VOLVO XC90 test drive since 2007 SUV

Only calm!

Volvo XC90 Damnic is beautiful. He also has a modest appetite and is almost harmless to the ecology. All because a 2.4-liter diesel engine is working under his hood. But will it be fast and gambling in management, like powerful gasoline versions? We will try to figure out what the diesel crossover had to put on the altar of economy and ecology.
 
I really do not like the current Volvo advertising campaign. Have you read their booklets? If you have an accident, we will come to the rescue; Broke? It does not matter how to help out in the same spirit. I understand that it is difficult to advertise a new proprietary company emergency warning system on Call. But to devote to her a hefty booklet, and even with colorful photographs of problematic Volvo, falling into one or another misfortune ... No, I am against.
It does not occur to anyone to hit the wall of the Stradivarvari violin to show how to deftly to fasten the fragments with glue the moment? And here it turns out that you will definitely get somewhere on Volvo. At the subconscious level, the precipitate remains, but calm and equanimity are perhaps the main qualities of the Swedish cars and their owners.
The Volvo XC90 looks better, of course, not with an open hood on the sidelines and not even rushing along the autobahn. To catch his reflection in the mirror window of the store is a real pleasure. So I began to love traffic jams and for a short while I was sick with narcissism.
XC90 design can be admired forever. As a grandmother's sideboard: it seems unbearable, bulky, somewhat heavy, but so attractive against the background of boring chipboard. And its appearance will never grow old, because in the laconic contours of monumental creation the formula for the elixir of youth lurks. The formula, the main component of which is charisma.
That's it, the grandmother's sideboard is processed miraculous lacquer. The beetles will not rush, it will not fade in the sun, and the grandchildren and great -grandchildren will be admired for a long time to look at its forms. Welcome to eternity! That is why the model of this year did not see how significant restyling. Only the Volvo inscription along the rear side became the width of the license plate, and new (optional) discs and options for the color solution of the salon appeared in the specification.
Those who doubt the quality of the finishing materials of the Swedish manufacturer are a direct road to the Volvo XC90 salon. Finishing is beyond praise. There are no mentioning elements that have been saved on you.
Comfortable, cozy chairs, with corrugated leather inserts, allow you to sit down not a shutter, but quite rigidly fixed behind the steering wheel. Against the background of the massive front panel, it seems very small; At the same time, it lays well in his hands. On the steering wheel, in addition to the bonds on the sides, a branded groove is made around the perimeter, which allows you to feel the steering wheel even better.
The climatic block Volvo with the famous man on the keys is perhaps one of the most convenient, to date. To adjust the temperature and direction of the air flow, you do not need to wander along the menu of the on -board computer. The chic display of the radio, with large black characters on a dairy background, is visible and beautiful, which cannot be said about the dashboard. Then the designers were nadoled, making the digitization of the scales of poorly readable. In addition, on a sunny day, the devices noticeably glance, forcing to peer into the testimony.
Designers also made a mistake with the location of the front chair settings block. It is drowned in the bottom of the seat pillow, and it is difficult to adjust the back, without getting into the trap of a narrow opening.
Being high above the road, I want to be the strongest, fast, confident but rather lethargic response to pressing the gas pretty much cooles the ardor. Acceleration is smooth, confident, but without sparks or sports notes. It is better to be an ecologist: for our suburban sortie, the consumption showed a modest 10.2 liter per 100 km of path. Or a major: the Volvo XC90 diesel version is the most affordable in the line.
For knightly exploits, the motor is still weak. Here would be a diesel five forces for 300 (like V10 TDI on Volkswagentoureg) then we would show everyone with Volvo! But the manufacturer does not have such a motor, so the rear is covered with powerful and tracted, but, alas, gasoline, 315-horsepower eights.
But the Volvo platform is excellent. In the pendants, a rare combination of comfort and rigidity was found, making the car understandable in motion. The steering wheel with sufficient feedback and a pronounced zer is able to safely control the machine and with a more powerful power plant under the hood, but today the movement mode will be calm. We save, not chasing.
Volvo XC90 The car is tactfully verified, correct. The way it looks, and especially what materials are executed from, allows you to doubt its belonging to the premium. And as for the motor this is not the best choice for the drive, but it is quite consistent with the calm, intelligent settings of the car chassis. Perhaps such an unit for his power plant with a propeller would be chosen by the most famous fairy -tale resident of Stockholm Carlson. Calm, as you know, he appreciated above. In addition, a diesel engine is much more profitable than jam.
 
The car is provided for the SWED MOBIL test by the official Volvo dealer.
Text: Alexander Mikhailov
Photo: Roman Ostanin, Alexander Korobchenko

 
   
 
 
 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [November 2008]