Test drive Volvo XC90 2002 - 2006 SUV

Gentleman in the appearance of Macho

Volvo XC90
The car was first shown in 2002 at the Detroit car dealership; A year later, sales in Europe began.
Built on an enlarged platform of the CHA70 all -wheel drive model, the first car of the SUV class in the history of Volvo.
The body is a five -door universal of a supporting type with two or three rows of seats. Engines - transversely located in -line five- or six -cylinder with turbocharged, gasoline 2.5 or 2.9 liters, as well as a 2.4 -liter diesel. The gearbox is automatic four- or five -speed.
In Russia, the most powerful 2.9-liter versions of T6 are sold for $ 63,900 for five- or $ 65,900 for seven-seater modification.
Summer, sun, heat. Children frolic in the water, parents sunbathe on the beach. And I stand on all fours and, shedding later, I will scoop up the sand from under the luxurious golden seems to be an alternate. And what I didn’t go on asphalt!
It is to blame: after all, no one promised outstanding all-terrain qualities from Volvo-XS90. And even an alternate is called only unofficially - for the most part for a formidable appearance. Although, in my opinion, this name is much more accurate than the amorphous SUV (sports and ulytar car) reflects its purpose - a car for all sorts of roads. Including very bad ones - but, nevertheless, roads.
 
And I drove him off -road. Sand is only soft and affectionate. In fact, he is very insidious and directly sucks the heavy - more than two tons! - automobile. It is useless to crush the accelerator - all the power of a leafing engine is getting stuck in the Dexron of the Gidrotransformer. The front wheels make only timid attempts to slip, which are immediately suppressed by the DSTC system (dynamic stabilization and traction control). And if the front wheels are not beating, then there is nothing to blame on the electromagnetic coupling haldex: it does not have legal grounds to connect the rear wheels. Pressing the DSTC button helps a little - it does not turn off the system completely, but only boots its sensitivity. In addition, due to stretched gears - the first 3.28, the main 3.69 - a lack of torque on wheels is felt. And there is no lowering transmission in transmission and mechanical locks, this is already an attribute of real and SUVs.
By design, XC90 is also more like a passenger car. The supporting body uses a 100 mm extension platform of an all -wheel drive station wagon XC70 (ZR, 2001, No. 12). The car is high on 16 -inch wheels, the clearance under the motor compartment is 210 mm. However, it is not worthwhile to check the geometric cross -country ability on stumps or boulders, there is no powerful protection from below - only a plastic mudguard under the engine and fake silver overlays under the bumpers. Yes, and the doctae, located behind the bottom, is unequivocally hinting: hold closer to civilization. The suspensions are quite cars: McExeson in front and multi-link behind, with very moderate moves, quite tough. Of course, they are not as tenacious as, say, bridges on springs, but they provide much more accurate reactions of the car and are great for high -speed aerobatics on the asphalt. For new Volvo, this quality is more important.
Located across (!) In a row six with a two -stage turbocharger and two interculers with a relatively modest volume of 2.9 liters develops a record 272 liters. With. - Not a single car of this class will boast of such a high specific power. Due to the high force, the engine demonstrates its best qualities in gasoline with an octane number 98, although AI-95 is also quite suitable in ordinary operation, and a short-term AI-91 is also suitable. The large length of the motor forced to install a compact machine, with only four gears. Maybe one or two additional programs would have won several tenths of a second in acceleration to 100 km/h, but 9.3 s - an indicator that is quite worthy of respect, especially for a heavy car. Well, what, but you don’t have to complain about the dynamics of XC90!
 
The box also has a manual control mode, however, playing for a while, you will soon coolate it to it. The main reason is that the transfer is kept even upon reaching maximum revolutions. It is especially unpleasant to find that the machine has ceased to accelerate during intense overtaking - after all, it is in this case that they often switch to manual control. Conclusion: Sequental mode must or use constantly in order to remember its features, or not to touch at all. Moreover, the long -long and even, as a table, a shelf of the maximum torque, stretching from 1800 to 5000 rpm, allows minimizing the number of operations of the box. And with a calm movement, it generally seems like only one, an infinitely long gear - you go, like in a trolley, no jerks and switching.
Another feature of XC90 is a magnificent vibro and noise insulation. The engine is installed on the hydraulic power plants and is practically not heard, the subframes are mounted on the elastic blocks, to the rear, also on the blocks, the gearbox is attached. All external noises cut off three -layer side glasses - at high speeds, quiet and surface.
The new Volvo has very pretty aluminum steps and miniature pens on the front racks, although the small height of the seats quite allows us to sit without their help, as in a regular passenger car. The spacious salon leaves the impression of a restrained-collapse power and as recognizable as the appearance: a faceted visor visor, an extensive, highly inclined central console, a corporate, intuitive key control unit. However, the restraint of the interior is clearly not a budget nature. Evidence of this - leather seats, wood inserts, stylish aluminum pens, multifunctional steering wheel with control audiosystem and cruise control, separate climate control, six-disc chainger, a mirror with automatic obscurity, numerous electric drives, rain sensor and even a built-in phone. The seats have huge ranges of adjustments, and the driver’s memory also has three positions, but the steering wheel of polished wood is too much, hands on it sweat and slide. Another feature: the parking brake is turned on the pedal. It is not as noticeable as the usual lever of the handbrake, but there is no automatic shutdown - a couple of times I tried to move on it.
 
The back is almost spacious than in front, and the tunnel barely rises above the floor. Here, both in length and in height will quite get space for three healthy women. At their services, individual deflectors in the middle racks, if desired, you can remove the central box between the front seats and generally sit with your legs extended. The seat is divided into three parts in a ratio of 35/30/35, and the pillow in the middle can be raised by forming a place for the child. In the same case, the console has a children's lock that turns off the rear windows and blocking the rear door locks from the opening from the inside. The segments of the seat can be folded in any combination, increasing the luggage volume from without that, from the without that, 613 liters to 1885. The fifth door is split: raising a relatively small upper part, it is convenient to throw some trifle inside, but it is not easy to reach the trunk with a thrown lower side. There is a soft storm -regiment, and a grid that fences off the trunk from the cabin, and even a table with a pair of seats installed on the rear side - you want to, admire the sunset, and you want to catch the fish directly from the car.
Horse Volvo is a safety that has been given a lot of attention here. In addition to the mentioned DSCT stabilization system, there is a ROPS system: it, using gyroders, is insured by a car from overturning. If a the accident will happen, frontal and side pillows will help, as well as full -size curtains over the entire length of the cabin. When impact on the back, the overload will help to reduce the overload device, which allows some backs of the backs back.
... I still got out of the sand. And then he found a slightly more humid site - there Volvo -Xs90 drove quite confidently. On the highway, he will easily give the head start to any alternate of those that are called real. After all, most of them are forced to pay mediocre road qualities for unclaimed all -terrain vehicles. Volvo -XS90 demonstrates another approach - impeccable, almost passenger reactions and an impressive ginger appearance. A sort of gentleman with the appearance of Macho.
EQUIPMENT
Abs
Stabilization system
Curtains and airbags
Climate control
Adjustable steering column
Fog lights
Audiosystem
SUMMARY
+ Excellent dynamics and brakes, accurate reactions on the road, magnificent sound insulation, spacious interior, rich equipment.
- limited traction capabilities, high fuel consumption, some disadvantages of ergonomics, not a very comfortable fifth door.
 
Yuri Nechetov. Photo: George Sadkov
 
 
 
 
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"