Best Choice: XC70 vs. XC90

ChrisInSD · Sep 18, 2016

Curious as to the team's thoughts on this one.

We just bought a vacation home in a rural town 2 hours away, and are planning to adopt our first child in the next two years. We will need a larger more family oriented vehicle in the fleet, and I want a car that I can haul furniture items, tools, large hauls of stuff from Home Depot and IKEA (of course) out to our new place which needs a lot of work.

While our C30 is the newest car, it will likely be the one to go as it is the least practical vehicle. I also have reached a point in my life where I find a 6 speed a lot more annoying than fun for everyday driving.

Other than Volvo we have looked closely at the new Mazda CX-9 (strange door panel and dash design prevents "manspreading"--for a 6'2" guy this narrow cockpit is a deal breaker) and the new Lincoln MKX. The Lincoln checks a lot of boxes and is extremely nice. For the same money, I'd rather have an XC90, however. So it is a bit of value play--what kind of deal they would give me would be key.

Over at Volvo, I like the XC60, but frankly it doesn't have a lot of cargo room. And the front seat doesn't fold flat which limits long loads. I rented one recently and that Turbo I-4 sounds like a whiney little cheapster engine. Do all the "T5" Drive Es sounds like this?

Both XC70 and XC90 have better cargo room. All things being equal, I'd prefer XC90. Things are not equal, however--I can get an 2016 XC70 for about $8-9K less than an XC90. I don't really mind that it's the last model year--it seems to have all the latest and greatest tech in it. I really like that you can supposedly fold flat the front passenger seat of XC70--is that true? Can you do that with XC90?

Are there people who have owned both Volvo wagons and SUVs and have a preference or want to share other things to be considered here?

I am looking at new cars generally and don't care about 3rd row seats--just cargo space and quality.

Thomas.brian23 · Sep 18, 2016

FWIW, the front passenger seat in my XC60 does fold flat. I wonder if there's a particular option that deletes this feature. I have a base T6.

Good luck with the remodel.

Makinen5 · Sep 18, 2016

From what I read, the fold-flat passenger seat option was eliminated as an option on the XC60 for model year 2016 in the US market. I don't know if it will come back for MY 2017 or not.

For XC70 MY 2016, you can find the fold-flat front passenger seat option in the Platinum trim. It is also available in the Premium and base trims with the Convenience Package option.

If you can wait a few more months, the Volvo V90 Cross Country could be another option to look at.

ChrisInSD · Sep 18, 2016

Thanks....that's good to know about XC60--maybe a used one with that option would be OK.

The V90 XC starts at $55k. That's about $10k more than what I can get a new XC90 for. It is not a smart/practical option for me.

whitev70r · Sep 18, 2016

Given all the factors that you listed, I vote to spend your money on the xc70.

V70 Brad · Sep 20, 2016

I personally prefer the XC70 with the lower loading height in the cargo area. I am not a fan of SUVs generally.

tryingbe · Sep 23, 2016

ChrisInSD said:
haul furniture items, tools, large hauls of stuff from Home Depot and IKEA (of course) out to our new place which needs a lot of work.

Rent a truck when you need it.

rich1068 · Sep 23, 2016

I've got an '14 XC90 and an '05 P2 V70. Though I love them both, if you're planning on having more kids and keeping the cars a while I'd go with the XC90.

gorj · Oct 10, 2016

The XC70 is the way to go. It is good riding vehicle with plenty of room for your stuff. It can be had with built in child booster seats in the rear. It looks better than any SUV, and gets better fuel economy! I can put a 10 foot pipe in mine and close the tailgate.

ChrisInSD · Oct 10, 2016

Thanks everyone for the thoughts here (tryingbe's smart*** comment excepted).

Last weekend we went and looked at all the cars in detail. The Lincoln was not proving to be a good value and I was still uncomfortable paying a lot of money for a fancy Ford for reliability reasons. The Mazda CX-9 really is an awesome vehicle--they really hit a homerun with that thing except for the ergonomic issues mentioned. If it were not for that, we would have bought that car.

