and they all have wider seats.

And if I was going for an E-Class, I'd go the whole hog and get an M-Class, which is almost exactly the same width and length, but in my view is better looking than the E-Class.

I was meaning that the V6 in the E class looked a roomier proposition than the C class.


The WHAT CAR measurements for the E class seat widths are Front 147cm Rear144cm .


The WHAT CAR XC60 measurements are stated as Front 144 Rear 140 so the E class certainly appears to measure as the bigger.

[Teejay1]

Originally Posted by wimorrison

Not quite correct methinks

4WD is permanently engaged and does give superior road holding, traction and control, thi sis what many Subaru cars use (e.g Impreza, Forester)

The AWD can come into action when going around tight corners as it detects the imbalance between the wheel speeds, however I do agree that when driving in a straight line AWD will not come into operation giving you, in effect, a FWD car.

The other aspect is knowing that it is there to provide the extra surefootedness is a wonderful feeling

I never mentioned traction I spoke of grip. Once you lose grip no matter how many wheels are being driven you are no longer in control. So again whether 4WD or AWD wheel drive provides no more grip.

[wimorrison]

Originally Posted by Teejay1

I never mentioned traction I spoke of grip. Once you lose grip no matter how many wheels are being driven you are no longer in control. So again whether 4WD or AWD wheel drive provides no more grip.

You did speak of 'grip', and you stated that AWD and FWD provided no benefits over FWD unless you are pushing things to the limit.

Originally Posted by Teejay1

AWD and 4WD does not improve grip under normal conditions so unless you push the car in order to make the rears kick in you are driving a FWD car.

Only when you are pushing to the limits does a AWD or 4WD provide better overall balance. Since all corners of the car are providing some drive you have slightly less chance of having oversteer/understeer.

Using your argument a 4WD or AWD must be better as it has the potential to provide more 'grip' having 2 additional wheels that can provide 'grip' when the FWD has lost 'grip'

I also contest that 'grip' and 'traction' are terms that are synonymous with each other; one being the consumer term and the other being the engineering term.

[Dodgy77]

Dont you think its all getting a bit silly now boys ?

[Vecais]

In what way silly?

This is a polite discussion of different points of view. The forum would become dull and boring if everyone had the same sensible outlook, everyone lined up like ducks in a row.

The nature of debate is somebody can propose an idea and others can rebut if they do not agree. People can slightly disagree or they can have a diametrically opposed outlook. It does not matter, the debate is to everybody's benefit if it clarifies the issue.

In this thread the key proposition by the OP is that the XC60 is dull and boring to drive. Do you agree?

The other issue mentioned, does roadholding (traction, grip etc) matter in this respect?