I'm pleased to hear that your patience and perseverance have been rewarded. I also admire your restraint. Had I been through all that and finally saw the car as I ordered it, my reaction would have been : GIVE ME THE KEYS, NOW!

 

Two reasons I didn't want to drive the car home from the dealer:

#1: It was raining and there were heavy thunder storm warnings
#2: At the time I checked in at the dealer, I didn't have anyone around to drop me off. The dealer is around 25 miles from my home.

I'm old-school, where cars meant more than just for transportation. It sure looked great in the garage! Contrary to the Cross Country, which is higher offer the ground and has the body cladding, the long/low roof life is very elegant, and the car has just the right about of bright-work, coupled with the proper 19-10 silver aluminum wheels I insisted on, to make it really pop, IMO. I usually keep my new cars for around 15 years or more. In this respect, this may be the last new car I ever purchase, based on my age. At some point, I'd like to retire to a waterfront condo that faces the ocean or a nice lake, and maybe never have to drive anywhere again. Or, I wouldn't mind moving to Montreal or Quebec, and living like a "city person".

 

My 2020 V90 Inscription was delivered to my home on 6/5/20. I think it looks like a piece of art and I think the unique design will stand the test-of-time. Glad I stuck to my guns and demanded that the aluminum wheels I originally ordered be installed on the car. It's interesting. I've received a number of compliments, even from people I don't know, about the car. In my town and the surrounding area, I haven't seen another V90 Inscription, and doubt I will since the Cross Country is more popular. From afar, people are drawn to the unusual lines of the car, not realizing that it is a Volvo (due to its rarity) until they are up-close. When the salesman delivered the V90 to my home, he mentioned that several of the mechanics and the detailer actually took pictures of it, which is unusual for them. Having spent over 1.5 years on my new car search, test driving over 15 vehicles (and conducting a 150 miles overnight test drive of the V90), plus waiting almost 4 months for delivery, all I can say is that it was worth the wait. Plus, with the corona virus related incentives (which I had not expected) paying for almost 90% of the VIP Platinum 10yr/100K/zero deductible warranty, the risk of expensive down-the-road repairs (if they occur), as the car ages, should be somewhat mitigated.

 

Beautiful, love the interior color choice! I also like the wheel choice, especially with the white exterior. One thing to watch is the small front bumper tie-down hole cover is very loose in the bumper and is easily pulled out in automatic car washes. Mine was lost in my local car wash and they replaced it but from now on, I just remove it as I get out of the car at the entrance. They have mine in their database to tape over it, but it is easy to remove and not worry that it will get ripped out by the rotating brushes. In any case, enjoy!

Gil

 

Thanks, GRock. Not sure what you mean by the die-down hole cover. Could you send a picture of this?

 

Here is your picture with a blue line pointing to the Tie-down cover. This is a plastic cover for the tie-down bolt used in transporting the car on a ship. It doesn't hold tightly in place. The car wash says this happens often on many cars, BMW especially. I didn't discover it was missing until the next day and went back and they looked at their video and saw that the cover was in place prior to entering the wash. They bought a new cover and had it paint matched to the color of my car. This is something I've only had happen on this car, never an issue on my other cars. Just something to be aware of.

Gil

 

Beautiful car - drive it in good health!

Give us an update after a year.

 

Update after the first 2 months: My V90 is everything I'd hoped for. Have approximately 1400 trouble free miles on it. Took two 500+ mile long distance trips. My wife (who has significant back issues) and I absolutely loved the front seat comfort! In addition, the ease-of-driving with the pilot assist was a big help to reduce driver fatigue. Near term plans are to get clear wrap applied to the side rocker panels and the front bumper area, particularly to guard against road
chips. Want to keep my V90 "as-new" as long as possible.

 

Update after my first 8 months and 4085 miles of ownership:

Covid has greatly dampened my anticipated long-distance driving excursions, which was one of the key reasons I purchased my 2020 V90 Inscription T6. With this said, of my 4085 miles traveled, approximately 75% has been for local travel. Based on my records, I had an overall 24.74 mpg, 29-30 mpg for highway and 20-25 local ... depending on the weather and if I drove in the "dynamic" mode. Typically, I purchased Costco 93 octane gas.

