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2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 Review

OUR TEST CAR: 2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 8-Speed Auto Inscription

 
On the road, in daily driving conditions, you never feel the need for more power. The car is lively on its feet and will get you out of sticky situations with ease. The transmission is an 8-speed auto from Aisin instead of ZF because the Germans don’t offer their trademark jewel for transversal engines as is the case here.
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This was a bit of a disappointment as Aisin did try its best to offer a refined slushbox for the XC90 but came up short. During our trip, more than once we felt like the car was a bit slow to respond, especially during short spurts of acceleration, when you most needed it. On top of that, the same applied around town at slow speeds, with gearshifts feeling a bit hesitant at times.

Don’t get the wrong idea, though; overall, this is a good combination but just not on par with what ZF offers, that automatic definitely ruining us the more we test it.

As for the lag, to be honest, there was more than we expected. Sure, you won’t get to ‘One Mississippi’ waiting for the turbo to spool up but still, it is noticeable, something we didn’t expect considering that there’s also a “supercharger” thrown in the mix.

Speaking of which, that must also be the reason the fuel economy numbers were so low. Around town, we couldn’t get over 18 mpg (13 l/100 km) no matter how hard we tried and found that you’ll easily do 16.8 mpg (14 l/100 km) on most occasions. Outside of town, we tried our best too but ended up far from the estimates Volvo provided.

With the lightest of touches on the accelerator pedal and in the Eco driving mode, we couldn’t get over 27.6 mpg (8.5 l/100 km) driving at around 68 mph (110 km/h) constantly. Considering that Volvo’s claims go as high as 39 mpg (6 l/100 km) on the highway and 22 mpg (10.5 l/100 km) around town we were a bit disappointed.

Then again, you can’t expect a 7-seat SUV with a 2-liter 320 HP petrol engine to be an efficient weapon. If you decide to take the T6 instead of the D5, you’re probably aware of the fact that you’ll be stopping for gas a lot more often.
As for the driving modes mentioned earlier, we should say that they truly change the character of the car.

To do so, you get to use a circular selector that is free-moving most of the time, doing nothing. To actually change between modes, you have to press it, roll to the preferred position and press again. We have to explain this selector is offered as a separate option.

Eco mode tones everything down and if you’re looking for a definition of what turbo lag means, just take a drive using it. You’ll soon find out what’s what.

In Comfort mode, the suspension and steering adapt so that you and your family have the poshest ride possible. Overall, it works great, and the air suspension truly does wonders for smooth sailing. Unlike on other cars fitted with such tech, we didn’t get that nasty sea sick feeling whenever the XC90 was put through its paces, which says a lot of how it was configured.

Speaking of putting it through its paces, there's also the Dynamic Driving Mode available that dials everything up to 10. The dampers get extra hard, the ride height is lowered, and the new double wishbone front suspension, and integral link rear axle are put to good use. This is when the engine truly comes alive and delivers not only a better sound than usual but great performance too.

Speaking of the soundtrack, the Dynamic driving mode sees the XC90 introducing aural enhacement using its speakers. This happens once you go past 4,000 rpm and the result feels decently put together.

Acceleration is straightforward, proving that this 5-meter long beast can get up and go in a hurry if you want it to. Thanks to the all-wheel drive system, acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 6.9 seconds, and we believe Volvo when they say so. What will surprise you though is the fact that you don’t feel you’re going that fast.

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The cabin is well insulated, and the driveline doesn’t make too much noise. Couple that with the torque that is delivered linearly and doesn’t break your neck when accelerating and you’ll be finding yourself over the speed limit without realizing.


Body roll is implied on a car that sits so high and is as big as the XC90 but even so, in Dynamic mode things are kept in control better than expected. This is the part where the active suspension comes into play. On this Volvo, the air springs and the adaptive dampers are only offered together. Compared to the all-passive setup on the D5 model we drove earlier this summer, the increase in comfort isn’t that great. Sure, the 21-inch wheels on our tester didn’t help either. However, with the intelligent suspension, the car feels more agile, at both low and high speeds. The setup only comes to build on the lightweight feeling the small capacity engines give to the car’s front end.

