I've had my car since June 2020. Today was the third time a person stopped me to ask about my car and reflect on its beauty. Turns out (Bob) is looking to buy a new car and wants out of the SUV he has. Initially, he didn't know what my car was and had never seen one before. He couldn't say enough about the looks of the car, inside and out. I left him with my Volvo salesman's number and some advice regarding what to order on his new car, if he elects to buy the V90. Nice to own a car that is (a) beautiful, (b) unique, (c) rare and (d) great to use for long drives. This is my first Volvo, but I think I'll be a Volvo owner for life!

 

Thanks for your continuing reportage of your Volvo experience. I'm mentally "filing" your observations as part of a "keep or replace" thought process ( 2015,5 V60 : new V60/90.) Observations so far: I like the exterior and interior styling of the new cars. I prefer the more mechanical (buttons & *****) function controls of my current car (I just very recently replaced my vintage flip phone with a "smart" phone - not attuned to touch screens yet) After initial drives - the V90 is a bit smoother and more comfortable (a not unimportant consideration for these old bones,) the V60, given the difference in size and weight, a bit more agile - I still expect a car to do what I ask of it - immediately! Further considerations - reviewing the "literature" (forums/reports) on the (few) alternatives to see if the plethora of reported electrical ills is unique to Volvo or a general consequence of the complexity of current automobiles.

 

I'm "old-school" and much prefer the buttons and ***** versus the iPad-like Volvo touch screen. When I first had my car, I spent the first two days going over the touch screen options to set up everything. Honestly, I didn't like the iPad-like all-in-one approach, but after setting everything up, I got use to it. Funny story ... At some point in my initial setup process, I did something that caused the system to speak in an Asian language (LOL). Easily fixed this.

After using the car for the past (almost) 3 months, I've gotten use to the screen, and don't find it to be much of an annoyance. The front seat comfort has been outstanding (only 2nd best to the MB S-Class I test drove). I'm glad I got the 19" wheels, as the suspension is not as smooth as the E-450 wagon I test-drove, but the ride is more than acceptable. I drive the car primarily in the "comfort" setting. The car has a "dynamic" setting that is supposed to make it sportier, but I haven't used it, so I can't say anything about it. On tar road surfaces, the car rides fairly quiet. However, on some rougher/concrete surfaces, I found tire noise to enter the cabin. My recollection is that, by far, the MB E450 wagon was very quiet, over any surface (the increased "luxury" model sound insulation and double-pain windows contributed to this .... but, my understanding is that the 2021 MB wagon will not be sold in the "luxury" model configuration). One additional point. While I've gotten use to the center touch screen, there is one thing that really bugs me. When you try to adjust the front seats, you must use the center display to complete the process. To me, this is just dumb. Nothing is perfect.

Regarding engine and trans performance, for my driving needs, the car is very good, but your requirements might differ. The engine is smooth, with sufficient on-hand power when I need it. Is it as smooth and powerful as the V6 in the MB E450 wagon? No, but the V90 cost approximately $20K less than the E, plus it came with 3 years of routine maintenance, which the E did not. The trans is extremely smooth. To-date, my gas mileage has been close to the Volvo's sticker ... 25 mpg overall/31 mpg highway, with premium grade fuel.

PS: I just got my first (and only) "smart" phone in 3/2019. Prior to that, I had a Star-Trek flip phone. We're very much alike in this regard!

 

As far as the body design is concerned, I had an experience last week in the parking lot of the nearby grocery store. My wife and I exited our V90 CC Inscription and a lady in a Jeep drove around the lane adjacent to us, circled back, rolled down her window and said she had to come back to see what this was, She said she loved it and wanted to know more about it. This isn't the first time this has happened and it surprises me more people don't know what it is. In any case, Maggs, my experience with my 2019 is similar in terms of comfort and am glad I have the 19" wheels, and would consider going to 18" ones to improve impact harshness. As far as noise, it is very quiet on most surfaces, with some rough surfaces causing a bit of noise. It is still much quieter than the E Class Mercedes I traded in on it. The seats are far more comfortable than those in the Mercedes. The only option I kind of wish it had is the massaging seat option, but am still happy with the car as is.

It seems as the three of us are the only ones with V90s that are here on this forum, but that's OK.

 

Road surface noise varies widely with tire choice. What is Volvo fitting on the V90's? In my experience, OEM tire choice, except in the case of ultra high performance vehicles, is a compromise heavily influenced by cost considerations.

