Off Topic 2018 Volvo XC90 T6 Inscription

sm1ke

2018 Mazda CX-9 Signature
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A friend of mine just picked one up in white. It's used (lease return), with 85000 kms. Inscription trim with every option except for massaging seats. My friend wanted to remove some of the heavy swirl marks on the car and asked to borrow some of my detailing gear, so I went to go see it last night. It's a very nice looking car inside and out. Of course, I wanted to sit in the seats, and they are definitely more comfortable. I feel like the driver's seat conforms to my body a bit better than my CX-9, plus it has seat extenders to accommodate those with longer thighs, which is nice. I'll get some pics of it once he's ready to show it off and let me drive it :sneaky:.

Its certainly a nice car, but it's already had to have one headlight and a door panel replaced. It comes with air suspension, but that's another thing I'd be worried about based on what I've seen on other forums.
 
That thing is twin charged right? Well I guess as long as he has extended warranty, it's all good.

Yes indeed, twin charged. Depending on the source, this car is reported to be about 0.5-1 second faster in the 0-60 than a CX-9 (6.2-6.5s vs 7.1s).

He didn't mention an extended warranty, only that he got a year of free maintenance. His mileage indicates that the warranty has actually expired for both the factory basic and powertrain warranty, so I really hope he opted for an extended warranty.
 
Interesting, thanks for sharing your thoughts @sm1ke...I haven't been following Volvo these days but it's interesting to learn about a recent model (especially how it compares to Mazdas). I'm looking forward to your driving impression and pics! 🙂
 
I looked hard at the XC90 in January and February and it was a wonderful car. The seats are amazing and the sound system, second to none. Just a fantastic vehicle. I would also argue that it is one of best looking SUV's out there. Just gorgeous all around.

You can also get them for really cheap. An Inscription model that cost $70K+ new can be had for 45K - and with a 5 year unlimited milage warranty no less. Wife loved it. The big issue was that while at the dealership numerous people told me they loved the car and the dealer, but expect to be there a lot.

For vehicles purchased new, the local dealer will actually come to your house, drop off a loaner and take your car for service/repair and bring it back when done.
 
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I looked hard at the XC90 in January and February and it was a wonderful car. The seats are amazing and the sound system, second to none. Just a fantastic vehicle. I would also argue that it is one of best looking SUV's out there. Just gorgeous all around.

You can also get them for really cheap. An Inscription model that cost $70K+ new can be had for 45K - and with a 5 year unlimited milage warranty no less. Wife love it. The big issue was that while at the dealership numerous people told me they loved the car and the dealer, but expect to be there a lot.

For vehicles purchased new, the local dealer will actually come to your house, drop off a loaner and take your car for service/repair and bring it back when done.

Yep, my friend paid the equivalent of about $42k USD for his 2018, but it's already out of the factory warranty period. No idea if his is CPO or not - I hope that it is, because then he's covered with a "comprehensive warranty" until 2024/160k kms.
 
That's a fair amount of Kms. on a 3 year old car. Not sure if I would have pulled the trigger on that.
I'm actually looking at possibly trading in my two vehicles and downsizing to one. We are both retired now, and realistically don't need two cars anymore.
I've been looking (on line) at several 2 or 3 year old vehicles, but definitely want to find something below 40,000 kms. They are out there.
 
That's a fair amount of Kms. on a 3 year old car. Not sure if I would have pulled the trigger on that.
I'm actually looking at possibly trading in my two vehicles and downsizing to one. We are both retired now, and realistically don't need two cars anymore.
I've been looking (on line) at several 2 or 3 year old vehicles, but definitely want to find something below 40,000 kms. They are out there.

Yeah I don't think I would have either, especially on something with so much tech. Apparently the high mileage was due to a long daily commute between cities, so they are basically all highway miles, but that's still a lot of time in the seats (and the seat wear does show).
 
Love me some Volvo. If I could have ANY SUV for free, a top of the line XC60 would be near the top.
 
I like the look of the volvo lineup in general, but they're notoriously unreliable. I see a lot of them driving around so I guess people just don't care about that. Funny world we live in.
 
I like the look of the volvo lineup in general, but they're notoriously unreliable. I see a lot of them driving around so I guess people just don't care about that. Funny world we live in.

I hear the same thing about German and some domestic brands as well. We live in a fast-changing world, so as long as the dealership experience and the warranty is good enough, people will put up with any issues that arise in order to drive a car with a highly-regarded badge on the front. I think those who drive these cars outside of the warranty period simply believe the brand/car/features are worth the potential extra cost/hassle.

My buddy has only had the XC90 for a month, but so far he really likes it. Loves to play with the air suspension.. hopefully it holds up!
 
