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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  Jury is Still Out - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By aniemyer - July 24 - 2:00 am

  I have driven SUVs since buying an Explorer in June, 1990, one of the first. In the first two weeks I put 2100 miles and significant off-road duty on our 2004, where it kept up with a Chevy Silverado 2500. Two days after that trip the engine surged a few times, steadied out, then died after one more in-town trip. 5 days and a 360 mile round trip to the dealer, its back after having the plastic air induction shroud replaced for cracking along the seam. (and a hassel over a loaner from the dealership, which was resolved). We are worried that we now have a lemon on our hands and a 2+ hour drive one-way to and from the dealership.

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  Heres a little history - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By chriswhiston - July 23 - 2:50 pm

  I should have seen the sign. When I went to buy the car back in 2004, I had picked out the exact model I wanted, then while I was filling out paperwork, I was notified one of the doors did not open. After another Identical model was found, I took it home. 8500 miles later it needed brakes. Seats showed wear at 10000 miles. Then soon after, the passenger door started popping open. There have been numerous leaks, including a cracked power steering reservoir. Many noises started popping up, a transmission leak appeared, the Volvo dealership rarely fixed problems the first time. Now, because of this, at 47000 miles, the car is in need of a new transmission. Volvo now must replace the radiator.

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  W ow! - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By TEEJ - July 18 - 2:00 am

  Best engineered car Ive ever owned.

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  Great car but I have a wish list for changes - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Pat - July 15 - 6:26 pm

  I give the car a five-stars but I do have a wish list for changes 1. Hard to see the heads - up display while wearing sunglasses 2. Needs captains chairs - theres no comfortable rest for either elbow for either front seat 3. Would like the front pockets in the front seats like my 2005 XC 90 4. The moonroof just has a mesh interior covering . I suggest a plastic cover to keep the sunlight off of your head 5. Factory SPF protection on the windows

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  Its so great! - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By lh - July 14 - 1:06 am

  I cant say enough about this car. It is easy and fun to drive, is very safe, and feels like a sturdy well built car. I chose this car after driving several others in the same price range. This by far seemed like you were getting more "bang for your buck"

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  Long Term Review - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Matt H. - July 9 - 2:12 pm

  We bought our 2016 XC90 T6 Inscription in December of 2015 with only 3 miles on it straight from the factory. It had every available package, except air suspension. We also had the 21" upgraded wheels, and later added the towing package when the parts became available a couple weeks later. Ours also came with Apple pay at no additional cost before Apple decided to start making the car companies make their dealers (and subsequently buyers) pay for it. Since then, weve also paid for some software upgrades. Just recently we paid to have the Auto Pilot upgraded to Auto Pilot Assist 2 for 2017. This was well worth the money to upgrade since it gives our older model semi-autonomous features. So far weve loved it. We also renewed our Volvo on Call service through the rest of the life our vehicle loan because we like the remote start feature since we live in Colorado where we get snow during the winter. Now onto my actual review. Weve had the vehicle almost two full years now with minimal issues. Ive noticed several reviews that gave bad ratings due to software issues. I can understand that for factory delivered vehicles. They were brand new and they shipped with bugs already in the systems, Volvo pushes several software updates to the dealers every month, and so the vehicle is in a constant state of repair basically because the car is so loaded with technology. Weve never had any issues with software but only once when the OS would randomly reboot itself. That ended up getting fixed with a software update. Mechanically weve only had 3 issues, one being the rear brakes were heavily squealing. They gave us the upgraded rotors due to that being a known issue on early 2016 models which was covered under warranty. Our second mechanical issue came when the blinkers would fail to work and it popped an error. We brought it into service, and they replaced the entire assembly, new controls, wiring, and software which fixed the issue, they had the car for two days but theyve always given us a loaner vehicle, even when brought in for a regular interval service. Everything was covered under warranty. We also recently had a fuel sensor go out, which was also under warranty. Weve gotten a few recalls since weve had the vehicle, but none were ever issues that would jeopardize safety and all were fixed promptly at the dealership, about 95% of them were all software recalls. That has been the extent of any trouble weve seen, which to us has been pretty minimal. We had a brand new 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee before we bought our XC90 and it had 14 recalls in the first year we purchased it, most of them were life threatening major mechanical issues, and we were extremely unhappy with both the vehicle, and our quality of service with Jeep, and will most likely never go back. Volvos service department near us has been absolutely wonderful, and some of the best service weve gotten from any industry. They go out of their way to make us 100% happy when we step out that door and weve been extremely happy with customer service. Now for nitpicks we didnt like after owning it for this amount of time. There needs to be more USB ports. The 2016 model only has one in the entire vehicle, and I believe the 18 models now has 3. In all honesty, it needs at least 4. 2 in the front and 2 in the back for passengers. The 18 XC40 has wireless phone charging, which I would also like to see in the XC90 range at some point. We noticed a significant difference between the lower end models and our model with road comfort, and thats due to the upgraded 21" rims. With less tire on the road, theres less cushion for a smoother ride, so while you feel more bumps, its still extremely quiet. It has some of the best seats in the industry and has been great for long car rides. In the future however, well be not doing the upgraded wheels since we learned that makes a large difference in ride comfort. That doesnt effect our review negatively since that was a choice that we made when purchasing, but just something to keep in mind for future buyers. Gas mileage has been less than advertised, but its worth it to note that both me and my wife are heavy on the foot at stops. We do keep the start/stop feature on, but forget to turn on echo mode on the highway which makes a difference. We also mostly do city driving which also makes a difference in gas mileage overall. When were on road trips or actively trying to conserve gas we get an average of about 24, which is closer to the actual estimated. I feel that letting you know how we drive the vehicle makes a difference in why our combined MPG is the number it is and not something higher, which it could definitely get. Other than that, weve been extremely happy with our XC90 and cant wait to get our next Volvo in the future.

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  Swedish heaven - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By James - July 7 - 5:26 am

  One word AWESOME oh ya and 2016 SUV of the year!

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  Sorry but I dont miss Z4 or C230 much - 2006 Volvo XC90
  By z4jjazzman - July 2 - 4:56 pm

  I had two cars b4 this and they were MB C230 and BMW Z4. Believe it or not I dont miss much of those two. They were both great get away cars but neither were comfortable cars. XC90 is just one extremely comfortable car to drive and I looked at Tourag seriously but it was little too small and I just couldnt risk VWs reliability. I had 2002 GTI and was in shop every two weeks and lasted less than 2 yrs. My brother just bought new 2006 Passat.. stopped on next day of purchase.. Rear AC was not working and turns out vent was missing. What a poor built quality. Beware of VW!

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  Best Deal for Third Row - 2004 Volvo XC90
  By pab - June 23 - 10:00 am

  Wanted a 3rd row but owned the Tahoe which was a little too large. Great interior, easy to use third row. Love the car.

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  Average XC90 (V70XC was better!) - 2003 Volvo XC90
  By Bushepy - June 18 - 10:00 am

  The XC90 has been a disappointment with the following: overall build quality, fit and finish (both interior and exterior, noisy electroic climate control, poor audio system (the premium Dolby Pro-logic II surround sound is very disappointing), and, most disappointing, the lack of adequate engine power while accelerating onto highways or while climbing mountains. I also have had major problems with my Volvo retailer on warranty work (they damged the car. This could be my very last Volvo.