Overview & Reviews

Volvo does things a little differently from other premium brands in the automotive world. For this Swedish manufacturer, safety and kid-friendliness are just as important as luxury amenities and driving performance, and in no vehicle is this more apparent than the Volvo XC90, a midsize seven-passenger SUV.

Innovative safety features aside, the XC90 is merely adequate relative to the premium midsize SUV competition. Zestier performance is available elsewhere, as are more cavernous cargo holds and more modern electronics features. With more and more modern competitors measuring up to Volvo's high safety standards, the aging XC90 isn't the slam-dunk for families that Volvo products used to be. It remains capable, though, and arguably safer than ever thanks to some new tricks.

Current Volvo XC90
The Volvo XC90 is a seven-passenger luxury crossover SUV that comes in two different trim levels: 3.2 and sportier 3.2 R-Design. Available with front- or all-wheel drive, the XC90 has a 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine rated for 240 horsepower. It's paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Standard equipment highlights include 18-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, rear parking sensors, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, eight-way power front seats, a built-in child booster seat, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and an eight-speaker sound system that includes an iPod/USB audio interface. The 3.2 R-Design adds 19-inch alloys, a sport-tuned suspension/steering system, sporty exterior styling cues, a sport steering wheel and special leather upholstery. Major options include adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, a rear entertainment system with dual screens, a DVD-based navigation system and a surround-sound audio system.

On the road, we've found that the XC90 drives just as you'd expect a safe, heavy Volvo SUV to drive. Acceleration from the inline-6 is just adequate. Those looking for more energetic performance should know that the previously available V8-powered models are considerably more satisfying to drive. Ride quality is smooth and the cabin stays quiet, while handling is competent but not particularly sporty. Equipped with AWD, the XC90 makes an excellent snow vehicle but isn't intended for serious off-road romps.

To its credit, the XC90 has a first-rate interior, good overall driving dynamics and excellent safety scores. The trouble is, most rivals offer these attributes as well as fresher designs. In addition to Volvo's own XC60, we'd suggest you also consider the Lexus RX and Volkswagen Touareg if a third row isn't required. If it is, then we'd suggest the Acura MDX, BMW X5, Buick Enclave and Ford Flex. The Volvo XC90 is certainly a nice luxury crossover, but it lacks an edge over the competition in both luxury and performance.

Used Volvo XC90 Models
The XC90 debuted for the 2003 model year with models that corresponded to engine size. The original base engine was a 208-hp, 2.5-liter turbocharged inline five-cylinder (known as the 2.5T) coupled to a five-speed automatic, which was replaced by the current 3.2 six-cylinder for '07. Used XC90 shoppers will also come across T6 models (sold from 2003-'05), which had a 268-hp, twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter inline-6 paired to a four-speed auto. Although acceleration was adequate with either of these turbo engines, their power delivery wasn't well suited for duty in a heavy SUV. However, if you test-drive either a T6 or 2.5T and find its performance to your liking, there's no reason not to buy it.

A 4.4-liter V8 joined the fray for '05. It was rated at 311 hp. For 2007 and '08, there was a surprisingly fun V8 Sport model, which added unique exterior trim, a firmly tuned suspension, 19-inch wheels, quicker steering, heavily bolstered front seats, blue gauges and a sporty steering wheel. This was essentially replaced by the R-Design models for '09, which featured most of the Sport's mechanical enhancements, but could be had with the 3.2 engine as well. The V8 R-Design was dropped for 2010, while the following year would be the last for any V8 version of the XC90.

It should be noted that non-V8-powered XC90s were available in both five- and seven-passenger seating configurations until 2010, when the third row became standard. Other changes were restricted to the odd feature added here or there until '07, when the XC90 got slightly revised exterior styling. New standard features included an auxiliary audio jack and satellite radio, while Volvo's Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) was added to the options list. The V8's Executive package was added for 2009, and with items like massaging and ventilated front seats, a so-equipped XC90 would be quite a used car find.

User Reviews:

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  Bought Back as a Lemon by Volvo - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By MEK - August 29 - 7:40 pm

  This car gave me problems almost every time I drove it. The car was a lemon and was bought back by the manufacturer. The list of things wrong with it is dozens of items long. Many of the problems were an inconvenience, but several of them actually made the car dangerous to drive. Volvo should be ashamed of themselves for releasing this model before all the bugs were worked out. The collision mitigation system was erroneously triggered on several occasions, which means that the car braked itself to a full stop while I was driving at speed and there was no accident imminent, the belt pulled me back into the driver seat and alarm bells went off, as well as the HUD flashed red lights. That was only ONE of MANY things that went wrong in the car. All of this with less than 3K miles. I will avoid Volvo at all cost for the rest of my life.

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  Not a reliable VOLVO - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Yu - July 3 - 8:01 pm

  Updated review: the car wat sent to dealer many times because the start/stop function did not work. It has not been fixed. Every time the dealer charged up the battery and it worked for a day or two. Volvo simply just looked at the check code and concluded there was nothing wrong. After many frustrations, I just gave up as I do not particularly like the start/stop feature. Bought the car because of Volvos safety and reliability reputation. Nice looking car and drives great. But still I would say Do Not Buy. Owned XC90 for about 9 months. It went to shop for three times due to unknown battery draining issues commonly seen by many XC90 owners. So far the issue seems have been fixed but I heard many other owners still have the problem. Stop/start almost never worked. Dealer said nothing can be found regarding to this. Received three safety recalls on the car in 6 months. All small but annoying issues. Volvo made a bold redesign on XC90 but this one failed.

