Mileage: 3,764
MPG: 31.9mpg
It’s pretty rare for my family to make too many comments about my cars, but our Volvo XC90 seems to be something of an exception. It took a matter of days for them to fall in love with it – and if my hard-to-please bunch are impressed, it must be good.
Last year we named the XC90 Car of the Year, and the attributes that won it that accolade are exactly what are impressing the Fowler family: it’s a comfortable, spacious, stylish, safe and tech-laden SUV. So over the next 12 months, I’ll be finding out if our admiration for the car is long lasting.
We started out at Volvo West London, where Alasdair Jakes gave me an expert rundown on the myriad features of the XC90. Volvo dealers haven’t done especially well in our Driver Power survey, coming 22nd last year, and I left feeling that facilities needed an upgrade if Volvo is to compete with more established premium brands.
For example, Volvo West London does its new car handovers in the car park - a world away from the drama of some in-showroom handovers, like the one experienced by road test editor James Disdale when he picked up our new Land Rover Discovery Sport recently.
My XC90 is a top-spec Inscription model fitted with a host of luxury and safety options, pushing the price up from £50,685 to £68,200. The fact that you can spend that amount on extras shows how Volvo is following the lead of other premium brands, but many of the options are things some rivals don’t offer.
As a tech fan, I had to have Apple CarPlay, self-parking, a head-up display and Queue Assist, which will drive the car itself in stop-start traffic up to 30mph. My car also has adaptive cruise control, which I’m using more than I thought I would – it makes life so easy, not only on the motorway, but as the traffic ebbs and flows on my daily commute, too.
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Another thing my family has commented on is the audio system made by British hi-fi expert Bowers & Wilkins. I’m a bit of an audio nerd, yet my family has never commented on the quality of an in-car sound system before. However, they’re really impressed by the sound quality on offer, whatever we’re listening to. And it’s easy to operate via the superb touchscreen system, too.
I also opted for air-suspension, which smooths out the ride. It’s not Range Rover smooth, but pretty good nonetheless. And having run Range Rovers in the past, I can confirm the Volvo matches the far pricier Brit on interior quality and beats it on tech.
Having seven seats is a real bonus for a family of five, especially with enough space for the kids not to moan if they’re asked to sit in row three. With my 15-year-old boys now six feet two tall, the excellent space in row two is more important, leaving Leia the Labrador plenty of room in the boot.
• Full Volvo XC90 review and video
Two areas I’m not so chuffed with are the fuel economy – a disappointing 31.9mpg so far from the 2.0-litre diesel – and noise from the 20-inch Continental tyres. Volvo should consider alternatives with sound-deadening Conti Silent tech, as this is something other owners have mentioned to me, too.
Even so, the year ahead is looking good for life with the XC90. It’s proving a very easy car to live with, and a very easy car to love.
*Insurance quote (below) provided by AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old living in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
- Model: Volvo XC90 Inscription
- On fleet since: December 2015
- Price now: £50,685
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl
- Power: 222bhp
- CO2/tax: 152g/km/£180
- Options: Intellisafe pro pack (£1,500), Winter pack with head-up display (£1,175), Family pack (£275), Seven seat comfort pack (£900), Xenium pack (£2,000), Premium metallic (£1,000), Air Suspension (£2,150), Apple CarPlay (£300)
- Options (cont): Sensus Connect with Bowers & Wilkins Audio (£3,000)
- Insurance*: Group: 34, Quote: £916
- Mileage: 3,764
- Economy: 31.9mpg
- Any problems: None so far