Seat Comfort: My V90 hasn't let me down. It was the key deciding factor for me between the V90 and the Benz E450 wagon. The front seat comfort in this car continues to reconfirm my choice in purchasing it over the E450 Estate Wagon. Both for my wife and I, who have had back surgery, the V90's front seats have afforded excellent comfort and, particularly when we drive for an extended period of time, we have been able to depart from the car refreshed.

Reliability: The car has never failed me. With this said, I have had a few "interesting" things that occurred. Several times the "pilot assist" disengaged while going on a straight road (with my hands on the wheel). In two of these cases, I also got a message that the "blind spot" sensors stopped working (verified by looking at the side mirrors and not seeing the warning signal for approaching vehicles). Another time, again with "pilot assist" in use, it disengaged and a "power steering system" warning message appeared (there wasn't any actual issue with the operation of my car ... I was able to drive it with no problems). In all of these cases, once I stopped the car, shut it off and restarted, the messages disappeared. I called the dealer, was instructed to return to the service center. The car was checked for codes (none were found), but they refreshed the software, anyway. These issues happened between month 1 and month 6 of my ownership, both before and after the software refresh. For now, I just keep a record if/when any messages are generated and plan to discuss with the service center during my 12 month service in June of 2021. Other than these messages, the car has never had a problem starting, the engine and trans run flawlessly, and everything else on the car runs well.

Onlooker Feedback: Since I took ownership, I've had (as of yesterday) six people approach me at store parking lots to inquire about my car. Typically, they first say they haven't seen another like it anywhere (I have the "Inscription" model), then ask who makes it and the approximate cost. From there, they complement the exterior design and interior beauty, with some asking to take pictures. In all of my 50+ years of driving, I've never owned a car that has generated so much attention! Just yesterday, a driver of a Benz SL (he also owns an S-Class) stopped to marvel at my V90. He didn't realize it was a Volvo and was blown away by its exterior and interior appearance, along with all of the features in my car, particularly relative to its cost (I shared the approx. cost I paid for the car). This guy is a long-time Benz owner and had been contemplating the purchase of a new E450 wagon (for 2021 it's the "All-Terrain" lifted/body clad version). After our discussion, he said he was going to seriously consider the V90 Inscription, and planned to conduct a test drive.

Overall Comment: I'm glad I purchased my V90 Inscription. It has lived up to my expectations.

Will update after 12 months of ownership, or sooner if needed.

 

Quick update: Just last week, at approx. 5000 miles on my OD, while driving, the infotainment screen shut down and rebooted itself twice, in quick succession. After it can back to life, I had to reenter the address I had previously entered in the Nav, along with resetting the seat heaters and switch to "individual" driving mode. The car never stopped running, and I safely arrived at my destination. Upon arriving back home, I called the dealer, who stated that they had seen this situation before and that I should stop by for a software update. I'm scheduled to have the software update on 4/6/21.

From what I can determine, this blank screen/reboot issue has happened to others.

The only other "issue" I've encountered is that, sometimes, the passenger side mirror does not return to the correct position after switching the trans from reverse to drive. I have this mirror set to tilt down so that I can better see the curb when in reverse. I plan to mention this to the dealer when I arrive on 4/6/21.

 

Hi Maggs,

Hopefully the software update will take care of this. If they have a reference number for the update, I'd like to know it so I can have my dealer install it. Haven't had the mirror problem, but the rear view camera takes a while to revert to the normal screen after shifting into drive, not sure any update will fix that...

 

Hi, GRock. Nice to hear from you, again. The following is the info. from the dealer's service document:

IHU upgrade per TJ31602
36004-2 software control module downloading (2)
355 W
1 31654144 0 Total Upgrade
FC: 1032
Part #: 31654144
Claim Type: 01

It goes on to state ... "TJ31602 verified concern. CSC-32 performed total software."

 

Thanks Maggs, I will discuss this with the adviser the next time I go in for maintenance.

 

Good afternoon! Brand new member here! I've been reading this thread and its a great synopsis of your vehicle search.

I'm also in central NJ (Somerset county) and I'm heading out to PA Saturday to possibly (almost positively!) purchase a 2020 V90 T6 Inscription that looks exactly like yours with the exception of 20" wheels and a charcoal interior. Its a 4,700 mile demo so no real ability to customize what I would order if I could, but its in my price range and I love the looks of it. Sorry to infringe on your territory with the same looking car, maggs.

