Car Review: Volvo XC90 Good But Not Great

Over the summer I decided to trade in my Volvo S60 for the Volvo XC90. I need more room than the S60 had to offer. I have a 2 year old son and needless to say he comes with a lot of stuff. Between the stroller and the diaper bag I needed more space. I couldn't go food shopping and get everything I needed because there simply was not enough room. After a little while of dealing with this frustration I decided to make some changes.

I had been eyeing the XC90 for years and this gave me the perfect excuse to get it. I even traded my other car in early because I wanted it so badly. Unfortunately I had to cut my losses and pay a little more monthly in my new Volvo in order to get out of my old lease. Whenever you decide to trade your lease in early you really need to crunch the numbers. It might not be cost effective to do this. I would only recommend turning in your old one early if you are either over the alloted mileage or just about to go over the alloted mileage. You don't want to pay more than a few dollars extra monthly on your new lease.

I do like my new XC90. It is so much more roomier than the S60. Since I only have one child it is perfect. It comes with a 3rd row but I don't need it yet so I put it down. It is great because it lays flat. I looked at the new Lexus SUV and their 3rd doesn't lay flat. I thought that was horrible. What a waste of space or should I say lack there of. The Acura MDX has the 3rd row that folds down but I felt that that SUV looked way too much like a minivan which I definitly did not want. Also the Acura MDX was way more expensive than the Volvo XC90.

One thing I do regret not purchasing with my new XC90 was the DVD headsets. I had to buy a portable one and shove it in the back of the front seat. But every time I drive my son somewhere I have to move passenger seat forward and tilt it forward. Very uncomfortable for someone to sit like that. I know that Volvo just offered a special package that the XC90 came with the DVD player in the headseats. Again unfortunately this was not offered to me when I worked out my lease. Looking back now I should have fought for it. I am sure they would have eventually thrown them in.

The gas mileage is ok. But then again it is an SUV and the gas prices are ridiculous right now. I do a lot of commuting to work and I usually fill up the tank one to two times a week for about $45 a pop. My S60 definitely got much better gas mileage than this one. I would say I get 18 mph on the highway and a little less on side roads. I noticed that in the summer I would get worse gas mileage than I do now that I am back to work. Definitly better to use on longer car rides. My husband has the Cadillac Escalade which gets awful gas mileage. He only gets 11 - 13 mph and it takes about $75 to fill his tank weekly.

One complaint that I do have about the C90 is that the pickup isn't that great. My S60 had Turbo which was wonderful. I could jump on the highway and it took nothing to merge on. The XC90 doesn't come with Turbo (from what I know). So getting on the highway isn't so easy. It takes a lot of foot power to merge on. The SUV is very heavy so that is half the problem. It does come with AWD (All Wheel Drive) which is wonderful. Thankfully it hasn't snowed yet so I haven't had the chance to see how it drives in really bad weather but from what I have read doing my own research it is supposed to have great handling. I once owned a Toyota Celica that had rear wheel drive. AWFUL!!!!! I could never get out of my parking spot when it snowed. The wheels would just keep spinning. Stay away from rear wheel. drive. Front wheel, 4 wheel, and all wheel are really the best (IMO).

I think one of my favorite things about my new car was the choice of colors. I have the burgundy/maroon one with black leather interior. It is gorgeous and easy to clean. I could have picked light/mint green with a beige leather interior as well. The navy blue one I also fell in love with but they didn't have the options that I wanted and I wanted to drive off with it right from the lot. I didn't want to wait for them to locate one. Since I only have a 2 year lease on this one I might think about releasing another one. Probably in a different color.

The XC90 is perfect if you have one child but once I have another I am not sure there will be enough room. I guess only time will tell!!