Automotive

AuHavrePro
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2016 XC90 T6 AWD Momentum Plus Review....

So I finally sat down to write my comments on the car, specifically the one you see in the images above. This is a mid-range trim for the car and the MSRP indicates this. It retails for approximately $62,975. The base-trim XC90s retail in the low 50-thousands.This, even to a longtime automotive enthusiast, would certainly seem steep pricing for a Volvo vehicle. However, on second look it takes very little time to realize these cars (the 90 series) are not Volvo vehicles like you've ever seen before. Yes, they come with the nearly century long company pedigree of safety and quality first and foremost however they now offer a level of luxury on-par or even surpassing that of key German competitors in the marketplace. You can easily specify one of these cars with the top-end engine (T8) and trim-level (Inscription) to reach right around $100K. A big leap for Volvo indeed. As has been mentioned here already, the top-end T8 powered car boast a twin-engine configuration, a 2L I4 (318hp and 295lb-ft) powering the front axle and an electric engine (82hp and 177lb-ft) powering the rear axle. That configuration starts at around $70K and delivers around 400 total hp and 427lb-ft of torque which is good enough for a 5.7 second 0-60 acceleration time. The electric engine can run on its own power for some 13-14 miles. The MPG rating for it is 24 city, 27 highway. With that fact out of the way I will say that I actually prefer the mid-range T6 powered vehicle even though it delivers less overall power and a 20 - 25 MPG rating. It boasts the same exact engine with 316hp @ 5700 RPM and 295lb-ft @ 2200 RPM. Ample boost for luxurious urban driving if you ask me. I highly doubt anybody who purchases this vehicle will truly need any more power delivery than that. As great of a technological innovation and idea as the T8 engine indisputably is, it is brand-new tech and has thus experienced some issues with customers having reported vehicle stalling every now and then. This is of course not meant in any way to discourage those who prefer purchasing such a bleeding-edge tech engine, simply to objectively say that you can never expect the latest tech to work flawlessly straight out of the gate. All of the XC90s have 8-speed Geartronic auto transmissions with Start/Stop tech and brake regeneration. Other efficiency-enhancing measures include continuously-variable valve timing, electric water pump, intelligent heat management and low-friction camshaft ball-bearings. There are 4 possible drive modes: Comfort, Hybrid, Dynamic and Individual mode where you obviously get to set each specification individually to your tastes. The safety features are of course the major selling point as with any Volvo. The new suite includes adaptive cruise control which no longer needs to have a lead car in front of the vehicle to function, 24/7 (day and nighttime) pedestrian and cyclist detection with auto-braking, a chassis constructed from 30+% Boron steel which easily provides for the glowing 5 star crash test results, auto-collapsing steering column along with the central tunnel and brake/gas pedals for minimizing injury potential, blind spot and cross traffic alert, air-bags galore including the head-curtain and knee bags and last but not least the seat safety which includes crumple zones in the seat mechanism where the seat will collapse in case of the vehicle going off-road to prevent spinal cord injury.  Not that I know with absolute certainty but I do believe none of the competitors offer as many safety features standard and in most instances you cannot even pay to have all of those features on other vehicles because they don't offer them to begin with. I do know for a fact that only Mercedes implements Boron steel in their chassis to a notable extent but still not quite to the extent that Volvo does. Ultimately, if all of these outstanding features don't manage to sell you on the car then you're most likely an ardent brand loyalist of one of the other manufacturers and that's totally fine as well . I believe I've managed to cover the gist of the necessary information here, I clearly love the way the car looks and drives and if I were in need of a vehicle of this kind I would undoubtedly have it in my top 3 choices regardless of specific circumstances. Hope my musing has left you with some meaningful information and if nothing else a little more interest in this resurging brand! Cheers, Filip