I’d think a S60 T5 would be less money and better on fuel.

 

fair point although we are a very tall family and when we got a s60 loaner it was a tight cabin as i recall

 

Just be sure you wish to pay for regular maintenance on the XC90---Such as $600.00 battery replacement. I would not be that a concerned with long term reliability, but more so that a teen would/could miss use the self driving features of the car....hmmmm.

 

The XC90 drives easy and has lots of safety, so from that perspective it's not a bad teen driving car. It's more power than a teen driver would need. The '18 is the slower computer and you can't turn start/stop off for good. Is the '18 you're looking at eligible by age for CPO or is it too old now? Factor in the extension for the CPO and it should be a good car with little concern for the next 5 years.

From a value perspective, I think @*********** is on the right track. How about looking for an S90? They have very spacious cabins, can be had with the T5 as well AWD for safety and less power, and you get the better used car price being a sedan.

 

I understand the rationale for the suggestions about other Volvo models, but my question is more specific to the xc90.

The other models do not have enough headroom

 

Yeah, the XC90 has the best torso height. The S90 might work yet too, but there are other valid reasons to want an SUV when you're 6'6", it's a long way down and up with the seat!

 

Recommend asking the insurance company what the rates are for the potential vehicles, might (or might not) sway the decision. (I was randomly looking ahead at rates recently and was shocked how much teen coverage was in general.) Good luck!

 

It would be a fine vehicle if you don't mind the higher repair costs and the occasional dent and ding that a new driver, or other drivers in a high school or college parking lot will bring to the car. I would never suggest a car this large for a new driver but it sounds like you need the room. All that said, I'd probably lean more towards a previous gen XC90 for something like this. It will be around half the price and it will be every bit as reliable as a newer one.

 

Mazda CX-5 ‘17 and up…as reliable as Honda or Toyota, better crash test ratings (including new side impact), super low maintenance costs, fun to drive with some semblance of road feel.

A 7 seater for a teenager is asking for trouble, especially with the added liability of inevitably driving their friends around.

 

I guess you know your teens better than anyone. I would have loved to had something like that available to me when I was a teen! If this is something that they will eventually inherit, and either pay towards or whatever, if they don't like it, it won't matter. All I know is
1 - I wouldn't buy any of those others, period. (Not my cup of tea at all)
2 - I wouldn't buy a premium brand used without CPO or something.
My teens all got common domestic brand cars (1 of each, a Ford, a Chevy, and a Jeep), all with very high miles and all ended up just fine. If you don't get something dirt common (ease of repair/cheap parts (junkyard)) then be prepared to have money aside for "the teenager effect", but back to my first sentence "you know your kids" better than any of us.

 

I would have loved to had something like that available to me when I was a teen!

For real. I got a $300 '84 Accord (in 1999).

 

Horrible decision to get a luxury car as your first lease, but you know your own kids better than others. My first lease at 18 was a Kia Optima, I loved the car. Trust me there will be moments when the vehicle will get scratched up or possibly even worse. Teens regardless of maturity level(s) will scratch and beat up that XC90 more than you can count it is not a small SUV by any means as I'm sure you already know. If you are dead-on stuck on Volvos might as well get a used S60 T5 (2019+) SPA platform or an XC40 (2020+) if stuck on the SUV side otherwise get a beater and have them work their way up to nicer things in life.

 

not looking to lease

 

I learned to drive on a P2 XC90 and hated it. I’d look into something smaller. Learning to drive in something big is quite overwhelming. I agree with others - my 6’ 9” uncle fits fine in my XC70 (same interior space as an S60 or V70 from the same era), so double check that you don’t fit in an S60. Make sure the seat is all the way down if headroom is a challenge.

 

Different world we live in now, with many more 5k+ lb trucks/suvs/EVs on the road. So if I could afford to, would definitely put my child in something more modern & substantial than the bare bones old 5spd Camry that I learned to drive in.

if not a newer cx5, I’d consider a 1st gen xc60 or if prefer even older, would go with a mb/bmw/volvo from the ‘90s or ‘00’s

 

Yeah, I agree with this. Giving a child a beater is what they should have because life experience warrants it. However, the amount of idiots behind the wheel of larger cars and trucks that are impaired/distracted is growing substantially. I’d want my child to have a chance if something bad occurred. I certainly don’t want them driving a coffin on wheels.

Had a distant friend from high school stopped in traffic. A cement truck driver was texting and slammed into her killing her instantly. I’m not saying a Volvo would have saved her. But the chances will be far greater than a beater 2000 Honda, for example.


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Yeah for me thinking of an XC90 as a first car for a teen is wild, but to each their own! I had a 1989 Ford Escort as my first car in 2006.

