Looking to buy and advice needed :-)

[sandys]

Should have mentioned, contrary to the Savagegeese vid where he says the new electric motor is slow, it's not, guess it depends on your frame of reference and expectations, it's 143bhp with >200lbs of torque, are you going to be beating hatchbacks off the lights in electric mode, no, but it seems perfectly well judged to me, I've never been caught wanting, no problems off the lights, sure its only doing about 10s to 60 if you lock it in Pure but it is plenty for making progress, no problems up slipways joining motorways, if you want more you can just bring in the petrol but for me in traffic, I can rarely go any faster anyway.

Most of the time my car is just a really inefficient EV ( little over 2 miles per kw is a bit rubbish ) which equates on my tariff to a car doing 50+mpg around town in traffic etc. which is better than my little city car.

If I put my self on a time of use tariff that running cost will be more than halved, so 100+ mpgs, as it is that is when we are paying, we are fortunate to be able to charge it for free at work which of course makes it very cheap to run.

I've only done 3k in mostly winter, not experienced summer which should improve the EV side efficiency but including all preheating and everything like AC charging loss, plus the longer trips on petrol we are looking at an equivalent of 42mpg over that whole 3k, if I was on a cheaper 12p/unit electric tariff that'd >60mpg pretty happy with that.

Car reckons its doing 160mpg for that 3k but it ignores electric use/cost.

[CanaryYellow]

Originally Posted by TheOtherMe

Hi all.

I was looking to buy an xc90, however I saw this YouTube video and it's got me worried. https://youtu.be/TQgMVBrmc54

So being new to the Volvo brand, I wondered what the general opinion is on an XC90, specifically:

• How is the reliability, my other option is a Discovery but at least I live closer to the dealership (which I understand is a prerequisite if land rover ownership :-))
  
• Whats the consensus of the best engine? I was looking at the T8 Twin-Engine as I have a BMW330D and although I don't drive fast, the lesser engines did feel quite slow. Is the T8 a bit over complicated?
  
• Also, I am looking for a 1 or 2 year old, what's a good model? I am thinking of an r-design pro.

Any advice is appreciated.

I'm a bit late to this, so apologies if it's not useful now!

I've recently made the move from a 330D (2015 LCI M Sport plus saloon) to a 2021 B5P XC90 Inscription Pro.

I was choosing between the B5P and the B5D, the T8 was out of my price range, I wanted a 1 - 2 year old car with no more than average mileage that we could run for a long time.

I test drove the B5P and the B5D and on balance, the B5P was the better option for me. I mostly drive around town or on B roads, only occasionally (once a month?) doing a 60 mile mixed motorway / A road run down to the in-laws. The P is v quiet, particularly in first gear, it pulls away from junctions quickly and quietly. The D is noisier (although hardly offensive) at low speeds, and I would have struggled with that diesel clatter having moved from the beauty of the BMW 330d. BUT, for anyone that is used to 4 pot diesels, the Volvo 4 pot in the B5 is a good one. It's just all relative when comparing directly with the BMW 6 pot.

Under load, I don't find the B5P to sound particularly nice to be honest, it just sounds a bit harsh in a way that doesn't suit the car. I expected the petrol to be much nicer sounding than the diesel, but I don't think it really is when accelerating rapidly, but certainly quieter at start up and low revs, which I like.

I do miss the torque and power to weight ratio of the 330d, the XC90 is just different - very hard to compare them as they are nothing like each other. The 330d is a beast of a sports saloon, the XC90 is a cruiser, it doesn't demand that you drive it fast, it wants to be driving smoothly. For that reason, I preferred the Inscription styling with the more luxury touches than the sportier styling of the R-Design, but that's entirely personal preference.

I'm very pleased with the ride and comfort. It's great.

I can't comment on the T8, which I know is the one you're looking at.

Good luck! I think all options are good, just a case of working out which one suits your needs best.