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He Drove, She Drove
V-8 Volvo SUV is late to party
With bigger engine, XC90 gets poor gas mileage, carries exorbitant price tag.
Type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, seven-passenger crossover utility vehicle.
Price: Base, $46,090 (inc. $695 destination charge); as tested, $50,285.
Engine: 4.4-liter V-8; 311-hp; 325 lb-ft torque.
EPA fuel economy: 14 mpg city/20 mpg highway.
Where built: Sweden.
Key competitors: Acura MDX, Audi Allroad Quattro, BMW X3, BMW X5, Buick Rainier, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac SRX, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Ford Expedition, Ford Explorer, Ford Freestyle, GMC Envoy, GMC Yukon, Honda Pilot, Hummer H2, Hummer H3, Infiniti FX45, Infiniti QX56, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover LR3, Lexus GX 470, Lexus RX 330, Lincoln Aviator, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Mercury Mountaineer, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan Armada, Nissan Murano, Nissan Pathfinder, Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport, Saab 9-7X, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Sequoia, Toyota 4Runner and Volkswagen Touareg
12-month insurance cost, estimated by AAA Michigan: $1,602 (Estimate. Rates may be higher or lower, depending on coverage and driving record.)
Anita's rating:
Likes: Handles like a tall station wagon. Comfortable ride. Built-in child safety seat in second row. Standard stability control, side cushion air bags for all rows. Easy-to-understand climate controls.
Dislikes: Hand cream doesn't mix with lacquered wood steering wheel. Dumb location for front-seat lumbar adjustment. Cabin too dark and masculine. No navigation system or rear-seat entertainment.
Paul's Vehicle rating:
Likes: Distinctive and appealing Tasteful cabin. Clever two-way tailgate. Innovative fold-flat seating in third row. Powerful V-8 engine. Roomy, supportive front seats.
Dislikes: Overpriced versus competitors. Have to remove tonneau cover to use third row. Adults don't fit in third row and barely fit in second row. No cargo space when third-row seats are in use. Dismal fuel economy.
Rating system: 1 - unacceptable; 2- subpar; 3- acceptable; 4-above average; 5- world class
2005 Volvo XC90
What do you think of the 2005 Volvo XC90?
Comment on this story
When Volvo set out earlier this year to promote its new V-8-powered XC90, it offered buyers a chance to win a free trip to outer space. The implication was that Ford's Swedish subsidiary was venturing where no company or sport utility vehicle had gone before.
Trouble is, there are a number of brands, foreign and domestic, already offering standard or optional V-8 engines with lots of power in their SUVs and crossover vehicles, which makes Volvo a bit late to the party. Nor does Volvo offer the most powerful engine in the class, although its base $46,090 sticker is right up there with many of the premium players.
We tested a V-8 XC90 with a handful of options, priced at $50,285.
SHE: You could make the argument that Volvo, the longtime safety champ, finally has it all -- superior standard safety features and now an optional V-8 engine. That twin-cam 4.4-liter V-8 makes 311 horsepower and is designed not so much for the racetrack, but to keep you out of trouble in potentially dangerous highway situations. But part of me was wondering, why didn't they spend the extra money on more sensible seats? And why doesn't a luxury crossover vehicle with a $50,000 price tag come with a standard navigation system and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system?
HE: Part of me was wondering why I like this Volvo so much, but why I would be unwilling to recommend it to families. Then it dawned on me. The virtues of the XC90 V-8 are easy to summarize: Great exterior design, with familiar Volvo family styling cues. Lovely new engine that makes driving much more enjoyable. Clever and innovative features, like a fold-flat third-row seat and a two-piece tailgate with a short lower section that makes loading and unloading much easier. Unfortunately, the XC90's major shortcomings are equally easy to pinpoint: A third-row seat that can't accommodate adults and robs precious cargo space, an engine that returns dismal gas mileage and an exorbitant sticker price on a vehicle that doesn't measure up to many of its competitors.
SHE: You're being way too harsh and, as usual, you're not thinking like a mom.
HE: I knew you'd hold that against me one day.
SHE: Volvo should be commended for the thought that went into this vehicle. I'm impressed by all the people-friendly touches, like the human-body icons on the climate control system that are so elegantly simple and easy to understand. And stuff you wouldn't normally think of, like the front console lid that opens into a small table for the second-row occupants. Or the built-in child safety seat in the middle of the second row. Even options like the power child safety locks so you don't have to worry about one of the kids inadvertently opening one of the rear doors while you're leaving the grocery store.
HE: I agree that Volvo, in many ways, has gone the extra kilometer on designing in clever little features, like the coat-hanger button on the side of the front passenger headrest. And for once, the driver seems really pampered, with big, roomy seats, a beautiful lacquered-wood steering wheel and a six-speed automatic transmission that you can shift manually.
SHE: You mentioned that polished wood steering wheel, which doesn't really mix well with hand cream.
HE: A major problem for many of us dads who love our Cornhuskers lotion.
SHE: The cabin looks just a bit too dark and masculine for my taste, with all that black leather. And did you ever figure out why they left the ashtray out of the front seat but put one in the rear? Wrong message to send to the kids.
HE: What this all adds up to is a vehicle with lots of cool features and good ideas, but whose flaws nearly outweigh the good things. I mean, what good is a "family" vehicle that gets only 14 miles per gallon in city driving and has some major issues with the design of its third-row seat? You want a performance crossover? Buy a BMW X5. You want a luxurious interior? Get the Volkswagen Touareg. Great all-around features and performance in a domestic brand? The Cadillac SRX is pretty sweet. No matter how you slice it, the XC90 V-8 winds up way down my personal shopping list.
Anita and Paul Lienert are partners in Lienert & Lienert, a Detroit-based automotive information services firm.
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The Detroit News.
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