If maintenance costs and MPGs are the main concerns, I would think the XC90 would be further down the list (unless you're working on it yourself). A Toyota Highlander or RAV4 could be a good option for you (a hybrid RAV4 could be around that price and would be both reliable and high MPG).

When it comes down to it if you already have an XC90 and think that would be good for your kid to have too then go for it. That price seems really really competitive.

 

thoughts - lucky kid! we drove old mini vans and rusty jeeps and POS compact american cars.

secondly, I agree with what many have said. the xc90 is a big fat pig of a car and although it is like a tank around you should something happen, its not great for learning driving. visibility is bad, much farther stop distances in dry and especially slippery conditions. there's a lot of seats for friends which can be a distraction for a new driver. itll also eat through tires in an extra hurry if a learning driver is hard on the gas or brake pedal. i wouldnt want to be replacing 20"+ tires any faster than I had to.

if you must a volvo, I'd think a first gen xc60 would be a better choice.
if you want reliable and better gas mileages, get a toyota or mazda.

 

If you're game for the upkeep and maintenance, go for it. Your kids will be driving a Volvo and that alone should give you some piece of mind.

 

I have a ‘18 XC90 r5 with 70k and really like it. For a young learning driver I would pick a older Altima as they are less expensive to purchase , maintain and repair. I had two daughters learning to drive at the same time and went through quiet a few fender benders and repair.

 

Used Altimas get expensive if the CVT goes out (which they freqently do). I’d get a Camry or Optima or something instead if going down that route

 

I don’t see the big fuss in this father wanting one of the safest suv on the road today. If he can afford it and knows pros/cons then so be it. I always say when my 3 kids start driving (currently 12 year old boy and 10 1/2 boy girl twins) I always tell them I’ll get them an suv or van so they can share. Afterwards once they working and making their own money they can get whatever they like/afford.


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I don’t see the big fuss in this father wanting one of the safest suv on the road today. If he can afford it and knows pros/cons then so be it. I always say when my 3 kids start driving (currently 12 year old boy and 10 1/2 boy girl twins) I always tell them I’ll get them an suv or van so they can share. Afterwards once they working and making their own money they can get whatever they like/afford.


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Our oldest is only 10, but even though i grew up with a little 2-dr Corolla SR5 as my first car and my wife had a Civic as hers, we'll be getting our kids suvs when the time comes for them to drive.

A few years ago my cousin in her early 20s was stopped at a traffic light in her sedan when she got rear ended by a drunk driver that left her paralyzed from neck down. That was a game changer for me in terms of the type of car to give our kids when they start to drive.

 

One of our teenagers is driving our old 2016 XC90 T6 Momentum with 80,000 miles. It wasn’t her first car, but it’s her second and we’re about to send it off with her to college in another state. It’s reassuring to us to know that she is driving a relatively safe vehicle.

The main drawback of the XC90 for a new driver is its size. It’s difficult to park in the high school lot and one of the front corners has already been scraped on a parking bollard. But we knew the risk of fender benders and don’t plan to repair minor damage. The higher your kid sits in the chair, the better the outward visibility.

Our kids have had CarPlay in every one of their vehicles - even if we had to install it aftermarket. That’s been very helpful as they learned to navigate.

We have no regrets about her driving this vehicle.

 

The main drawback of the XC90 for a new driver is its size. It’s difficult to park in the high school lot and one of the front corners has already been scraped on a parking bollard. But we knew the risk of fender benders and don’t plan to repair minor damage. The higher your kid sits in the chair, the better the outward visibility.

Not sure how you reconcile the belief of better outward visibility with the difficulty seeing and knowing the edges of the vehicle to the point that accidents have already happened.

?

 

Learning to drive is a process. The size of the XC90 makes it more challenging to learn on, but eventually those lessons stick. My daughter doesn’t sit very high in the chair, but it sounds like the OP’s kid might, which would make visibility less of an issue.

 

Too many folks put stock into the notion, or perception, of driver height being a trait for improved visibility, awareness of the surroundings through improved visibility around the vehicle (from better sight lines, smaller pillars, more glass), not just from above, is a lot more advantageous.

Driving is a learning process... true. But putting someone in a larger vehicle that they themselves have no awareness for makes them more the liability to those around them... it's a conundrum, because as you want to have a large vehicle to sit your loved one into to keep them safe, they're also putting others at higher risk of a potentially debilitating collision.

 

Agree with comments about XC90 size being primary issue for new drivers. Have seen our neighbors 16yo destroy tires and wheels and dent up most corner panels. In the mentioned price range, have you considered a new base Toyota Corolla Cross? Smaller overall size but should fit taller driver, zero repair bills, low maintenance costs and all the safety features.

