Swedish girls do not like the cold. When the temperature dropped in the Detroit area, tire pressure sensors continued to frenzy. And the wiper fluid seems to freeze somewhere deep in the tubing.
But both are temporary problems. The tire pressure sensor returns to normal operation. After a few hours in our beautiful garage and intense sporting trends, the wiper fluid has been thawing very well, even with recurrent cold weather. So maybe we XC90 only need to adapt.
One thing has not changed: This SUV is popular, especially in the cold seasons. Dancing cards are almost always complete when the road trip, and the experience of our staff is still active in the car.
The XC90 spent Christmas in Milwaukee with Automobile Detroit bureau chief Todd Lassa, who transported two adults, three collies, and a roof rack carrier full of gifts. Lassa described the Volvo as sublime, comfortable, and a tasteful alternative to Mercedes and BMWs. The dogs traveled in style with the second and third rows folded, and even with the roof carrier, there was never enough wind noise to wake them.
As for the humans up front, it was easy to forget there’s only a 2.0-liter turbo-four under the hood. The seamless delivery of power and torque could easily be mistaken for larger displacement and more cylinders. There is no drama merging into traffic, no turbo lag, and no drama braking. One annoyance: the constant warning that the parking cameras were obscured and needed to be washed. The warning persisted even after running the XC90 through the car wash a couple times.
The XC90 also took a five-hour trek to Indianapolis for a swim meet. The SUV easily fit a family of five, their luggage, and their swim bags almost as easily as the Suburban normally used for these trips. Being lower to the ground, the Volvo made climbing in and out easier.
The driver appreciated the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping technology, which redirects the SUV if it strays too close to the lane markings. From our own testing (we did it so you don’t have to—Volvo wants you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times), we have noted that the driver-assist system will steer on your behalf for about 15 seconds before it warns you to steer yourself. If you don’t take over, the steering assist will turn off.
The return trip from Indiana to Michigan was through ice and snow, but the bending headlights and all-wheel drive contributed to the sense of safety. The kids in back were glad for the working Wi-Fi—as we noted in a previous update, it had been giving us trouble. They were able to do their homework, stream movies, and use an assortment of devices.
Our gasoline mileage continues to decline, but no one seems to mind. In 10 months we commemorated an average of 20,161 miles per gallon. It was further down 21.3 mpg after eight months at 17,752 mpg, and then dropping from 21.5 mpg to 15031 mpg. The descent may be due to the miles on the roof of the carrier.
Volvo makes another to get to the dealer where it has 20,000 miles of regular maintenance and software upgrades to solve wi-fi. The recall can not be completed because the part is not in stock. Cost: $ 0. So far, all service vehicles have been covered. If everything in life is so simple.
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