At Volvo we looked at the XC60, XC70, and XC90 in detail. We both agreed the XC90 was the no compromise choice--absolutely beautiful vehicle that checked every box except price. I really liked the XC70, and loved driving it. I wish I liked it more, but we just couldn't get past the wagon piece. No offense at all to those who love the great Volvo wagons, but I guess I am just programmed by the culture to reject the idea of driving a wagon. And strangely, the car I said was too small before ended up being the vehicle we chose.

The XC60 is smaller than the others as far as cargo room is concerned, and I did confirm the fold flat front passenger seat was discontinued as part of the 2014 "refresh." But we decided it did have enough room for us and we just thought it was a lot better value than spending a lot more money for an XC90 for a few more feet of cargo space we would only use occasionally.

So yesterday our 3rd Volvo came home and we really couldn't be happier with the car. The technology is sort of blowing me away--Wi Fi and Satellite traffic and keyless drive, it's all pretty killer.

Thanks for everyone's advice--it's hard to choose between three great choices and Volvo's quality and top-flight design makes it hard.

I miss the fun styling and character of the C30, but that's about all I miss about that car. If I had the garage space I would have loved to keep it forever--it will be a collector's car someday I suspect. I can't wait to see to the new S60 and deliberate choosing between the new S60 and S90 (and maybe a Lexus GS) in a couple of years when it's time to retire the S40...

Bunnspeed · Nov 23, 2016

ChrisInSD said:
Thanks everyone for the thoughts here (tryingbe's smart*** comment excepted).

Last weekend we went and looked at all the cars in detail. The Lincoln was not proving to be a good value and I was still uncomfortable paying a lot of money for a fancy Ford for reliability reasons. The Mazda CX-9 really is an awesome vehicle--they really hit a homerun with that thing except for the ergonomic issues mentioned. If it were not for that, we would have bought that car.

At Volvo we looked at the XC60, XC70, and XC90 in detail. We both agreed the XC90 was the no compromise choice--absolutely beautiful vehicle that checked every box except price. I really liked the XC70, and loved driving it. I wish I liked it more, but we just couldn't get past the wagon piece. No offense at all to those who love the great Volvo wagons, but I guess I am just programmed by the culture to reject the idea of driving a wagon. And strangely, the car I said was too small before ended up being the vehicle we chose.

The XC60 is smaller than the others as far as cargo room is concerned, and I did confirm the fold flat front passenger seat was discontinued as part of the 2014 "refresh." But we decided it did have enough room for us and we just thought it was a lot better value than spending a lot more money for an XC90 for a few more feet of cargo space we would only use occasionally.

So yesterday our 3rd Volvo came home and we really couldn't be happier with the car. The technology is sort of blowing me away--Wi Fi and Satellite traffic and keyless drive, it's all pretty killer.

Thanks for everyone's advice--it's hard to choose between three great choices and Volvo's quality and top-flight design makes it hard.

I miss the fun styling and character of the C30, but that's about all I miss about that car. If I had the garage space I would have loved to keep it forever--it will be a collector's car someday I suspect. I can't wait to see to the new S60 and deliberate choosing between the new S60 and S90 (and maybe a Lexus GS) in a couple of years when it's time to retire the S40...

Congratulations on the purchase, and your growing family! I, too, am fascinated with the vehicles you looked at. My wife and I are in the early stages of my wife's pregnancy, so I am going to try to convince her to get rid of her crude, loud, and uncomfortable 2010 Accord 4 cylinder auto so that we can get something big, quiet and profoundly comfortable in its place so that I can continue to modify my loud, stiff, and smallish 2011 S60 T6 while still leaving us with something pleasant to ride in as a family

I like the styling of all of these vehicles. I test drove a 2010 XC90 V8 a while back and found it to be somewhat less comfortable than I expected it to be, and less quiet than a vehicle of that class should have been. Granted, it was a well-used example with loud tires, so one that was in better shape might have been nicer. I'd consider another one if a good one turned up.