 

I agree, the tires make a huge difference in noise and also harshness. The tires that came on my V90 CC T6 Inscription are Continentals' and for the most part are fine. I blame the harshness on the low profile. I drove XC90s at a couple of dealerships and they were awful in terms of impact harshness. I can't imaging people think these low profile tires are a good thing. Volvo needs to understand that when you pay the prices currently being charged for what is becoming a luxury car, that people expect a comfortable ride. Not everyone is a fan of hard riding cars that are driven in everyday use. Perhaps millennials think it is cool, but i suspect they will eventually grow tired of it and move on to a vehicle with more comfort. I realize I may be in a minority here......

 

Hi. Never drove the XC90 because I didn't want a very tall SUV (my wife is not very tall). Also, I chose not to get the CC because I wanted a lower, car-like, vehicle. Before purchasing my V90 Inscription, in addition to an over night test drive with the Inscription (19" wheels), and another with the MB 450 wagon (18" wheels and run-flat tires), I also test drove the V90 CC (19" wheels) for about 30 minutes. IMO, the MB had the smoothest and quietest ride (unfair comparison since it had the expensive airmatic suspension and dual-pane glass options), and the CC came in second, closely followed by the the Inscription. The main difference, to me, was each car's transition from a smooth to a rough surface.

I totally agree with your "more comfort" comment. The Volvo is a "luxury" car, at luxury car prices. IMO, while my V90's suspension system is more than adequate for my needs, from a performance viewpoint, it could be a little smoother. Thank goodness the front seat comfort more than makes up for the (slightly) deficient suspension harshness. Also, I much prefer the non-run flat tires to the run flat ones. While I absolutely love my Inscription, and would definitely buy again, I have to be honest. No car is 100% perfect.

 

"No Car is 100% perfect." Amen to to that! The CC for me was fine, much lower than a SUV, which we already have (my wife's car). Personally i don't like them and much prefer a car. The CC ride height works for me at my age, any lower and I'd grumble or groan getting in or out. I had a Subaru Outback for 5 years before the Mercedes and loved it, right height, comfortable ride, just not as nice as the Mercedes or now the Volvo. I would in retrospect done as you did and order one, but the local dealer said 4-6 months for delivery, which I think is ridiculous. When I bought the Subaru, I dealt with the sales manager and he logged in to the Subaru dealer order site, turned the keyboard over to me and said, "order it exactly as you want it". I did and got just what I wanted. The Volvo I found that was closest to what I wanted was in Maryland, and the dealer was good to work with, better than the dealers in Richmond. I wanted a CC T6 Inscription with the Luxury package and air suspension in dark Blue with the saddle or burgundy color interior. I didn't find one with the massaging seats or air suspension anywhere near me, so I bought the one that was close. I think manufacturers will find many buyers will want to get exactly what they desire especially with the price of a new V90. The Internet is going to change the way buyers order and get a new car. I think Tesla is proving this, much to the discomfort of traditional dealers. I still want to test drive any car before I buy, so there is a place for a dealer with inventory, but more likely these will be demos. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. As for an electric car, I'm not comfortable with the availability of recharging stations yet, and not sure I want to wait 30 to 45 minutes to recharge while on a long trip, unless it was tied to a meal, but that won't always align. Sorry for the long ramble......

 

I purchased a 2011 Subaru Outback new and found the front seats to be comfortable, even on long-distance drives. Plus, with the back seat down, I used it to transport a ton of stuff numerous times. For me, the biggest negative was the quality of the material on the outside of the car. The black plastic plastic body cladding was impossible for me to maintain (it always looked faded ... even when I applied treatment to it, and it didn't take long to fade). Also, the metal was incredibly thin and easily subject to dents. Lastly, the paint was not very durable.

I have always purchased my cars new and have kept them anywhere from 10+ years to 20 years, always maintaining the interior and exterior in an as-new condition. IMO, the Surbaru's exterior aged in dog-years and it got to the point where I didn't even want to wash it. For me, the car's poor exterior material quality took away all of my joy in owning it, and I vowed I would never buy a Subaru again. Having owned a Lexus for a number of years, I've become use to that level of quality, and my Volvo appears to be in its league.

Regarding car height, the Subaru worked well for me, but was a little high for my wife. I agree that the Inscription is on the low side, but it best suits my wife. Also, I needed the rear storage height to be low for placing items in the car that we typically travel with (I have problems lifting things due to shoulder injuries). The Inscription's lower ground clearance best suited my needs.

Gone are the days when I could buy a car just based on its looks and power. Now, when purchasing a car, I have to factor in both my wife's and my physical needs, as well as think about safety, access, storage, viability, etc. It seems like just yesterday (it was actually around 15 years ago), that I looked at a Porsche and said I'll buy it! Now, I'd need help to get into/out of that car. LOL.

