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| Sunday, June 04, 2006 |
2006 Volvo XC90 Reviews |
 Pros: Volvo safety, wood and leather generous interior, solid V8 power, third row seating
Cons: air conditioner can sound like a paper shreder
Many Options available and especially nice are the 18 x 7 Alloy wheels and 235 x 60 tires. The vehicle might appear Pricey but it is Good solid VOLVO Value for the dollar. Rented one in Winnepeg Canada for ten days and was truly impressed at they way it handled all the January ice, snow, & wind conditions found. In snow country there is no other vehicle to have.
The V-8 delivers almost too much power but at times you need to really gas it to get immediate performance. Gas is a problem, the 4.4 liter engine drinks like a marathon runner and takes 89 octane...ouch. But overall the safety features, in headrest DVD and nice sound system make this car a winner!
What's New for the 2006 Volvo XC90
The T6 model and its turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine have been deleted from the Volvo XC90 lineup for 2006. A new computer-controlled all-wheel-drive system debuts as does a new optional 18-inch wheel design. New SAE testing procedures have dropped the horsepower rating on the V8 engine from 315 to 311.
Introduction
The Volvo XC90 offers classic Volvo attributes in a midsize SUV. It's strong on safety, comfortable, and practical.
Its roomy interior seats seven, and there's more cargo space here than in other vehicles in its class. The cabin is luxurious, with nice firm seats and most of the bells and whistles most of us want. People who opt for a BMW X5 over one of these read magazines that use stopwatches and accelerometers for yardsticks. The XC90 handles well on streets and highways, but it also offers a comfortable ride. All-wheel drive with Volvo's new Instant Traction system makes the XC90 an excellent choice for nasty weather. Buyers choose between a 4.4-liter V8 and a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine. Each gets better gas mileage than most comparable seven-passenger SUVs.
Safe, easy to get in, easy to maneuver, smooth on the highway or about town, the 2006 Volvo XC90 is hard not to like. With the addition of an optional V8 last year, the new Volvo SUV has also mitigated one of its few faults -- the sluggish off-the-line performance. While it still doesn't have as much room in the second row as we would like, only the most discerning buyers are likely to be let down by its size.
Interior Design and Special Features
You can order the Volvo XC90 as a five- or seven-seater; in both variations, the second row (and third row if equipped) folds down to create a flat floor. The middle seat in the second row can be equipped with an integrated child booster cushion; in seven-seaters, the child seat slides forward, allowing for contact between parents and tykes. Legroom in the third row is better than in many competitors, although the second row is a little cramped as a result. Cargo capacity tops out at a generous 92 cubic feet.
Safety
Standard safety features include a full menu of side airbags to protect the heads and torsos of outboard occupants in all three rows, seatbelt pre-tensioners in all seating positions and anti-whiplash seats. The XC90's standard Roll Stability Control system uses a gyro-sensor to calculate the SUV's roll speed and angle; if it's determined that a rollover is imminent, the stability control system is activated. In the event the vehicle does roll over, an inflatable curtain covers all three rows. Unlike most SUVs, the Volvo XC90 is equipped with a front crossmember that's compatible with a car's bumper height. In the event of a collision, this crossmember strikes the oncoming car's protective structure, activating its crumple zone to give the car's occupants maximum protection. The Volvo SUV was named a "Best Pick" in IIHS frontal-offset crash testing. In government crash tests, the XC90 earned a perfect five stars in passenger and driver side impact and frontal driver protection, and four stars in rollover and frontal passenger protection.
Powertrains and Performance
The 2.5T model comes with a turbocharged 208-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. This engine is adequate around town, but once on the highway, you may wish for more power. The top-of-the-line V8 model gets a 4.4-liter V8 with 311 hp and a standard six-speed automatic for optimum performance. You can choose either front- (2WD) or all-wheel drive on 2.5Ts, while V8s come standard with AWD.
