2005 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD review from North America
"A nice SUV plagued by mechanical issues"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Leaking Sunroof at 15,000 miles.
1st Transmission at 36,000 miles.
2nd Transmission at 50,000 miles.
Engine Mount at 40,000 miles.
Steering Rack and sway bar endlinks at 55,000 miles.
Several interior plastic parts have been replaced because they have cracked or broken.
General comments?
The XC90 is a relatively safe and comfortable vehicle that is plagued by poor design choices.
The exterior flows smoothly and is typical design scheme of Volvo P2 based vehicles.
The interior look standard, however the controls are laid out well and are easy to reach. Interior plastics are of poor quality and they break easily under normal use.
Mechanically this vehicle is a disaster. While the Twin Turbo Inline six is a solid engine, the transmission it is mated to was a poor choice. Volvo decided to use a General Motors 4 speed automatic (4T65AWD). This transmission has proven troublesome, regularly failing in many units due to a combination of poor quality parts, excessive vehicle weight, and all wheel drive equipment being fitted onto a transmission designed for front wheel drive use only.
The rack and pinion seems to be a trouble spot as well, wearing prematurely and resulting in a noticeable 'clunk,' especially when turning while in reverse gear (i.e. backing out of your driveway in the morning).
Recommended reviews
| Potentially great sport utility with some growing pains |
|
| Reliability is terrible |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2005 |
| Year of manufacture | 2004 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | L6-2.9L Bi-turbo B6294T Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 10 miles |
| Most recent distance | 56333 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Explorer |
| Date of Entry | 18th May, 2008 |