 

Please do them a favor get them a P80 chassis with a manual saved my life in a snow storm was a 98 S70 base with a manual might not be fast or stylish but beater first then nice car. Teach them to fix it will last you forever.

Edit- 35mph to a tree and I got out of the car and helped tow it back. It started and went into gear after the crash and drove onto the tow truck. Transmission went into a wagon I picked up for 2500.

 

Crash ratings can’t necessarily be compared between vehicles with different weight ratings. From the NHTSA website:
Ratings | NHTSA

“Can I compare vehicles from different classes?
Side crash rating results can be compared across all classes because all vehicles are hit with the same force by the same moving barrier or pole.

Rollover ratings can also be compared across all classes.

Frontal crash rating results can only be compared to other vehicles in the same class and whose weight is plus or minus 250 pounds of the vehicle being rated. This is because a frontal crash rating into a fixed barrier represents a crash between two vehicles of the same weight.”

Rear-end collisions also aren’t tested, so while it may be true that a Suburban is not a safe vehicle in a rollover, it is what you want to be driving in a head-on or rear-end collision. If two vehicles with the same mass driving the same speed meet in a head-on collision, they both come to a stop. If instead one of them is much heavier than the other, the heavier vehicle will slow down during the collision but continue to roll forward while the lighter vehicle will come to a stop and bounce backward. Passengers in the lighter vehicle will experience greater deceleration.

So the safest vehicle for its own passengers is a heavy vehicle with a low center of gravity and good crash ratings. Like a Mercedes S-Class for example (4,800 lbs vs the XC90 at 4,500 lbs).

 

Rear-end collisions also aren’t tested, so while it may be true that a Suburban is not a safe vehicle in a rollover, it is what you want to be driving in a head-on or rear-end collision. If two vehicles with the same mass driving the same speed meet in a head-on collision, they both come to a stop. If instead one of them is much heavier than the other, the heavier vehicle will slow down during the collision but continue to roll forward while the lighter vehicle will come to a stop and bounce backward. Passengers in the lighter vehicle will experience greater deceleration.

So the safest vehicle for its own passengers is a heavy vehicle with a low center of gravity and good crash ratings. Like a Mercedes S-Class for example (4,800 lbs vs the XC90 at 4,500 lbs).

Completely flawed thinking. This is the EXACT type of comments Volvo has been trying to combat for decades. A heavy vehicle doesn't mean jack squat. Energy absorption is the key to occupant safety, and no body on frame vehicle can absorb energy like unibody construction. This immediately puts these large SUVs at a disadvantage. Volvo has shown MANY crash test results of is own small cars against it's largest SUVs, and you'll note there is basically ZERO improved safety of the SUV over the car.

If you wanted me to be intentionally hit a Suburban or Navigator head on, and I could pick to drive one of those or my S60 I would pick the S60. All. Day. Long. Have you actually seen the VERY poor injury metrics in a large SUV? Don't be fooled by 5 stars. Do a little research into chest compression, rib diffraction or neck snap and compare that to a Volvo sedan.

These large vehicles may perform "good", but in reality there are MANY smaller vehicles that actually perform much better, even if they hit a large vehicle. Just good look at a Smart car crash test result. Bigger is not always better. In fact, they can be a huge liability because these large vehicles tend to be in MORE accidents in the first place because of their ponderous handling, long stopping distances and high center of gravity. AVOIDING an accident is the best way to not be injured in the first place, and these big SUVs suck at that. Notice Volvo will show you crash tests of roll overs, rear end collisions, mixed vehicle sizes....all enough to see their products have a high degree of probability in outperforming big SUVs. If SUVs are so safe, why do they have some of the highest fatality rates in the nation?

 

Vehicle size and weight

🙄

 

It's not crash ratings or weight that matter, it's crash ratings and weight (and maneuverability, driver skill, speed, etc.).

Fatality Facts 2020: Passenger vehicle occupants

 

Fatality Facts 2020: Passenger vehicle occupants

View attachment 174926

Charts like this are MEANINGLESS. They prove or disprove nothing. It’s simply a snapshot of a set grouping of facts that excludes other facts. This proves nothing about one car being more safe than another.

 

Personally, I would hesitate to give an inexperienced driver that much car to have to navigate. Larger cars also mean more damage to whatever/whomever is on the other end of the impact.

 

Personally, I would hesitate to give an inexperienced driver that much car to have to navigate. Larger cars also mean more damage to whatever/whomever is on the other end of the impact.

Now apply that logic to a motorcycle [emoji2369]


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