FYI - during my discussions with the salesman at the dealership, he confirmed what I had heard that non-CC V60s and V90s will no longer be sold in the US starting with the 2022 model. That made me act fast on securing what I think is a great looking wagon before they are gone. Not a fan of used so new or demo were my only options. Glad I could find one with low miles.

I've been a wagon fan since my first car, a 1978 Dodge Aspen. Have also had a 1986 Chevy Celebrity and a 2004 Mazda 6. Coming from my midlife crisis car (2017 Camaro convertible) and looking forward to having a comfortable wagon in the garage again!

Maybe I should copy this post to the new member area... LOL

 

Finally got a chance to share a picture. Absolutely love the car.

 

Beautiful. I've got one at home, just like it! Good luck.

 

Hi. I took ownership of my 2020 V90 Inscription T6 AWD on 6/5/20. At 8k miles, went in for my 12 mth maintenance visit. All is well. Happy to own. Car is problem free, great on long distance drives and fu to own. Averaging about 30 mpg highway and 24 mpg city on 93 octane. Primary cons are the relatively small gas tank and somewhat diminished rear storage room, due to the sloping roofline.

 

Hi Maggs,

Hope all is well with you. I'm seeing the same mileage as you after 11K miles. I was re-reading the thread and realized you said the CC had body cladding, which mine does not. The only difference I see is mine is higher off the ground, which at my age is helpful getting in and out of the car. I do recall seeing versions with the body cladding, but mine is the T6 Inscription version without any of the tacky cladding. I agree on the small gas tank, compared to the Mercedes I had, I have to stop twice as often to fill up the Volvo. . Really wish we could have the diesel here in the states. Yeah, wishful thinking, I know! Also not interested in an EV version either, just not feasible with the electric grid supporting a nation full of EVs, it just isn't capable, but those in charge don't seem to understand it yet... Stepping down off my soapbox now!

 

Hi, GRock. Actually, I have the Inscription, which does not have the body cladding. Also, my car is lower to the ground, similar to the R, while the CC is raised. Admittedly, my Inscription's slightly lower chassis makes it a little more of a task to get out of my car, but I like the sedan-like stance. For some reason, I've never been a fan of the higher SUV and/or cross-over suspension. I enjoy detailing my car. With my V's lowered roofline, it's easy for me to work on the roof. With an SUV, I'd have to use a ladder.

While I really like my V90, if, at the time I was deciding my purchase, I would have probably bought the E450 Estate "luxury" model had more comfortable seats (I test drove with their "best" luxurious seats, and the Volvo's were clearly superior). Compared to the Volvo, in my estimation, I really like the E's: V6 engine, better gas mileage and driving range, more compliant ride, more responsive suspension, vastly larger gas tank and rear storage area, and more sophisticated infotainment system ... even if it cost over $20K more. However, I hated the E's run-flat tires, the absence of a spare tire, the uncomfortable seats and the useless pop-up/third row/rear facing seat. Additionally, while I could have afforded it, I found the E's A/B routine maintenance expenses to be somewhat ridiculous. IMO, in comparison to the E, the V is far less costly to maintain.

One huge benefit of my V purchase is that, via this forum and others, I've had the good fortune to meet some really nice Volvo owners. Volvo owners remind me of when I rode a motorcycle. The riders were always free to converse and offer a helping hand.

 

Hi Maggs,

I agree on the seats, the Mercedes seats were like rocks to my wife, I suspect the newer models have better seats, just too many people complain about them. The newest MB estate is a raised wagon now too. In terms of cleaning, my CC is easy to reach all areas of the roof and windshield for cleaning. I suspect it is at most a few inches taller. The one benefit of that height to me is my driveway is connected to the street with an integral curb and gutter which scrapes the underside of any low height vehicle, so the Volvo clears it with ease. My wife has an Acura MDX which I cannot reach all the roof or the top center of the windshield without using a short step stool. I really don't like SUVs, and frankly if you need the space, a minivan is a far superior choice, but try convincing a millennial of that! They'd rather walk than be seen on one, much less drive one. I also agree on MB service pricing, just ridiculous. I also have extreme dislike (OK, hate) for the run-flats too, poor compliance and they wear out too soon. I also shopped the MB dealerships for an E450, but few and far between, everyone wants an SUV and the pricing is at least $10Kto $20K higher than the V90. I also agree on meeting good people with Volvos, as well as people on the forums, but as we see on this forum, not too many folks take the time to use this one, but we have flogged this topic before...