Observations of driving 2018 XC90 T6 AWD, T5 AWD and T5 FWD

[June]

I have been driving a 2018 XC90 T5 FWD as a service loaner since Thursday. Earlier this year I had a 2018 XC90 T6 AWD which I was in for a month. And I had a 2018 XC90 T5 AWD for a week.

The T5 AWD was horribly underpowered, T6 was fine in Dynamic mode, but this T5 FWD has pleanty of power in any mode and seems to use less fuel with my heavy foot. Also this T5 FWD has noticable less road noise on the interstate. Unfortunately this particular XC90 is a real plain jane in regards to the options, but I am sure one could be found or ordered nicely equipped without the AWD.

So to anyone thinking of a new XC90 and AWD is not necessary for driving conditions dont overlook test driving the T5 FWD before making a purchase. June

[precopster]

Yeah that's a lot of weight for the T5 with AWD. The same powertrain powers the new XC40 with a substantial weight saving and it gets to 230kph (over 140mph).
The power output (250hp) is descent enough and the XC90 AWDs get to 60mph in 9 secs but the torque peak is very high in the rev range. I wonder how flat the torque curve is on these motors...

I also wonder if yours was under par and needed an issue to be sorted.

[June]

Yeah that's a lot of weight for the T5 with AWD. The same powertrain powers the new XC40 with a substantial weight saving and it gets to 230kph (over 140mph).
The power output (250hp) is descent enough and the XC90 AWDs get to 60mph in 9 secs but the torque peak is very high in the rev range. I wonder how flat the torque curve is on these motors...

I also wonder if yours was under par and needed an issue to be sorted.

No issues, all three were 2018 new cars as listed as service loaners. I have had this 2018 XC90 T5 FWD since last Thursday and they say Wednesday will be the earliest my S80 will be ready. So I have had the benefit of driving all three powertrains for thousands of miles. The T6 I had for a month and I put 2K on that car while I had it. The T5 AWD was awful, no power at all.

Simply the T5 AWD and T6 AWD drove more truckish and this T5 FWD drives more carish. I really like the way this T5 FWD drives. At 80 mph it's so smooth and quiet it feels like 50 mph. I decided to order a Inscription T5 FWD and tried this afternoon to discover it's not available. Stupid Volvo once again is forcing AWD on the nicer model. And the Momentum is not available with the $3,200 premium sound system option or the good looking 22 inch wheels So I'll wait to see what comes in pure electric form in the next couple of years and keep enjoying my S80 as my daily driver. June

[jimmy57]

The new XC90 is 400 or more pounds lighter than the previous XC90. The 2.0 turbo does have torque a bit higher in the revs but it has the 8 speed auto and that helps a lot. The new XC90's don't feel fast when driven.

[abscate]

Horribly underpowered?



From one who drive a 48 HP T3 Transporter and a 36 Hp 1954 Beetle, my standards may be lower.

Don’t try to put me into of those sluggaRds though

[June]

Horribly underpowered?



From one who drive a 48 HP T3 Transporter and a 36 Hp 1954 Beetle, my standards may be lower.

Don’t try to put me into of those sluggaRds though

I drove for a couple of blocks a 1974 Super Beetle and told Mike I cant drive a car this awful! I hit a pothole and the steering wheel jerked back and forth fiercely! At that point I made him drive the car back and said NO WAY! It was a cute idea, but a bad one! That was back in 90 or 91. I was so happy to get back in my 740 GLT and turn the air on!!! June

[mrbrian200]

I also wonder if yours was under par and needed an issue to be sorted.

Anything affecting performance to such an extent to would probably trip a CEL. June's probably right: the T5 is borderline inadequate when paired with AWD. If the T5 AWD was more fully loaded some of the extra 'stuff' also ticks up the curb weight. Call it a double-whammy.

[abscate]

Horribly underpowered?



From one who drive a 48 HP T3 Transporter and a 36 Hp 1954 Beetle, my standards may be lower.

Don’t try to put me into of those sluggaRds though

I drove for a couple of blocks a 1974 Super Beetle and told Mike I cant drive a car this awful! I hit a pothole and the steering wheel jerked back and forth fiercely! At that point I made him drive the car back and said NO WAY! It was a cute idea, but a bad one! That was back in 90 or 91. I was so happy to get back in my 740 GLT and turn the air on!!! June

Missed this one. That car needed a $10 steering damper, like a shock absorber on the steering arm to fix that.

You would have been great in a Super Beetle, they roll gracefully.

[June]

Horribly underpowered?



From one who drive a 48 HP T3 Transporter and a 36 Hp 1954 Beetle, my standards may be lower.

Don’t try to put me into of those sluggaRds though

I drove for a couple of blocks a 1974 Super Beetle and told Mike I cant drive a car this awful! I hit a pothole and the steering wheel jerked back and forth fiercely! At that point I made him drive the car back and said NO WAY! It was a cute idea, but a bad one! That was back in 90 or 91. I was so happy to get back in my 740 GLT and turn the air on!!! June

Missed this one. That car needed a $10 steering damper, like a shock absorber on the steering arm to fix that.

You would have been great in a Super Beetle, they roll gracefully.

I'm not joking, the steering wheel violently jerked side to side until I was able to stop the car. I have never experienced that again in any car. Naturally I have never driven a VW again... so VW puts a shock absorber on the steering gear? Why not just put a good steering mechanism in to begin with? June

[abscate]

With manual steering most every car had a damper of some sort to prevent resonances. The steering on aBeetle is really light because the front end is so light.

Once power steering came, the fluid acts asa natural damper so the shock goes away

The steering shake ina beetle with a bad damper is impressive ..about 3-4 inches of wheel shake