potential XC90/XC60 purchase

[yellowbentines]

Hi all, I'll have had my current car 3 years this year and fancy a change, I've always admired the XC90 and the XC60 is also a handsome beast with a lovely looking interior.

Has anybody bought one of either recently, and if so are the dealers negotiating on list/windscreen prices (similar to what I've heard they were doing on the XC90 active last year at £22/23k) or is there a premium at the moment due to the bad winter weather?

I've seen plenty of nearly new XC90s around £25/26k, but they tend to be Active spec which seems quite spartan for a high end car. Quite a few XC60s around, but for similar age and year they seem to be more expensive than the bigger XC90 - is this just because they are the new model or are they much better in terms of spec/drive?

Any owners experiences of either gratefully received, I'm coming from an E Class and am looking for something spacious and wafty with 4wd, handling isn't that important, comfort and luxury are, will I be dissapointed with either?

[CanadianScot]

I was in a Volvo dealer yesterday and had a poke around the XC60. It's not that big inside to be honest. And it's AWD isn't it, while the XC90 is 4WD, meaning it's worse on the fuel?

Looks nice though

[yellowbentines]

From what I've read up on them both are AWD, but with a bias towards FWD in normal driving, with the Haldex system sending power to rear wheels when needed, same engine, but better mpg in the XC60 due to lower weight, XC60 also comes in FWD only which I'm not interested in.

Sounds like I need to have a poke around the XC60 before even considering then, my E Class estate is vast, I wouldn't want anything any or much smaller if possible.

[yellowbentines]

quiet in here isn't it!

[JimexPL]

yellowbentines said:

quiet in here isn't it!

I'll answer for you!

XC90 -
Better seats than your current car
Better stereo than your current car
Similar interior space to your current car, but much more flexible
2007 model year sat nav is better than your Merc's command
What engine is your merc? 185hp XC90 feels quicker than an E220, but noticeably slower than an E320.
Poor turning circle compared with your E
Nicer place to be than your E on a long journey

XC60 -
Feels a lot nimbler than the XC90, with a firmer ride but quieter suspension
Not that much less space than the 90, mainly noticeable in the width across the rear seats and in the boot
More modern dash, better feeling of quality
The later D5 engine feels a match for an E320cdi in general use.

SE Lux in either car is the spec to go for if budget allows, however the Active spec XC90s don't feel like a poverty spec car and the cloth seats are pretty good.
R design or later Exec XC90s - They look good but the big wheels harm the ride and make the average turning circle significantly worse.

They are quite different to drive, so I suggest that you go down to the local dealer and give both a go.

Edited by JimexPL on Thursday 27th January 16:57

[yellowbentines]

Thanks for the reply - I think my E has great seats, stereo and sat nav (COMAND) so if the XC90s is better that's good news! I have the later 170bhp E220, its faster than the 185bhp XC90 on paper to 60 by a couple of seconds, but from experience I know real world driving can at least feel different - it doesn't need to be a rocket, just as long as it doesn't feel too slow or ponderous.

Any knowledge on discounts on either new or used of either variant - I've heard that the XC90's are advertised at 1-2 yrs old for higher prices than people payed brand new so I'm tempted to wait until the sunnier weather arrives in the hope that prices fall, unless the dealers are struggling and are likely to knock huge sums of the winscreen price right now.

[JimexPL]

yellowbentines said:

Thanks for the reply - I think my E has great seats, stereo and sat nav (COMAND) so if the XC90s is better that's good news! I have the later 170bhp E220, its faster than the 185bhp XC90 on paper to 60 by a couple of seconds, but from experience I know real world driving can at least feel different - it doesn't need to be a rocket, just as long as it doesn't feel too slow or ponderous.
Any knowledge on discounts on either new or used of either variant - I've heard that the XC90's are advertised at 1-2 yrs old for higher prices than people payed brand new so I'm tempted to wait until the sunnier weather arrives in the hope that prices fall, unless the dealers are struggling and are likely to knock huge sums of the winscreen price right now.

Just realised that you have the later Command. I'd say that the later Volvo system is of a similar standard, but the inputting method is completely different (but quite intuitive once you get used to it).
Last year XC90s had a lot of extra money against them from the manufacturer, which is why some of the forum quoted prices are so good. I don't know what the situation is now though. I occasionally do some consultancy work for dealerships, but haven't done so recently so can't comment on current offers. Pm me if you want the name/number of someone to talk to.

[yellowbentines]

JimexPL said:

Pm me if you want the name/number of someone to talk to.

Thanks for the offer, I'll at least go to my local dealer and poke around a demonstrator first to see which of the 2 models suits me best. I've discovered in terms of used stock there's only 1 XC60 and 1 XC90 in geartronic within 100 miles of me, and they are the wrong colour/spec, and are very highly priced for used examples so I'd imagine discounts on new will be minimal based on supply and demand at the moment.

[dazzalse]

Great deals on the XC90, not as good as last year but still great, I've just ordered my fourth in 18 months because the deals are so good and they make for very cheap motoring, just going from a 2010/60 into a 2011/11 car, the new car lists at £47500 and I'm paying 35k for it.

They are a great all round car and very practical and very reliable, with great dealer support - After experiencing 2 80k Range Rovers they really put the reliability and aftersales of Land Rover to shame

[Throttle Body]

I've had an XC90D5 SE Geartronic for over 5 years now, and rate it very highly. It replaced a Land Rover Discovery, which was woefully unreliable. I doubt that I shall sell the Volvo for a few more years, and that should tell you all you need to know.

Pros:
Big and very comfortable.
Rides well
Well equipped
7 seats plus some boot room
Reasonably economic, particularly on a long run
Interior is well planned and executed
Car is very likeable and easy to live with

Cons:
Running costs are fairly high, but I think that is to be expected of a luxury car.
Front tyres wear quickly, particularly if used mainly in town - I get 8-10k miles
Pulling out of T-junctions is a bit tense because it seems to take time for the turbo or gearbox to spool up. I think that this is improved on the 185 bhp diesel engine - mine is the 163bhp
Tend to get occasional electical faults. Mine consumes parking sensors at the rate of about one per year.
Bushes and suspension components wear more quickly owing to weight of vehicle.
Volvo parts are quite pricey.

[yellowbentines]

Thanks for all of the useful replies. I went and had a poke around both models at my local volvo dealer yesterday.

I've ruled the XC60 out straight away, they had an SE Lux demonstrator and it just didn't wow me as being £35k+ of car, the space and light in the back seemed poor for the size of vehicle and the overall use of space not as good as the XC90 despite it appearing to have a similar footprint and driving position. Smaller issues were that the electric/hydraulic auto-tailgate is annoyingly slow to open and close and the leather used for the seats had an odd shiny/rubbery appearance and texture - overall not for me!

The XC90 exceeded my expectations, even although its the older of the 2 models and the demo was a 'basic' Active trim with winter pack, both SWMBO and I like it. Better quality materials for the trim than I expected, great driving position for both of us with good big mirrors that she loved, great versatile interior with the split tailgate and different seating positions. This is one we'll test drive, but they only have a manual demo at the moment and we'd buy an auto, so we need to find another dealer with an auto demo, it would be good to look at the SE with Premium pack as that'd probably be the one we'd go for.

In terms of discounts, the sales exec was very open that we could get up to £1500 allowance over and above normal book for a trade-in, and that there were good discounts against list, with a 3 month lead time for factory orders - I may wait until the lead time drops as I'd imagine discounts will be better once the winter AWD 'panic buying' is over.

Cheers folks.