A 5 year old XC90 T5 or D5?
 

Hi there, sorry to raise this question again, i know there are some posts on this topic, but Im really struggling with whether to buy a 5-6 year old XC90 D5 or T5. We do around 8-10k a year, mix of school run and mid and longer journeys. Many car mag reviews suggest the D5 is just the best engine for this family car but then reading on this forum, it seems the T5 is recommended if doing less than 12k miles and quite a lot of short journeys. Im not concerned about which drives better etc, really just about the fact the T5 potentially could return quite poor mpg overall and also whether the D5 will just depreciate that much more than the T5 over the next 5+ years, with it being a diesel, when we'll look to sell it. Any thoughts, guidance much appreciated.

For anything less than 12-15k miles pa I'd definitely recommend the T5.

Diesels and lots of short trips don't mix well, in terms of MPG it does depend upon your driving style but the cost difference over 8-10k miles p.a. would be pretty small I imagine.

I agree with the above poster. Go for the petrol if you're doing shorter journey's. Diesel's need motorway trips and less than 8-10k a year doesn't really warrant a diesel. What you'll save on fuel having a diesel you'll be spending in the garage because of DPF issues etc etc. Diesel's need motorway trips, they don't like short journeys.

If you mainly drive locally and do not take the car for a regular longish drives at 70 you will have oil dilution regen problems with the D5, less likely with the T5 as engine runs hotter.
The D5 will get better mileage about town but still wont be great, on the open road hands down better economy.
T5 (someone correct if I'm wrong) appears a little easier to live with no EGR sooting up, Powerpulse hoses, regen issues. Both these motors are not as good as Volvo motors of yole (IMHO). Personally driving 10k a year I'd get the petrol and accept it's a tad thirsty if I were cruising up the motorways I'd have the diesel.

I had the same dilemma. I went with the T5 (R-Design) for reliability (no DPF, Ad Blue etc). Absolutely no regrets. Yes it is more thirsty but is also quieter and smoother.

Thanks for this guidance. It's still tricky because whilst we will do daily school runs of just a few miles every day we will also do a motorway every week or two and a bunch of 10-15mile journeys in there as well every week. So thinking the regen/dpf issues should be catered for...?

I did calculate that based on 8k miles a year and using volvo's own wltp figures of 29mpg for the t5 and 36mpg for the d5 and with Diesel costing 8p more on average, the annual fuel saving with the d5 is minimal, just £250. So I guess I shouldnt worry too much about the cost of petrol a year, but what im really asking myself and probably need to be most concerned about is the TCO over 5 years and that a T5 currently costs about £2-3k more to buy than a D5 now (for a 2018/9 car)... but then, just how much will a D5 lose in value in the next 5 years compared to a T5 because it's a "dirty" diesel and will anyone want one then, so could mean that that £2k saving now turns into a bigger loss vs the T5 in 5 years time....

A car isn't an investment, at least not a mass produced one. I see lots of Tesla owners concerned about the value of their cars (basically they were overpriced ford escorts in terms of build quality), if you want retention, keep your money and buy a used Dacia duster.

If you want a nice well built car, that is reliable (provided it's been looked after) then you will be better off with a petrol (no emissions faffing to worry about).

I still think you're better off with a petrol based on the mileage you do. 8-10k a year isn't enough for a diesel.

I'm happy with my T5 even though I do more miles than you indeed. Averaged 29mpg so far. I didn't want the diesel stigma and, obviously, Volvo no longer make the D5/B5D. Your main problem will be finding a T5 in the spec you want as they did not sell well.

I have a B5P rather than a T5, so can't comment specifically on the T5. However, I have no regrets over going for petrol over diesel.

My usage is not dissimilar to yours, perhaps mine is slightly more skewed to short journeys, with fewer of the middle distance 10 - 15 mile runs. However I also have a couple of longer journeys every month.

I could likely have got away with a diesel, but it just wasn't the right option for my usage, and I am not a fan of the sound of 4 cylinder diesel engines at idle / low speed, and really enjoy how quiet the petrol engine is.

When I asked a similar question on here a while ago when I was trying to find a good used model, I was correctly advised that there aren't any bad XC90 models, it's just a matter of finding the right one for you. The petrol is exactly that for me.

Again, mine is a B5P so not directly comparable, but over the weekend I went from Tonbridge to Norwich, I kept to the speed limit (65 - 70) on the motorway, with a bit of urban driving at each end and a few roundabouts to navigate in Norfolk (with some relatively brisk acceleration back up to speed) and managed 35mpg. In the long term my average is high 20s. I think the T5 is possibly a bit less economical, so long term might be more like mid 20s, depending on your driving style and mixture of long and short journeys.

I wouldn't be scared of the mpg difference, try and drive both and see what you prefer.