Considering an XC90, couple of questions please

[Fortune7]

Originally Posted by dblogic

I have noticed that Remote Start always fails "for technical reasons" but I'm not sure why you need remote start on the T8 anyway?

Yep, that's the issue. I agree that in cold weather the Preconditioning does a great job, whether plugged-in or not. It was back in the summer that I wanted the facility to cool the car's interior with A/C when unattended and the Remote Start would (should?) have done that. In those circumstances, Preconditioning (when unplugged) just uses the ventilation fan which wouldn't maintain a comfort temperature, say 22C when it's 28 outside.

And besides, if it's a facility on the VOC app, it should work, right?

Cheers, Andy

[volvocamper]

All vey interesting chaps and thanks for sharing so openly.
I have begun to look a bit closer now and think I need an R-DesignPro with a tow bar (we tow a 2000kg caravan albeit work prevents caravanning that much), reversing camera or possibly the all round cameras.
Looking tonight and towball weight seems to be max 110kg which is a bit lower than I expected.
I’m not really into tech that much so will use very little of the connectivity I guess.
Your experiences do make me wonder if I should buy the Touareg off the lease company tho - its coming up on 4 years old, done 25k miles is mint and nothing wrong with it.
Just feel I would like a change. New model Treg does worry me a bit as feel they may have the same issues in first 2 years that you guys had when the 90 was new.....and i wont make a patient test pilot for VW!
Trouble is not sure I like the alternatives and need power and weight for the caravan. My list is as follows, wd appreciate your thoughts pls-

Merc GLE too old and new one not out yet. GLC looks nice but heavy enough for caravan?
Audi Q7 - just a big old chunk of metal - not pretty but i guess v good. Q5 again not that heavy and dont think i like the look of it.
Jeep G Cherokee - too old and unrefined, new one on way
BMW X5 - about to be replaced and too expensive once options added. X3 again not large/heavy enough
Jag F Pace - not as big as the Touareg or as heavy. Quite like these though
Touareg - about to see new model but reticent because of that. A definite contender though and wont decide for sure until I have seen it.

Problem is my Touareg due back early March so time is against me re ordering something once seen the new Treg - if I order one of those VW will extend the lease but not if another make. Also the Treg may be just too expensive at launch - either way i need a plan b up my sleeve and the XC90 seems top of that list at the moment.

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by jmot

actually, out of interest Lexman, just looking at your spec on a momentum... how far off the list price of a basic inscription was that?

Iirc it wasn't far off. The specs were different back then and the Inscription had things as standard that I didn't want or wasn't bothered about:

• Nappa leather - had it in the Merc and thought it wasn't worth it plus not as hard wearing as standard leather
• leather dash and door tops - meh
• 20" wheels - hideously noisy before Contisilents were introduced so wanted 19" wheels with Pirellis
• actually preferred the black radiator grille on the Momentum rather than the chrome on the Inscription

Going for a Momentum rather than an Inscription allowed me to spec things I really wanted such as the aux fuel heater, Xenium pack, BLIS (ha ha), heated steering wheel, etc, for no additional cost over an Inscription without these features. I originally intended to keep the car for 5 years or more therefore wasn't too concerned that I would in effect 'lose' the value of the extras since these would be worth very little (if anything) in residual value. However, equally, I would've lost the value of Xenium, BLIS, etc, on an Inscription anyway had I gone that route. (Sunroof, etc, wasn't standard on Inscription back then; think it is now.)

Of course, knowing what I know now, I may not keep the car for 5 years. Hey-ho.

[Director76]

Originally Posted by volvocamper

All vey interesting chaps and thanks for sharing so openly.
I have begun to look a bit closer now and think I need an R-DesignPro with a tow bar (we tow a 2000kg caravan albeit work prevents caravanning that much), reversing camera or possibly the all round cameras.
Looking tonight and towball weight seems to be max 110kg which is a bit lower than I expected.
I’m not really into tech that much so will use very little of the connectivity I guess.
Your experiences do make me wonder if I should buy the Touareg off the lease company tho - its coming up on 4 years old, done 25k miles is mint and nothing wrong with it.
Just feel I would like a change. New model Treg does worry me a bit as feel they may have the same issues in first 2 years that you guys had when the 90 was new.....and i wont make a patient test pilot for VW!
Trouble is not sure I like the alternatives and need power and weight for the caravan. My list is as follows, wd appreciate your thoughts pls-

Merc GLE too old and new one not out yet. GLC looks nice but heavy enough for caravan?
Audi Q7 - just a big old chunk of metal - not pretty but i guess v good. Q5 again not that heavy and dont think i like the look of it.
Jeep G Cherokee - too old and unrefined, new one on way
BMW X5 - about to be replaced and too expensive once options added. X3 again not large/heavy enough
Jag F Pace - not as big as the Touareg or as heavy. Quite like these though
Touareg - about to see new model but reticent because of that. A definite contender though and wont decide for sure until I have seen it.

