Another Look

2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD ASR7: Safety First

Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Sen. Joe Lieberman and a TV camera – some relationships are so passionate and burn so brightly they live on long after the lovers are gone. Others – George W. Bush and books, for example – just never seem to work. The ingredients are there, but no sparks fly.

The latter comes closer to describing my relationship to the 2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD SUV. I drove the XC90 when it first came out, and though I liked and respected it, it didn’t grab me. I couldn’t understand it then, because in general I love Volvos, and this was a vehicle that had all the expected Volvo attributes – well-designed, safe, flexible and attractive. But there was no passion. I wanted to be just friends.

Perhaps it was a matter of power, I thought. The original XC90 had the V6, which was adequate I guess, but about as exciting as a fiber-filled diet cookie. I asked for the V8, hoping that perhaps more power would ignite the flames of desire. After all, the billions of people driving the XC90 on Fairfield County streets can’t all be wrong.

After a week in the 2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD, I’m sure they’re not, but I’m still not singing “I wanna come over.” I’ve become resigned to being good friends with the XC90, but no trips up Brokeback Mountain for us. Falling in love is just not going to happen.

Like and respect – that’s a different story, and one worth telling. After all, without the passion, you get to focus on what really binds you. No, there is no great literature written about platonic relationships, but you also don’t hear about people killing themselves because a friend left, and many friendships long outlast the passionate flings. You go to Paris once with lovers, you go to Starbucks every few days with friends, which may explain the popularity of what the New York Times once called the “Starbucks Utility Vehicle.”

Part of your relationship with longtime friends involves knowing things about them lovers don’t, which gives you the info necessary to set them up with others who would be a good match. That’s why I still feel good about my relationship with the XC90 – I know lots of friends I’d like to set it up with.

I was actually talking to someone yesterday – a typical young, upscale suburbanite – whose wife was looking for a new family car and who was falling in love with the XC90. There’s someone for everyone, and for many people, the XC90 will be a perfect fit.

Let’s start with the obvious – the engine. At 4,610 lbs., the XC90 is not a lightweight, and I thought the V6, while a nice enough engine, just didn’t provide the power needed to compete in the luxury SUV segment. That, by the way, is where you’ll find this Volvo firmly ensconced. My test car came in at $49,480 (cost of the XC90 ranges from mid 30s to high 50s), and did not include necessities like a satellite radio and navigation system, rear video system or a personal masseuse, but back to the engine.

This may be a Volvo, but the engine is Japanese (17% of the parts come from Sweden, 23% from Japan, including the engine and transmission) and is much better matched to the XC90. This 8-cylinder is a 4.4-liter, throaty alloy engine with 32-valves and continuously variable intake and exhaust valve timing (CVVT) pushing out 311 horsepower at 5,850 RPM and 325 lb.-ft at 3,900 RPM. All this basically means is that you have more than enough power to go from 0 to 60 when you’re getting on 95, or from 55 to 75 to avoid that truck that just swooped into your lane. Top speed is 130 mph. The new 6-speed Geartronic automatic transmission does a good job of managing that power and getting you there.

EPA estimated gas mileage is 15 city/21 highway (premium fuel), not great but decent for a 7-passenger vehicle and smack in the middle of its class. Better news is that this, the most powerful engine in Volvo’s history, is relatively environmentally friendly. It is the first V8 to meet the stringent Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) II standards.

So there are no more power problems and the engine sounds good, removing one of my big complaints about the 6-cylinder version. That’s a definite plus for this version. I’m still not thrilled about the handling. This is a car-based SUV, so the ride is very forgiving and comfortable, but it is more luxury than sports. It seems softer and less interested in throwing itself into corners than in cruising down the straight and narrow.

While that explains my lack of desire, it also helps explain the popularity of the XC90. This is a handling characteristic that makes it a great, comfortable, undemanding commuter vehicle. If you’ve got a family of five stuck back there and you have to referee the fights, you probably are not particularly concerned about the slalom times (that’s how you measure handling, btw).

What you will be concerned with is what Volvo is famous for – safety. The XC90 won’t let you down. There are few vehicles I’d rather be on the road in.

Safety has always been Volvo’s passion, and the engineers clearly got the green light from the marketers to make this as safe a vehicle as they could. It starts with the basics, like All Wheel Drive. This is standard on the V8 version of the XC90, coming with what Volvo calls “Instant Traction.”

Volvo has a long, detailed and extremely boring explanation of what this does, but this is the highlight: “Prior to Instant Traction, if the AWD system sensed that the front wheels were losing traction, one-seventh of a wheel rotation occurred before it began redirecting torque to the wheels with traction. That rotation could influence performance under certain conditions.”

This has changed, as you probably already knew, because “Instant Traction adds a one-way pre-charging valve to the AWD system that maintains a torque load of 59 foot-pounds, which is available instantly.”

I think what they’re trying to say is you really never need worry about your wheels slipping in the snow. Fortunately, they’re much better engineers than they are writers.

All XC90 models are equipped with Roll Stability Control (RSC), Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC), Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) with side airbags and inflatable curtains for all three rows. Also on the list of safety acronyms are ROPS (Rollover Protection System) with a boron steel reinforced roof that’s tougher than even my skull, and WHIPS, the Whiplash Protection System. I’m sure you’re not surprised. Safety is Volvo’s middle name (Actually, Volvo has no middle name. Volvo is Latin for “I roll.” Rock on, Swedish dudes!).

SUV and pickup test results just released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (those insurance guys love safe cars so they don’t have to pay out big bucks) had the Volvo XC90 as one of the few models to earn top ratings for whiplash protection systems. Only 6 of 44 vehicles tested offered effective protection against whiplash. Volvo’s was among the best. Somewhere, a personal injury lawyer is crying.

Volvo dealers aren’t, however. I may not have bought one, but lots of people did, as you can tell from the Starbucks parking lot. In December, perhaps coincidentally one of those months where the need for a safe car is obvious, the XC90 had record sales in 2005.

Inside, the XC90’s Scandinavian influences are obvious. Styling, both internal and external, is clean and neat, although I am struck by the nagging thought that at this price point, the dash looks less minimalist than just plain bare. Materials are top quality and fit and finish excellent. Controls are easy to use and well laid out.

I’m still on the fence about the seating for seven. It does eliminate an awful lot of cargo space, but given the flexibility of the seating and storage arrangements and the possibility that if someone doesn’t get the XC90, they may go for something bigger and much more polluting, I’ll live with it. The seats themselves are Volvo comfortable and supportive.

There really isn’t much not to like about this Volvo. If, like me, you demand driving excitement and, unlike me, can ignore the handling bias to the luxury side of things, there’s just about nothing not to like.

Mos def, if you have a family and need size, safety and good handling, be sure to test drive the 2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD. Let me know if you fall in love. It’s always nice when you set somebody up and it all works out.

posted by Andy Mais @ 3:54 PM