 

Yeah, I have always wanted a Corvette, but now would likely need a lift to get out of it......
I have an Austin Healey 3000, and it takes a while to climb out, but not willing to sell it, yet! The sound of the Healey six is intoxicating at full rev!

 

My 1960 3000 is long gone but I remember it fondly. I had it fitted with Koni shocks. an Abarth exhaust and wider Dayton wire wheels. It was my only car when I moved from California to Kentucky in 1963 and it made the trip without incident. It was sold in '70 in face of the imminent arrival of the next generation and a move from Louisville to Chicago. I don't think I would be very happy doing a long road trip in it today.

 

Mine is a 61 BT7, it is currently patiently waiting on me to finish its paint and new interior, so haven't driven it lately. I wouldn't consider it for long trips, but short jaunts around town would still be fine. At some point, my old bones will likely dictate otherwise!

 

Mine was a BN7 - is the BT7 the triple SU version? No experience with them but I recall hearing that synching the carbs was "frustrating"

 

No, the BT7 had four seats, Mostly useful for the wife's purse, or amputees. virtually no legroom, much like the Mini Cooper of today. The triple carb models were a pain to sync, as can be the standard dual carb models. Once setup properly, they run and sound great.

 

I stand corrected. My Healey had those vestigial seats so it must have been a BT 7. Although they were, as you point out, essentially useless as accommodations there was one occasion on which they proved to be extremely valuable. What follows obviously strays far from the topic of this forum but since the forum is hardly overcrowded I will offer it here.



Shortly after we purchased our then 2-year-old Healey in 1963, we decided to take a road trip to visit a relative living in Taos New Mexico. (Our starting point was La Jolla California) We began in midday planning on an overnight stay on route. As luck would have it, every motel we passed was displaying a “No Vacancy” sign – probably more reflective of the owners desire to retire for the night than an indication of occupancy. Thus we found ourselves late at night on a road perhaps 100 miles south of Albuquerque. The road was empty. We had not seen another car for some time and it seemed an ideal opportunity to find out “what was she do” a little pressure on the accelerator shortly had us somewhere past the century mark. After a few minutes the car started to slow and gradually came to a stop with the engine silent. After a few minutes I realized that the silence extended to the absence of the characteristic “tick-tick” of the SU fuel pump. Now this was all my fault. The car had about 30,000 miles on it and I was well aware that that figure represented the typical lifespan of a SU pump.



As luck would have it, I recalled reading a note in Road and Track on various ministrations that could be applied to the device in question. After removing a few screws on the left side mini seat, I was delighted to find that the fuel pump was situated just under it and readily accessible. With my wife holding a flashlight, I removed the plastic cap and filed the exposed points within emery board. The cap was replaced and when the ignition was turned on I was rewarded with the cheerful ticking of a functioning SU pump.



We proceeded to Albuquerque without incident and the next morning a local repair shop replaced the pump with a German (Hardi) substitute. which functioned, without fail, for the remaining 120,000 miles that I drove the car.

 

Yeah,

British cars of that vintage had Lucas Electrics, aka "The Prince of Darkness"! A modern fuel pump solves that issue as does an electronic ignition, but many "purists" look down thir noses at such improvements. Me, I'd rather update, within reason to be able to drive anywhere with reliability.

Ok back to the V90 discussion assuming there is anyone paying attention....

 

LOL! Funny seeing your guys remissness about your Austin Healey's! Regarding your "assuming there is anyone paying attention" comment, I'll be good and not say anything (although you probably know how I feel about this topic).

 

2639 miles to date: Just back from our second 750 mile+ NJ-to-New England round trip, along with sightseeing. My wife and I continue to marvel at the V's seat comfort. With other cars, my wife had to use an orthopedic seat cushion (even with our Lexus) to reduce her back pain from long trips. For this second round trip in as many months, she hasn't had to use this cushion and, both times, experienced absolutely NO back pain. NOTE: Realizing seat comfort is highly personal, my advice for anyone wishing to purchase a vehicle is to first take an extended test drive first to assess its comfort for yourself.

Considering my V was fully loaded in the rear storage area, and my highway speed fluctuated between 65mph and 75mph, my overall MPG of 30.8 for this trip wasn't too bad, IMO.

 

IMO, sitting in a more-upright position helps to mitigate lower-back and hip discomfort. I now have owned my car for about 17 months and have almost 13K miles on it. I've taken a number of long-distance drives of 5+ hours/approx. 260 miles to visit family. During these drives, I experimented with seat position. Reclining the backrest produced lower back and hip discomfort in my case. Sitting in a more upright manner greatly improved long-drive seat comfort, both for me and my wife (who has had extensive back surgery). Seat comfort is a very individual thing, and what may be comfortable for one may not be comfortable for another.