2003 Volvo XC90 review from North America

Plastic cover to the rear seat fell off.

I've driven this SUV now for almost 4 months and I like it more and more.

We had our first big snow of the season and I got to test it out in some very serous weather. On slushy and icy streets it held the ground well. In about one foot of snow it was a little squirrelly, but I was going about 50 miles per hour. I got it stuck once in about 3 feet of slushy snow and had to dig it out. The tires from the factory could be a little beefier. The front and rear windows defog very quickly and the controls are in a great spot. The front wipers froze up and left a large portion of the passengers window icy and despite running the defogger I had to stop the car and clean it up. The car climbed hills with around 2 feet of snow and wowed everyone (all seats taken).

The cabin is very comfortable and all the controls seem to be right where you would want them. The only draw back is the bulky front window frames which seem to block your vision at times. The climate control works very nicely in both hot and cold weather. The fan doesn’t start until the engine is warm enough to provide nice warm air. The seat warmers work well. The back seats don’t seem to get enough heat and some of my kids feel a bit cold even after 30-40 minutes of driving. Of course my wife loves the middle rear seat that slides up to the front seats. My daughter is the envy of her friends and it gets her close enough that her dad can whack her if need be ;)

I bought this car for my wife because we live in a rural town in Utah and she travels almost 100 miles every day to go to school and be with her family. The more I drive the XC90 the more I’m trying to talk her into taking the BMW and leaving me her car…. Because it gets better gas mileage…. hem... hem.