Problem is my Touareg due back early March so time is against me re ordering something once seen the new Treg - if I order one of those VW will extend the lease but not if another make. Also the Treg may be just too expensive at launch - either way i need a plan b up my sleeve and the XC90 seems top of that list at the moment.

Disco 5?

Was on my shortlist until I realised the financial benefits of putting a hybrid through my company books.

[volvocamper]

Originally Posted by Director76

Disco 5?

Was on my shortlist until I realised the financial benefits of putting a hybrid through my company books.

No, never been a LR fan. The car will spend 98% of its time on tarmac and just feel LR too ‘hardcore’ for my needs. Also altho very good i just dont like the styling of the Discovery or Discovery Sport. I like the RR Sport but will again be costly + I dont go with the RR image thing.

[volvocamper]

I drove an R-Design Pro D5 XC90 demo car yesterday. Initial thoughts were how fast it was (esp in Dynamic mode) and how quiet the engine was under hard acceleration (it felt faster to respond and a little less noisy than my v6 Touareg tbh - guess less mass to get going with the smaller engine? This surprised me)
It was good but wd not say the car blew me away though. I wonder if it was just because it was a demo car with 8k miles and had maybe not been loved. Imho the colour did not do the R-Design justice plus the option wheels were not to my taste. The wheels were however 22” and i was amazed how well the car rode over the less than perfect Norfolk road surfaces, again I think better than the Touareg. It also felt very agile and its handling belied its bulk.
Few questions I have since thought about please;

Are the interior lights ‘while’ leds?
What colour is the back-lighting behind the buttons in the steering wheel?
How do you electrically fold the mirrors in? Is there a ‘mirror fold’ button somewhere?
When the electric boot opened/closed there was a sound like a locking pin going back and forth as opened/closed, this sounded very ‘tinny’. Anyone else noticed or just my OCD?
I need a tow bar and like to leave it there at all times ie not retract it. Is there a fixed swan-neck available for the XC90 from Volvo themselves? The retractable one is a little ugly when showing.
I think i like the bright red colour - my wife says i must be having a mid-life crisis. Usually Osmium grey is more my thing.

[nu11eaf]

To fold the mirrors in press both mirror buttons on drivers door at the same time.

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by volvocamper

Are the interior lights ‘while’ leds?

The cabin illumination and reading lights are white LEDs. These can also be individually dimmed by pressing and holding the appropriate button. The trim lighting along the glovebox and doors, etc, is also white. The ambient lighting is multi-colour but is fairly useless tbh.

What colour is the back-lighting behind the buttons in the steering wheel?

White.

How do you electrically fold the mirrors in? Is there a ‘mirror fold’ button somewhere?

Press both mirror buttons simultaneously. They can allso be set to auto-fold.

When the electric boot opened/closed there was a sound like a locking pin going back and forth as opened/closed, this sounded very ‘tinny’. Anyone else noticed or just my OCD?

Haven't noticed this.

[ulstrup]

I am under the impression that the T8 has less ''problems'' than the D5.
I don't know if it's because there is a much larger number of D5 than T8 and statistics play in favor of the T8 or for some other reasons but I have My T8 since October 6th and I have done 2500 miles in it without trouble...

in my opinion is the best SUV, my first Volvo, I have ever owned and I have owned a Cayenne, a RRS an Infinity a merc ML and a Jeep GC in the past 15 years.

I'm pretty sure that I will face some bugs one day or another since I have never seen a computer and a complex network working without some ''glitches'' from time to time.
time will tell.
in my opinion, the biggest challenge Volvo is facing to keep customers happy and confident is their dealer network.shifting competence from ''mechanical only'' to mechanical +IT tech.'' is not easy and pretty costly and most probably is not going to happen fast.

[gaby]

There is fixed towbar for the XC90 on the UK website:
https://www.volvocars.com/uk/accesso...tegoryId=36576