Towing with XC90
 

I have a 2004 XC90 T6 and would like to know if anyone has any towing experience with xc90 ?

I have towed extensively with my '05 2.5T AWD...thousands of miles. What would you like to know?

What is the weight of the trailer you tow?
How well did the XC90 handle and operate with the weight ?
Do you have an additional Transmission cooler?

I tow three trailers:
1) Aluminum Eagle Sport 5x8 Utility - 3,000 full (when moving gravel)
2) 2005 Starcraft 18SB - about 3,000 wet
3) 2000 Nash 20N - about 4,200 wet
...plus family of 5, Golden Retriever and four bikes on top

To my chagrin, the Volvo is usually the center piece of conversation when I pull into a campground - hasn't been unusual to have three visitors per day stop in and ask how the Volvo tows. I've thought about producing a handout that people can just take that will answer all their questions. Gas stations are especially painful because I just want to hit the road, but people just want to stop, talk and stare.

So here goes the response: I have towed with dedicated trucks before (dually crew cab Chevrolet 454, C/K 2500 6.0) so it's the only thing I have to compare against.
Cooling and Stability:
The Volvo is extremely stable at all speeds while towing my specific loads using Curt weight distribution (first) and Nivomat to make up for the last inch of level. I do not have a second cooler - Volvo's OEM cooler is more than adequate (capacity and exposure/location) for my loads; however, I do change the fluid regularly including bevel and diff fluids for the simple reason of paranoia. Fluid has never been overheated when inspected. I have taken both trailers all over the PNW, Alberta, BC, Wyoming, ID, MT, etc...including a couple passes as steep as 10% grade. Never had a stability problem, but I'm cautious and slow. I've encountered 30-40 mph cross winds (est.) with no issues, but nothing stronger than that.
Power, drag and economy:
I have the 2.5T which has significantly less horsepower and torque than the T6; however, it does have the extra cog which is nice for towing. I go pretty slow to stay out of the turbo as much as possible. The single biggest issue is just remembering to leave the engine at idle for at least one minute before shutting down after towing. I really have to concentrate. I suspect that I did coke one turbo which was covered under warranty. Lot's of heat, even from a light charge unit as found in this model. I'll say this: it's not the weight of the trailer that hurts my towing capability, it's the drag of that trailer. I've literally gone down a 7% grade in MT fully loaded and off the brakes and never exceeded 55 off the pedal. The drag at highway speeds from my travel trailer is such that 205 HP/235 torque simply can't overcome speeds in excess of 62 mph without really digging into the turbo) - so I cruise at about 58 and usually keep it in 4th gear. I average 11-12 MPG in a broad mix of mountains and flats. I average 19.8 in mixed use driving unloaded. When I tow a fully loaded utility trailer (about 3k pounds), the Volvo does a solid job of towing - I pulled a 4k utility trailer (once) and felt the penalty was too strong on the Nivomat to go any great distance . This was a function of the short trailer tongue - I can only suppose that a boat with a well balanced trailer would tow quite nicely.
Misc:
1) I use fully synthetic lubes
2) I use overload Conti tires for towing
3) I don't tow in the winter because the snow tires are not intended for tow use
4) In installed the brake controller (Prodigy) per Volvo specs - took me several weeks of digging around for information and a couple calls to the only dealer tech in our state who knew how to install the controller. I have a three ring binder about 1" full of specs and information. Wasn't very fun, but works great (e.g. - back up sensor is turned off when plugged in, tranny/throttle maps change, etc...).
5) It's a passsenger vehicle, not a 2500. I expect unseen above average wear has occurred on bearings, running gear, etc...but it has held up well thus far at 97k miles. It's been towing since new.

Let me know if I missed anything.

Wow you didn't miss a thing.... your extensive feedback to my questions will be very beneficial to me....Thank You

Great information. Is yours AWD or FWD. I just got my 07 3.2 FWD this week and ordered a hitch for it tonight. Valley makes one that stays out of sight so I'm pleased about that. I mainly tow a light utility trailer with some dirt bikes so good to hear yours does so well for you.

AWD - have fun with those bikes!

Volvo XC90 Towing Capacity
 

New Volvo XC90 has default towing following capacities, but you can add another 400-500lbs with the help of trailer hitch.