Since style is less of an issue to me, I'd be ok with any of those choices. My main priorities for our next family vehicle are seat comfort and quietness. How did you find these vehicles to stack up in those areas? Specifically, which ones had the better/ best seats, smoothest ride, least road noise, least wind noise, best overall sense of isolation out on the road? I'd love to hear a more detailed comparison of those vehicles when you have the chance. Thank you!
Nick

ChrisInSD · Nov 28, 2016

Bunnspeed said:
Congratulations on the purchase, and your growing family! I, too, am fascinated with the vehicles you looked at. My wife and I are in the early stages of my wife's pregnancy, so I am going to try to convince her to get rid of her crude, loud, and uncomfortable 2010 Accord 4 cylinder auto so that we can get something big, quiet and profoundly comfortable in its place so that I can continue to modify my loud, stiff, and smallish 2011 S60 T6 while still leaving us with something pleasant to ride in as a family

I like the styling of all of these vehicles. I test drove a 2010 XC90 V8 a while back and found it to be somewhat less comfortable than I expected it to be, and less quiet than a vehicle of that class should have been. Granted, it was a well-used example with loud tires, so one that was in better shape might have been nicer. I'd consider another one if a good one turned up.

Since style is less of an issue to me, I'd be ok with any of those choices. My main priorities for our next family vehicle are seat comfort and quietness. How did you find these vehicles to stack up in those areas? Specifically, which ones had the better/ best seats, smoothest ride, least road noise, least wind noise, best overall sense of isolation out on the road? I'd love to hear a more detailed comparison of those vehicles when you have the chance. Thank you!
Nick

Hi Nick--

If you are looking for something "profoundly comfortable" then the XC70 is the pick in this class. The one thing we didn't like about the XC60 actually is the road noise you experience on the highway. The XC70 is based on the S80 flagship sedan and has the same seats and fittings--these seats are extremely comfortable, the ride is smooth and cabin volume is muted. I actually liked driving it the best. The seats were great in the XC70, but the XC90 also had great seats. I sat in a used 2014 XC90 while we were at the dealer just to compare--the seats in that generation were horrible. I was very surprised as all Volvos tend to have great seats and we are usually just talking about variations of a good thing--not so with the old XC90. I would probably avoid that vehicle specifically because of those seats--although not many SUVs look better than a red 1st gen XC90 R Design IMHO

I would say you owe it to yourself to look at the Mazda CX-9 as well--see if the ergonomic issues do not bother you--it is a compelling value if they don't. And the Navigation system is likely more modern than the one in the XC60 or XC70--I have not been impressed by the clunky input method.

The XC70 also had a higher end interior than the XC60. Our XC60 came with some ugly interior plastic-y trim called "Shimmer Graphite." I am actually paying a ridiculous amount (over $1,000) to have this removed and replaced with something called "Linear Walnut" because that plastic crap doesn't look very nice in my new (and expensive) car. This wouldn't have been necessary with the XC70.

Any of these cars will be an improvement over the Accord and a very fine choice indeed, but the XC70 offers the best combination of utility and the Lincoln Town Car-type isolation you desire.

Good luck and congrats on the little one!

Bunnspeed · Nov 28, 2016

Thank you very much for the details! It sounds like I would love the XC70. I wish the P3 T6 versions had been cheaper when I was shopping in August 2015 as I likely would have sprung for one instead of my S60. I'll have to try to get the wifey to look into them further.

In other big news, we are suddenly in the process of purchasing a new home. Lots going on this year for sure. Hopefully we can add a new car purchase to that list!

Best Choice: XC70 vs. XC90

ChrisInSD

Thomas.brian23

Makinen5

ChrisInSD

whitev70r

V70 Brad

tryingbe

rich1068

gorj

ChrisInSD

Bunnspeed

ChrisInSD

Bunnspeed

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