Volvo XC90 SUV long-term test review

Andy Pringle spent most of his childhood being carted around in a big Volvo, and now he’s been carting his family around in today’s biggest Volvo, the XC90 SUV. So, how good was it is as a family car, and how effective was the plug-in hybrid system in in the real world? They’ve found out in the toughest test: everyday life in South West London. This video tells you our top five likes and dislikes, and how to spec yours if you plan on buying one…

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[anthonyblaise]

according to an owner of an xc90 that i am acquainted with, the B & W sound system is a must-have

[JULIAN]

Thankfully in my country the XC90 comes with B&W, air suspension, massaging seats metallic paint as standard in the T6 inscription trim.

[jamiepolson]

I'm sure the glovebox is broken, all other review videos show the lid coming down nice and

[qb]

So, he complains that the real-world MPG is not good enough.
He said that the battery pack allows for a 20 mile journey where he has seen 120MPG yet overall with lengthy journeys he's only managing 40MPG, I think 40 is really good for a car of that size when you're just on petrol power alone considering all the added weight of the batteries etc

[rajmalani]

6 months is hardly long term. I would like to know how the reliability holds up after 2 to 3 years

[MrVoayer]

Cool, calm and collected review ! Good job ! Well done ! As for the car... I think Volvo is on the right track.

[jcarlton]

Well done review. Excellent identification of the features and benefits for a balanced review.

[squeezy]

I've been looking at a lot of videos trying top glean information about the fuel economy of the plug-in hybrid versus the mild hybrid XC90 models. This is the first review the mention specifically the fuel economy for long journeys. Where I live I seldom drive into town, and I drive a considerable number of long journeys each year to Europe. This would make the economic justification for the purchase of the plug-in difficult to justify, especially since I'll be spending more on fuel than with the mild hybrid. Your comments on options packs were also very useful. Thanks for helping me decide on which vehicle is best for me - I'm thinking a 2021 XC90 B6 petrol, options still TBD.

[toptobottom]

Well I have had mines for almost a year. Like I said before. The only way I would turn mine in would be for a fully autonmous functioning model. I think we purchase gas maybe every other month. Both our jobs are local so we rarely do over 25 miles in a day. Unfortunately we're leasing cause the payment were cheaper at the time. Now I wish we would have purchased it. If at the end of the lease full autonomy is still a ways off. I'll take the discounted purchase deal they offer you and pay cash. IDK It is a great family oriented car.

[bigbillysbeard]

Brilliant "real world" review!!

[rbassdo]

The B&W stereo is a highlight and a must if you put some miles on your vehicle. To each his own.

[pro.navalarchitect]

Buying a huge 4WD SUV to drive mostly in town, very logical choice.

[dougbank]

I have almost the exact car as you. The interior is different, and maybe you didn't get the winter package, but otherwise the same. Also at 5, 000 miles. It is a great car, and almost all of my complaints, including the massaging seats, could be resolved with software improvements. In fact, I had one complaint that went away with the last update because they must have eliminated the "feature" (a noise every time you dropped out of pilot assist mode). I hope they can add more preferences that you can tweak, and make the whole system response faster. I thought the CarPlay was excellent, but I recently rented a Chevy and a Kia that actually were much faster. That could be fixed, as well as the speed of showing the backup camera after starting the car. I also have had glitches several times where a button simply did not work until I turned the car off and back on. Once the main volume button didn't work, though the one on the steering wheel did! Once or twice the little menu button for the dash menu did not work. These things should not happen. One addition Pro that you missed - it is really fast! The electric engine really helps and it is impressively quick. One additional Con - they removed the AM radio and the CD player (and fog lights) because of the Hybrid system. WTF?

[jmrezabek]

Great Review - We just purchased our T8 Inscription - Love it....our only challenge is we cannot get clear guidance on maximizing the Hybrid Engine. Differences in Hybrid Mode, when to use Charge Button that is OFF By default, when to use the B Regenerative Breaking? We also only wish that the Charge Button or Regenerative Braking B modes would allow the battery to be fully charged....we are still getting only around 26MPG - Thoughts or comments appreciated.

[SvenTheSveed]

Very good car, hope to have my own in future - as a single man I can get away with Volvo's smaller offerings at the moment

[aidandonaldson]

That T8 must be a beast! I wish Volvo would offer the T8 without a hybrid version.

[GMRS]

Thanks for this review, I’m now looking at buying a T8, and I’ve found this review very helpful. I’m looking at a 2017 model around there. But I’m now swithering as to whether the hybrid is worth the extra, i live in the country and I’d say most of my journeys are around the 10-15 mile mark, and it sounds like my mpg would suffer as the pure electric just wouldn’t manage that sort of distance to work well. Any thoughts?

[mrlilmatt]

Apart from the already worn bolsters on the seats 4:33 Longevity really is important to buyers Volvo!

[TheMoose]

Can;t wait until you review the V90 R-Design or the New XC60 :D

[Kryotek]

Test drove a XC90 T6 R-Design in the US with the new polestar upgrade and air suspension. Was a very nice car but the whine from the 2l engine is off putting when at speed and the handling is a little soft in the corners. I also disliked the gear selector as it wasn't easy to judge the movement required to put it in Drive, Reverse, etc as it lacked any tactile feedback. Those are fairly small issues though that others might not care about or notice.