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XC 90 fuel economy

3.9K views 26 replies 18 participants last post by  VTbuckeye  
#1 ·
Almost all reviews I have seen, mention that the fuel economy listed by the EPA is nowhere near what people are getting in real world. I have read people getting 18 to 19 MPG. I have ordered mine with Air Suspension which I guess adds more weight as well. Should I be concerned? The good fuel economy is what I liked and factored in while making my decision. Can you all share you thoughts about the fuel economy. Would love to see people share the real world numbers especially ones who have air suspension. Thanks in advance.
 
#4 ·
Try searching, this has been discussed in multiple threads. I've never owned a car that hit it's EPA estimate, but that could have to do with my heavy foot. My MPG improved after breaking the engine a bit and having Polestar installed at the 5k mark. My T6 getting around 21mpg overall depending on how much highway driving I do. It's a big, heavy car, so I am realistically OK with this mileage. However I probably won't feel that way when gas eventually spikes up again.

20-31mpg max on a T6
I have never come remotely close to 31mpg under any conditions.
 
#3 ·
I was thinking the same but most of the reviewers are flooring the car and doing all sorts of things that would not help the economy, so I am not convinced it is a fair representation.
 
#5 ·
I have XC90 D5 2017 with air suspension and it does about 37-45 mpg (depending on the driving style). It has better fuel economy than the previous 2016 XC90 without air suspension
 
#6 ·
I average 18-19mpg consistently with a mix of city driving, highway and traffic jams.
I do not drive aggressively, but think that large city driving(with lots of traffic) is not quite reflected in EPA ratings.
 
#7 ·
I am a little confused about your comment on good fuel economy and your decision. Quickly googling suvs that are competitors to the XC90 it seems like they are all within a couple miles of each other in EPA tests. I don't think the T6 is supposed to be better in fuel economy compared to the competition. I guess what I am trying to say, is that you shouldn't be concerned, since it doesn't matter which petrol SUV you choose in this class, you would be in the same situation either way.
 
#21 ·
And then there is also the difference between petrol and diesel...which are typically radically-different with the same car model "family"...

The only way any of the posts here are meaningful is with a full spec like, "I get about 26 mpg (US gallons) in a T6 Inscription" (The "T6" tells you that it is petrol and not diesel)
Otherwise, the posts are just so much noise.
 
#16 · (Edited)
When the traffic allows steady speed, I regularly get 30+ mpg on the highway on my T6 with air suspension.
The mileage seems to get better using the cruise control. It also improves if the speed is kept within posted limits.

This is from yesterday:
Image
 
#25 ·
Yes - and then if you manually calculate mileage based off mileage/gallons inputted, it's different still.

I don't believe anyone should trust the mileage the car gives you digitally - it's never been close for me.
 
#22 ·
On our most recent trip, 150 miles each way so 300 mile round trip we averaged 26.7 mpg and that's not keeping things conservative. Our roads are mostly single lane (each way) roads and when passing people (happens dozens of times per trip in the summer due to tourists) I often hit 90 mph. Anyway, I'm quite happy with the hwy mileage and in town I have no frame of reference because I can't stop hammering the go pedal. ;) 1100 miles on our T6
 
#23 ·
I get 7.4L/100Km with my MY16 XC90 Inscription D5 with polestar optimization. I'm not the "hammer down on pedal" type of driver (mostly :D).
40'000Km done sofar in a little more than a year; 70Km highway a day mon-fri with city/short/long trips on weekends.
 
#26 ·
That is ok for mixed driving with such a big car. I will be happy with that, 38.12mpg UK gallons
 
#27 ·
With the T8 I fill up so infrequently that I don't get solid numbers that I can count on or predict. It is based on how much electric driving I do. Work is a 13 to 15 mile round trip (all electric this time of year). According to VOC I usually get between 30 and 33mpg on long highway trips using gas only. Though this is the same VOC that said that I used 11.8 US gallons over the last 1000+ miles, but I put 13.7 gallons in at the gas pump last night.

The volvo replaced a Mazda5 that was underpowered and still only got 28mpg on the highway at 70+mph (30 ish mpg at 45-60mph) and 18-22 mpg on short around town drives.