Front Wheel Drive
4,000 LBS



All Wheel Drive
5,000 LBS

Re: 2004 Volvo XC90 Towing Capacity
 

Sorry, i didn't observe that you were talking about the 2004 model specifically.

As per Volvo's recommendations, for all models - trailers without brakes: 1,650 lbs (750 kg)

For models with all wheel drive - trailers with brakes: 4,960 lbs (2250 kg)

For models with front wheel drive - trailers with brakes: 3,970 lbs (1800 kg)

Practically I've never towed over 4,000 lbs even with AWD! Anybody here who has gone up to the 5000lbs mark (or even beyond)?

Thanks!

Tongue weight issue
 

Quick question hopefully. I am looking at buying an 07 XC90 V8 with tow package to tow a 3700 pound trailer. Am I going to have an issue with the tongue weight? I don't want the car ripping in half, as you may guess. 😳

I hope you still monitor this thread or at least get a ping when there is a reply. I am looking to tow a 1965 streamline which weighs about 3700 pounds. The person I am buying it from is worried that an XC 90 V8 with tow package will be ripped apart because of the tongue weight.
what do you think?

I tow a 23' Airstream that has a dry weight of approx 3500lbs with my 2010 XC90 3.2 AWD. You will need a weight distribution hitch to tow a trailer of that size. It will lift the back end and equalize the tongue weight on all four tires. Do a YouTube search on these hitches. There are some great instructional info to be found.

Tracy - Did you get a brake controller for your towing set-up? Curious on what you ended up doing.

Towing with 2020 XC90 T5
 

Hello! I have a question for all you Volvo XC90 experts and enthusiasts out there when it comes to towing. The specs say that we can safely tow up to 5,000 pounds...


1) the dealer here only installs the new automatic trailer hitch manufacture by Volvo. It’s about $2,200 out the door... does anyone know of an alternative? Personally I don’t trust uHaul to install a generic tow hitch.

2) We are going to be towing a car carrier which weighs 2,000 and then a Ford Model A on top of that which adds another 2,500 pounds roughly. So all in were looking at a load of 4,500 pounds. Has anyone towed with the T5 engine a similar load and if so how did it handle? Im worried about being able to safely control the trailer and not overheat the engine in the process.

Thanks in advance!

-Mike

Hey Mike! I have a 2020 Volvo XC90 w the OEM tow package. It only comes with a 2inch ball. I bought an Airstream Caravel 16RB and the Airstream ppl say I need a 2 5/16" ball to tow a trailer. I haven't been able to find a 2 5/16 inch ball from Volvo.

Do you have any recommendations for me?

Hey Chris,
Congrats on the Airstream and your Volvo! Sounds like you're in for some exciting adventures. I'm sorry but I don't have any advice here. I did not end up installing a trailer hitch on my XC90.

Is your hitch the automatic one that descends by the push button? If so - that could be tricky. If it's a traditional trailer mounted to the frame of the car, I would start at your local Uhaul. Mine here installs trailers on pretty much any make or model car and has hundreds of accessories in the shop for sale, all different size ball mounts, etc.

Best of luck!

Mike

Thanks for the input. My XC 90 does have the trailer hitch that drops down. After much thought, I bought a new tow vehicle a ram 1500 and have no problems now towing the airstream Caravel 16RB up and down Northern California.

At the end of the day, I feel like the advice to get a superior tow vehicle made sense.

Loving living the airstream life.

Towing with newer XC90s
 

I have been towing my Winnebago Mini Drop TT (3,900 # Wet Weight) with my 2011 XC90 R design 6 cyl. The XC 90 tows great-very stable, no power issues even driving over the North Cascades Highway etc. Sadly, the XC 90 may be nearing the end of its service life and I will have to replace it. How do the new XC90 T6 models tow compared with the old models? I notice that the new models have a 5,000# towing capacity vs a 5,500# towing capacity of the old models. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Hi there,

I am new to Volvo, I just bought a 2008 XC90 with V8 for my wife and as our road trip car. I would love to be able to get a trailer in the future of some sort, maybe a pop-up tent trailer for camping.

Anyway, I really liked your response to the OP. I was curious if you could tell me/us more about the Curt weight distribution/overload Conti tires/Prodigy? Please forgive my ignorance. I did look up the Nivomat which looks interesting. How would the vehicle tow without these items?

Thanks,

Brandon