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  This car should be called XC90 T8 BETA - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By XC90isBeta - December 29 - 11:31 am

  This car has issues which require it to go back to the dealer within my first 3 days of ownership. And there is a list of intermittant problems which I know will be difficult to reproduce and therefore will continue to plague me throughout my ownership of this car. Not to mention I have been getting terrible fuel economy and it is the bumpiest ride of any car I have ever owned!

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  Great Car with bad design flaw - 2017 Volvo XC90
  By Bill - May 29 - 9:38 am

  The XC-90 8T has a serious design problem. If the car sits long enough ( usually 7 to 8 days) the car goes into a sleep mode to protect the batteries. The result is the car is dead with no power available. The car must be entered using the manual key and the only way to start the car is to get a jump start. I am an international commercial pilot and go on long trips all the time. When I return I must get my airlines maintenance to give me a jump to start. Needless to say I am the joke of the airline and having to to this at 4am during blizzards in Chicago is a nightmare. I have a 1995 snow plow I can start after sitting 6 months but a new 84,000 Volvo XC-90 cannot sit 2 weeks how sad.The dealer has been great but Volvo has not provided any hopes for a fix. I am pursuing the Lemon laws for my state

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  Nothing like an Electrical Fire to Ruin your Day - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Kris - April 14 - 3:30 am

  The dealer while very nice has no clue on how to fix these cars nor for that matter Volvo. We had been having issues where the onboard screens would blank out when nav in use vehicle would do it twice and then reload while vehicle was in use. This was an issue as your speedometer goes out and we were planning on taking it when it happened on a short trip but this time we smelled an odor then smoke came bellowing out of the center console. We turned off the unit and contacted the nearest dealership. The car has been there two weeks, contacted Volvo North America only to be told they could not find anything but they thought it was due to software needing to be updated. Updates were made and when dealer went to move car, battery was dead. We were told they checked it out with meters and again felt it was a software issue. Car was checked out and I was told the car was repaired. I drove 100 miles to pick the car up only to get in and there was an error indicating the Battery Charge was low after being assured that despite my concerns that it had to be more than a software issue. The car is still at the dealership as I was not willing to have them jump it and attempt to drive it home until they could get with Volvo North America. I would hold off purchasing as no one seems to know how to fix it. Very disappointed

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  Great looking car just not reliable - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Thomas - February 12 - 10:20 pm

  I leased my 2016 xc90 in May and it has been in the shop 5 times!!!! First it needed a software update, then the engine light just came on, then I needed 4 spark plugs replaced etc!!!!! Its a great looking car, but too many glitches. No warning when you are low on gas, Nav takes forever to load up, air condition is so loud its like your flying in an airplane. Those "great seats" are wearing down already.

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  One software issue after another - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By William - December 31 - 1:56 pm

  I have this car for almost a year and I been back to the dealership 6 times for various software issues ranging from annoying (the sensus navigation and infotainment system freezing and rebooting) to inconvenient (locks not working, moonroof not working) to dangerous (entire dashboard blanking out including speedometer and tachometer and auto-breaking going off without any other vehicles around). The car itself is beautiful and very comfortable, but the software is quirky. Volvo is constantly releasing software upgrades addressing these issues and other bugs, but you need to bring the car back to the dealership. Expected much better reliability for the price.

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  Do NOT BUY 2016 XC90 - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Heather Manuel - August 16 - 1:15 am

  We purchased our new (8 miles on the odometer) 2016 XC90 on June 30, 2016 and today is October 14th (1249 on the odometer) and the car has been in the shop a combined 31 days for 5 separate repairs. Thankfully, the car is under warranty but the hassle and the lack of confidence that this vehicle will keep our family safe is zero. --Weve had starting issues, navigation issues, issues with the transmission slipping and the latest incident where only the drivers door would unlock, meaning no one could get in or out of the vehicle unless we crawled through the drivers door. THAT IS NOT SAFE and since the dealership cannot guarantee it wont happen again, we are continuing to drive a loaner vehicle until they can figure out the issue. It is a gorgeous car and when it runs, it is so much fun to drive BUT Im now wishing I would have purchased the Audi or Land Rover. Save yourself the hassle and wait until they get the kinks out of this car.

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  2016 XC90 T8 In Shop FOR 14 Days Today Owned for - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Mike Aiello - June 20 - 5:59 am

  We have experienced what appears to be a complete failure of the control systems of the 2016 XC90 T8. It started out with an SRS error and has become a complete reloading of all software, replacement of poor door lock module, AC water leak under the carpet and not a faulty connector. Been at the dealer service center for the past 14 days and is expected to be there for at least another week or so. DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE - Ask them about the software issues before you buy. You will find out the since the XC90 T8 for 2016 is a brand new vehicle, they are experiencing issues that they have to learn how to diagnose. If you want to be a guinea pig like us, buy. If not, wait of find something else. This is our first and last experience with Volvo ownership. Period.

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  Reviewing Minnesota Lemon Laws - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Roger - May 26 - 4:30 am

  DO NOT BUY!!! Battery drains constantly and they cant fix it. Software is way too buggy. These cars dont need mechanics, but rather computer programmers. Also getting strange motor/pump sound coming from back of car when car engine is turned off. I was warned not to buy a Volvo because theyre constantly in the shop. I didnt listen. Im an idiot. Update: 6 days until 2018 and same problem still exists. The dealership replaced the battery and then told me told me the only way to fix the battery problem is to keep the car locked at all times, even in my heated garage. Problem not solved, I still get a low battery warning. Cant wait to get out of this car!