Volvo XC90 (02 on) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 21 July 2011
The XC90 was Volvo's first real off-roader and proved extremely popular when it was launched. That's not hard to see why - it's well equipped, comes with seven seats as standard and has an extremely comfortable cabin. It may not be as agile to drive as alternatives like the BMW X5, but the XC90 is strong in other areas - most notable its refined ride which makes it ideal for long motorway journeys. There's a wide choice of engines available, but the best is the D5 diesel which offers a great blend of economy and punchy performance. Add in legendary Volvo safety and robust build quality and it's easy to see what makes this such a good family car. It was revised in 2007 with minor exterior tweaks, a more luxurious interior and new engines.
4 out of 5

Other Volvo reviews

2.5 out of 5

Running costs

The petrol engines are all thirsty as you'd expect, so the D5 is the engine to go for to keep running costs reasonable - it can average 34mpg. The XC90 holds its value well, although not as well as German alternatives such as the BMW X5 - that said, the XC90 is cheaper to start with and has more generous standard equipment levels. Insurance is expensive, as are parts and servicing.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£2,455 - £3,069 *

Diesel

£1,885 - £2,068 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12,000 miles.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£270.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    216
  • L
  • M
    322

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The XC90 is a pretty polluting model - as most large 4x4s are. The T6 and V8 engines are the least environmentally friendly, so if you're looking to be relatively green, go for the later D5 (with 185bhp). The manual version averages 34mpg and emits 219g/km of CO2 - not bad for a car of this size.

Find the exact engine and CO2