The XC90 is as safe as it can be, and the myriad of electronics on board sure have their say in this. You can now fit your Volvo with lane keeping assistance, self-parking tech and even a feature that gets your car out of the parking spot. Our tester was fitted with all of them, so we had the chance of putting everything to the test.
The most useful feature out of the bunch was the lane keeping aid, by far.

The system shines on the highway where it works flawlessly. What it does is keep you inside your lane in case you decide that holding the wheel is too much work.

The system is camera and radar based and works with the adaptive cruise control feature that you can also purchase. Together, you can basically set a speed for your car and then just take your hands off the wheel altogether, while the safety systems read the separating lines of the lane you’re in and the distance from the car ahead, keeping you well out of harm’s way.

Prior to steering all on its own, the wheel will vibrate quite vigorously to warn you of the imminent danger ahead. If you abuse it, a different warning will appear on the screen suggesting that you’re too tired to continue and that you should probably take a break and have some coffee.

The cruise control feature is also adapted to the safety-obsessed recipe Swedes usually apply to their cars. For example, when decreasing the speed you want to maintain, the car brakes quite abruptly when the new rate is set.

As for the parking assistant, it didn’t rise to the expectations. Initiating it is easy and, like other systems out there, using radar, the car will scan for a parking spot on the right side of the road. When one is found, you can initiate the parking procedure that can be parallel or transverse.

After choosing the desired maneuver, however, you still have to change gears between forward and backward and keep the speed steady using the brake. Other systems do it all on their own, the driver simply having to press a button and not change gears or accelerate/brake during the operation.

Furthermore, parallel parking was successful around 20% of the time while transverse parking had a higher success rate at over 50 percent. Maybe we were too scared to let the car do its thing but most of the time, it would get you dangerously close to either the curb or other vehicles. Bottom line: if you know how to park, you won’t need these features but in case you can’t handle the size of this SUV, it will get you out of a difficult situation.

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Speaking of gadgets and tech, an honorable mention has to go to the Bowers & Wilkins sound system. It comes with 19 speakers, one of which is a beautiful tweeter right on the dash and it is absolutely sublime. Now we finally realize why German manufacturers are dropping Bang & Olufsen in favor of the Brits.

Despite costing €3,850 in Europe and $2,650 in the US, if you’re an audiophile, you simply have to get it. The sound is crystal clear at any volume, and you can forget about distortions, something we can’t really say about what B&O are offering.

The volume could’ve gone higher if you ask me but even so, it will be plentiful for most people. One neat trick that once again goes back to the Swedish pride I was telling you about is that one of the modes you can choose for the sound system involves replicating the aural experience you get inside the Gothenburg Opera.

The one flaw we found in the sound system area was the fact that the door panels used to vibrate occasionally. Considering just how good the music sounds most of the time, that is unacceptable in our book. Something should have been done to prevent such rattling. Maybe the door panel plastics should’ve been softer or maybe more insulation was needed; it’s truly a shame to hear those nasty vibrations just as the favorite part of your song comes on. The worst news is that it can also happen at lower volumes.

Other than that, we can’t honestly say that we’ve listened to systems that sounded noticeably better than the Bowers & Wilkins offering in the XC90. It is sublime and if we were to choose one single option for this car, this would be it.

In terms of safety, you can’t best the XC90 thanks to their proposed goal of having zero road fatalities involving their name by 2020. The new SUV has all sorts of tech that keep you safe, some being stubborn and even getting in the way of your fun time at moments.

You get autonomous braking for cyclists, pedestrians, animals and other cars, of course. It works very well and even warned this one editor two times during the short time we had to test it. The European NCAP authority didn’t get to test it just yet, but we have a good feeling about it, in the traditional Volvo way.

Pricing is a bit higher than its German rivals but not by much, and it is mostly due to the extra kit you get. Our car was close to €90,000, but you don’t need all the optional features we had at our disposal. The starting price of the T6 is €57,700 in Europe and $49,800 in the US. At those limits, it’s a steal, offering you a lot of bang for the buck.
Therefore, at the end of my time with this car I couldn’t help but feel rather disappointed. Not by the car itself but by the fact that I wouldn’t be driving it again the next day.