Driving Impressions
The character of the Volvo XC90 is greatly affected by whether you choose the standard five-cylinder model or the V8.
The best deal is the base five-cylinder engine with the five-speed automatic. It delivers ample acceleration for all situations, good gas mileage and ultra-low emissions. Volvo's 2.5-liter five-cylinder produces 208 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm. We found it delivered plenty of power for the real world, and the 24-mpg EPA Highway rating is excellent for that much power in a vehicle as heavy as the XC90. But what makes the five-cylinder engine especially sweet is the five-speed automatic that comes with it. It's a responsive transmission. Stand on the gas while cruising along on the highway and it quickly downshifts from fifth to third gear and XC90 eagerly zooms away. The five-cylinder engine doesn't seem to have a lot of torque at engine speeds below 2000 rpm but the responsiveness and flexibility of the five-speed transmission makes good use of the engine's power. The transmission includes a manual-shift feature called Geartronic. We recommend adding the optional all-wheel drive for driving in foul weather conditions.
The V8 engine was developed for the U.S. where 30 percent of all SUVs are sold with V8 engines. Because Volvo has no history with V8s, it turned to Yamaha, which has a good relationship with Volvo's parent company, Ford, to develop a new engine compact enough to fit in the XC90's engine bay. Volvo linked the V8 to a six-speed automatic to make the best use of the engine's torque curve, which reaches 271 pound-feet of pulling power at just 2000 rpm and peaks at 325 pound-feet at 3900 rpm.
Volvo also made some changes in its all-wheel-drive system to send more power to the rear wheels for better take off from a standing start, and incorporated a fast-reacting Instant Traction system to minimize wheelspin. We spent several hours in the V8 and found it well-suited to the sort of driving done by many American SUV owners. We enjoyed its quick acceleration and sure-footed passing maneuvers.
Regardless of engine, we were impressed with how silky smooth the XC90 feels at 80 mph. Its chassis closely follows the design of the Cross Country wagon, but is wider and the components are beefier. It handles bumpy roads with dips and gullies well without bottoming when driven hard. It doesn't offer the sporty handling of a BMW X5 or Infiniti FX35, however. Its power rack-and-pinion steering is on the heavy side, and not as quick in the really tight stuff. But, in general, the XC90 feels reasonably tight, with decent feedback to let you know how the front tires are gripping. There's minimal body sway under hard cornering. The electronic stability control, called DSTC, stepped in a few times when we were thrashing down a particularly ornery road, and the system applied the brakes at one wheel without cutting the throttle, although we aren't sure if it was the gyroscopic roll sensor or traction sensors that triggered its operation.
The ride quality in the XC90 is very good, stiff at the wheels, but not in the cabin. It didn't exactly absorb the ridges and bumps, because you could feel the suspension working over them; but it didn't transfer any harshness to the arms or seat of the pants at all. Speed bumps in particular were interesting; it was as if the suspension challenged them and hammered back, protecting us from jouncing even when we hit them at 15 mph.
The all-wheel-drive system operates seamlessly, and the driver will almost never know when it's working. In normal, good-traction conditions, 95 percent of the engine's power goes to the front wheels. If the front wheels lose traction, a multi-plate clutch begins routing power to the rear, to a maximum split of 65 percent to the back tires. This frontward bias leaves the XC90 with a default understeer condition, or a sliding at the front tires near the limits of handling. This push is much easier to handle than a skittish rear end, because a driver's natural instinct is to slow down, and that basically solves the problem.
2006 Volvo XC90 Summary
he 2006 Volvo XC90 is a 4-door, up to 7-passenger luxury sport-utility, available in two trims, the 2.5T and the V8.
Upon introduction, the 2.5T is equipped with a standard 2.5-liter, I5, 208-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 23-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission is standard. The V8 is equipped with a standard 4.4-liter, V8, 311-horsepower engine that achieves 15-mpg in the city and 21-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.
Labels: Volvo
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posted by Algreen  |
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