how reliable are the XC90's???! i have a 2000 S80 T6, great car, but reliablity is questionable..

what are the overall feelings towards this SUV?? the wife wants a volvo.. i'm leaning towards the bmw X5!!!

 

The XC90 is till new and may still have some minor bugs that need to be worked out.For the most part they are reliable.

 

I haven't driven the BMW. I love my 2003 XC90. It is my first SUV since my Jeep Wrangler. I've wanted a Volvo since high school. Read reviews on www.caranddriver.com, www.cartalk.com and www.edmunds.com. I like the way it looked (Volvo) when compared to the BMW. I think the volvo may have more space as well. I felt the Volvo was less conspicuous for some reason, too. I have the 2.5 T. Hope this helps somehow.

 

Roughyear--
The XC90 has a ton more room than the X5. Once you test drive the BMW you will see what I mean. My wife has wanted the XC90 since it came out in 03, so we test drove an XC90 T6 (2005) and she hated it compared to our XC70. The XC90 just feels like an SUV whereas the XC70 feels like SUV with the handling and comfort of a luxury car.

 

My XC90 handles curves better than my 2000 Accord Coupe did and doesn't lumber, rock or knock you around like an 04 Tahoe that my husband and I rented for vacation. It also stops when you want it to without having to stand up on the breaks (GM model SUVS). Less bumpier than my husband's 2000 Prelude. It is also smoother than any of the minivans we ever rented for our cross country drives (Chrysler town and country). I don't know if that is due to the stabilizer/gyroscope or what. The only true way to know is to test drive the ones you are considering and think about what matters to you. No SUV is going to handle like a car period, especially an S80. Keep that in your mind. This is the most comfortable SUV I have ever ridden in (compared to a loaded Tahoe, Explorer, Escape, Cherokee, and a Mercury Mountaineer). I would venture to say that it is close in luxury to my mother-in-law's Lexus SC 300 or my best friend's BMW 325 but it handles differently due to the height and weight. A big difference being the seats do not mold around you on the bottom. We are all a little biased toward our Volvo babies. You need to chose what is right for you and your wife.