Sure, the 2016 XC90 has its flaws, and we’re still far from a perfect car here as no manufacturer achieved this feat yet but even so, I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. Its elegance, style and, most of all, modesty combined with drop-dead gorgeous looks make it a better proposal to this editor than the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class and possibly the Audi Q7.

Moreover, the main reason why I think I loved this car so much is that I never felt like people were judging me for my “choice”.

Whenever I’m driving a BMW or Mercedes SUV around town people, look at me as if I just killed two baby seals and bragged about it on Twitter and Facebook. Inside the Volvo however, people were admiring my car and turning their heads but not for one second did I feel like I was being judged. If anything, I felt like I made the right choice and that I won’t be missing anything of what the others have to offer.
THE END
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84user rating 57 votes
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autoevolution Aug 2015
79
Value for money: 8/10
History
8
Exterior
7
Interior
8
In the city
7
Open road
7
Comfort
8
Tech facts
7
Gadgets
10
Safety
10
Conclusion
7
84user rating 57 votes
Rate this car!
 
Key Specs
USEU
Engine
L4 1969 cm3
Fuel
Petrol
Power kw
236
Power hp
316
Power rpm
5,700
Torque val
295
Torque rpm
2,200-4,500
Transmission
8-Speed Automatic
Traction
AWD
Acceleration
6.7
Top speed
143 mph
Length
194.9 in
Width
79.1 in
Height
69.9 in
Wheelbase
117.5 in
Ground clearance
9.3 in
Cargo volume
23.7 CuFT
Weight
4464 lbs
Seating
7
Power
236 KW/316 BHP @ 5,700 RPM
Torque
295 Lb-Ft @ 2,200-4,500 RPM
Engine
L4 1969 cm
Fuel
Petrol
Power kw
236
Power hp
320
Power rpm
5,700
Torque val
400
Torque rpm
2,200-4,500
Transmission
8
Traction
AWD
Acceleration
6.9
Top speed
230 km/h
Length
4950 mm
Width
2010 mm
Height
1775 mm
Wheelbase
2985 mm
Ground clearance
236 mm
Cargo volume
670 L
Weight
2025 Kg
Seating
7
Power
236 KW/320 HP @ 5,700 RPM
Torque
400 Nm @ 2,200-4,500 RPM
fuel efficiency
mpgOfficialOurs
City22.418
Highway39.227.6
Combined30.521.2
fuel efficiency
l/100kmOfficialOurs
City10.513
Highway68.5
Combined7.711.1
base price
$
49,800
base price
57,700
Photo gallery (60)
2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 acceleration2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 driving2016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T6 driving in city2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 city driving2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 interior: rear2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 rear cabin child seat mounts2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 rear seat heating2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 rear door card2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 Bowers & Wilkings speaker2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 panoramic sunroof2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 boot2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 luggage compartment with rear seats folded2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 luggage compartment open/close button2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 rear seats: third row2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 rear seats: second row2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 interior: Nappa leather2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 front seats in Nappa leather2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 instrument panel Minimalist mode2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 instrument panel Sport mode2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 digital instrument panel2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 dashboard instruments2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 Bowers & Wilkins audio system2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 key fob2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 dashboard2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 interior: front2016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T6 center console buttons2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 steering wheel2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 interior mirror2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 drive mode selector2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 driving modes2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 Engine2016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T6Thor headlights on 2016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T6 side view2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 wheels2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 21-inch wheels2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 Inscription2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 rearT6 badge on 2016 VOLVO XC902016 VOLVO XC90 T6 exhaust tip2016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T6 BLISS in action2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 in nature2016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T62016 VOLVO XC90 T6 offroad2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 driving2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 on forest road2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 driving off the road2016 VOLVO XC90 T6: Thor headlights on2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 in the sun2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 front2016 VOLVO XC90 T6 side view2016 VOLVO XC90 T6