I hear the same thing about German and some domestic brands as well. We live in a fast-changing world, so as long as the dealership experience and the warranty is good enough, people will put up with any issues that arise in order to drive a car with a highly-regarded badge on the front. I think those who drive these cars outside of the warranty period simply believe the brand/car/features are worth the potential extra cost/hassle.

My buddy has only had the XC90 for a month, but so far he really likes it. Loves to play with the air suspension.. hopefully it holds up!
It's kinda funny how things work out. In the 80/90s it was the Japanese cars that were known for things like 4 wheel steering and adjustable suspension. You could set the Supra to "luxury" mode but it would firm up automatically if it realized you were driving aggressive. But when those broke people just replaced them with standard shocks because they were just notoriously expensive and really not all that worth it (most people just left it in "firm" mode anyway).

My big worry with modern card design is the use of screens for the instrument cluster. It's kinda neat, yes, but man, if that goes that car is virtually undriveable (unless you're good at guessing your speed and the car is reliable enough that you never need to see the engine temp). I suspect a lot of cars will be getting scrapped just because of the onboard displays going bad. Sometimes low-tech is better.
 
It's kinda funny how things work out. In the 80/90s it was the Japanese cars that were known for things like 4 wheel steering and adjustable suspension. You could set the Supra to "luxury" mode but it would firm up automatically if it realized you were driving aggressive. But when those broke people just replaced them with standard shocks because they were just notoriously expensive and really not all that worth it (most people just left it in "firm" mode anyway).

My big worry with modern card design is the use of screens for the instrument cluster. It's kinda neat, yes, but man, if that goes that car is virtually undriveable (unless you're good at guessing your speed and the car is reliable enough that you never need to see the engine temp). I suspect a lot of cars will be getting scrapped just because of the onboard displays going bad. Sometimes low-tech is better.

Oh I agree, and I share your concern regarding the use of screens. To be fair, though, an analog cluster could also fail due to a failed sensor. The difference, of course, is that one is way more expensive and more involved to repair than the other. The same thing could be said about headlight tech.
 
A friend of mine just picked one up in white. It's used (lease return), with 85000 kms. Inscription trim with every option except for massaging seats. My friend wanted to remove some of the heavy swirl marks on the car and asked to borrow some of my detailing gear, so I went to go see it last night. It's a very nice looking car inside and out. Of course, I wanted to sit in the seats, and they are definitely more comfortable. I feel like the driver's seat conforms to my body a bit better than my CX-9, plus it has seat extenders to accommodate those with longer thighs, which is nice. I'll get some pics of it once he's ready to show it off and let me drive it :sneaky:.

Its certainly a nice car, but it's already had to have one headlight and a door panel replaced. It comes with air suspension, but that's another thing I'd be worried about based on what I've seen on other forums.
For what it's worth, Consumer Reports shows 2 out of 5 for overall reliability. At least the 2018 is a notch better than the other years (lowest rating, 1 out of 5). The trouble spots CR has identified are fuel system, suspension and brakes (all 1 out of 5), along with in-car electronics (2 out of 5). The good news is the six drive train categories get 5 out of 5. There have been two recalls but neither appear to apply to the Inscription.
 
For what it's worth, Consumer Reports shows 2 out of 5 for overall reliability. At least the 2018 is a notch better than the other years (lowest rating, 1 out of 5). The trouble spots CR has identified are fuel system, suspension and brakes (all 1 out of 5), along with in-car electronics (2 out of 5). The good news is the six drive train categories get 5 out of 5. There have been two recalls but neither appear to apply to the Inscription.

That's good to hear.. I expect that the suspension will be an eventual problem, but it's good to hear that the drivetrain is reliable (according to CR). The complexity of a twin-charged engine would be a point of worry for me if I owned one.
 
I'm actually looking at possibly trading in my two vehicles and downsizing to one. We are both retired now, and realistically don't need two cars anymore.
I considered the same thing, but after being reminded of what it's like to have one vehicle for two months in Florida, I thought better of it.

Before you take the plunge, you might try sidelining one of the vehicles for a month and see how that works out. You might be surprised at the inconvenience, the other side of the cost-of-ownership equation.
 
Bit of an update. Sorry no pics, but it's a stock white XC-90 Inscription with the optional 21" wheels. Like this, just in white.

419697.jpg


Anyway, I had a few drinks with him last week, and he mentioned that he's had to bring the Volvo to the dealership for air suspension related concerns twice so far. He said that on a couple of occasions he wasn't able to raise the car from it's lowest setting. Took it to the dealer and apparently they replaced a compressor. Some time after that, he came out to the car one day and the rear was lower than the front. Restarting the car fixed the issue. The dealer said it might be a faulty sensor, and asked him to bring it back if it did it again. He says he's still happy with the car despite the issues he's encountered so far.
 
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