XC90 2.5t 208hp powerful enough?

koffinb · Post by **koffinb** » 17 Oct 2010, 18:23

Hey there guys, i've heard plenty of complaints about the t6 xc90's, but how about the 2.5?
Are the transmissions as bad as the t6? and how is the performance on them? only 208 hp...for such a heavy vehicle. what are some other things to look out for in the 2.5? is gas mileage a huge difference? i'm definitely taking the v8 out the picture because i know they're real bad on gas.
thanks in advance

Post by **matthew1** » 18 Oct 2010, 16:51

MVS Forum member stone36 has some words about the 208 hp engine in the XC90 here.

Maybe he'll drop by this topic to tell more.

The transmissions in the I-5 XC90s were fine. Just find a good XC90 sample. Maintenance records, etc. See the Volvo Buyer's Guide for more tips.

gronk · Post by **gronk** » 20 Oct 2010, 19:34

I've had 5 200+ lb hockey players, plus 5 hockey bags, in mine and didn't notice any problems. Not sure that I'd want to tow with it, but the 2.5 T is good enough for most driving conditions. Depends on what you're looking for, of course, but my "other" care is a Porsche and I still don't feel that the XC90 is underpowered.

Post by **stone36** » 25 Oct 2010, 10:11

I've had a good experience so far. If you were going to be towing a lot you may want to get a 6, not the t6 as you mentioned above but 2006 or later 6-cyl. and for as reliable as the engine and transmission are if you really want a little more power, buy the 2.5T and then spend $750 on the ipd ECU upgrade. It takes your HP from 208 to 245 and the torque from 236 to 310. I have heard those are conservative numbers and I have also red some folks getting a mile or two better mpg as well. Stock MPG is not bad anyway. Also if you work on your current v70, the engine is very similar so there will be less of a learning curve.

outrigger777 · Post by **outrigger777** » 02 Nov 2010, 00:55

Hello All. This is my first post. Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth.

I've owned my 2006 xc90 2.5T AWD for a year now, and can't understand why some people say this engine doesn't have enough power. There is a 4 lane highway near where I live in the mountains of Colorado that I drive on a lot. My access to this highway is via a short--and very steep-- acceleration lane that starts with a 90 degree right turn-on. My xc90 has no problems getting up to the speed limit (55mph) in this lane to merge comfortably with traffic--and I don't even punch it that hard. I could tell other steep-mountain-highway acceleration stories, but you have the testimony of a porsche owner (ref gronk in a prior post), who says the power is very adequate. That's a pretty strong witness too.

MixEngineer · Post by **MixEngineer** » 01 Dec 2010, 09:42

My 04 2.5t awd has plenty o power. I've also been amazed when reviewers complain about the lack of power... I have to wonder if they really drove the thing. The 2.5t is a GREAT engine.

Post by **stone36** » 03 Dec 2010, 10:03

I just rented a 7 PAX explorer for thanksgiving, it had the 4.0-liter V6 engine with 210 horsepower and 254 torque. I actually checked to see if the e-brake was on more than once as it seemed so sluggish. As soon as we landed back in SLC and got in the XC90 I knew it wasn't just in my head, so 208 may be under powered, but only when paired with an improper transmission. The other key I guess would be the turbo. With the power specs being almost identical, the only difference is 2.5T vs. 4.0 N/A. The XC wins hands down...