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Volvo XC60 Questions and Comments

39 messages,  Last post on May 22, 2013 at 12:05 PM

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What is this discussion about? Volvo XC60, SUV

    

Messages Page 2 of 4

#11 of 39 Re: How do you like your Volvo XC60? [mscar54] by idmd

Sep 24, 2011 (3:11 am)

Replying to: mscar54 (Jul 22, 2011 9:06 am)
Just bought a 2011 XC60 R-Design but haven't had much time in it. I'm coming from an Acura TL SH-AWD. The TL is super solid, drives like a dream, really sporty yet I never formed any real attachment to it. Too much science....not enough passion? I chose the XC60 because I wanted the utility of a crossover (not hauling sheets of plywood but like the increased room) and went with the R-Design for the looks and the slightly sportier feel and handling.
 
I have lots of family members with Volvos and while not the least reliable vehicles ever after 70K they all pretty much have spent some time at the shop. I think things are getting better with reliability but I'm anticipating more issues over the course of ownership compared to my Acura. That said the 5yrs/60K maintenance program and the fact I drive less than 10K per year means this thing will be under warrantee and the maintenance program the entire length of the loan. This means I'm not all that worried about my anticipated decrease in reliability. But who knows I could be pleasantly surprised.
 
Only time will tell. So far I like the car. This early into ownership all I can say is:
 
Pros: Great looks, sporty styling, nice handling for a crossover if you like a stiffer/sportier feel.
 
Cons: Going into this glass half empty with respect to reliability.
 
I'll update this thread as I get some more miles under my belt.

#12 of 39 Re: How do you like your Volvo XC60? [idmd] by mscar54

Sep 24, 2011 (6:48 am)

Replying to: idmd (Sep 24, 2011 3:11 am)
I've been tardy in responding to this thread (which I started.) I, too, bought a 2011 XC60, turbo edition, and have been thinking about what I should post regarding the vehicle. I'm coming from an Infiniti EX35, which I did like, but in the end, was just too small. I really like the size of the XC and the ride is very smooth, although I have noticed some wind noise as mentioned earlier in this thread by another responder. It's not troublesome, however, and because there are features on this crossover that I did not have on the EX, I'm generally pretty satisfied (like the electronic closing hatch.) My biggest issue has been with the Blooth tooth phone system....for some reason, it drops the microphone capability with my cell phone. I hear the phone ring through the sound system, but the caller cannot hear me, nor me hear the caller, unless I'm on the hand set. I've taken it in to the dealer's service department, but the service people are just as bewildered as I am! I have upgraded the phone's software via Motorola's web page, and the service people say that the car has the latest software version installed. It bothers me that a car that cost 40 something thousand dollars has this problem. Having had an Acura (TL, as a matter of fact) and the Infiniti prior to this car, with no blue tooth problems, I'm miffed about this issue. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no other little "issues" arise. All-in-all, I like the car fine, especially the ride and the room.

#14 of 39 Re: How do you like your Volvo XC60? [mscar54] by idmd

Sep 24, 2011 (7:35 am)

Replying to: mscar54 (Sep 24, 2011 6:48 am)
As I drove my 2010 TL for the last time I got into an argument with it. I said, 'Dial ######### and it said, "Passenger temperature down". I tried again and this time it responded with, "XM station 200". Finally I scream at it and it said, "Driver passenger temperature down". For me the voice recognition was horrible. The Bluetooth calling always worked with my iPhone but if I had it plugged in to USB the system would randomly switch from the USB to Bluetooth streaming (which I wasn't using) and the sound would go silent. I'd have to go into my phone, tell it to use the USB again and no doubt the car would switch it back again.
 
I think most BT issues are a combination of phone/car/software compatibility issues. You would have thought iPhones being so popular Acura would have made sure there was compatibility. Well they did at the time the car was manufactured based on the available software at the time. These issues would come and go with software updates to the phone. Interestingly my phone worked flawlessly with my wife's Pilot. There's nothing Acura or Volvo can do if I manufacture breaks compatibility with an update other than notify the manufacture and hope they fix it. That gets prioritized and if there are 6 million more important things Motorola may be slow to react. There just isn't enough standardization ATM. This issue MAY have nothing to do with Volvo......

#15 of 39 Re: How do you like your Volvo XC60? [mscar54] by shs111

Sep 25, 2011 (5:07 pm)

Replying to: mscar54 (Jul 22, 2011 9:06 am)
Love our XC60. Bought it when it first came out, fully expected I'd just trade the XC70 for another XC70. 24 months later, I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, I'm so happy with the car that I just bought it out of its lease, saw no reason to deal with that question in another year. It's solid, it handles well, it's got a great engine (T6) with terrific acceleration.

#16 of 39 Got to have the Dynamic Package with a T6 by pawlybauls

Sep 26, 2011 (6:44 am)

I just received my 2012 XC60 T6 last week from Volvo's OSD program. I have been driving it every chance I get and am loving every minute of it. I am really glad that I opted for the Dynamic package. The active dual Xenon bending lights are brilliant, but the best option is the 4-C Chassis.
With Comfort mode selected you can hardly feel a bump. Cornering is this mode does produce a "floaty" feeling from the loose suspension though.
I drive mainly in Sport mode when the road condition is decent. This has an excellent blend of shock support and stiff suspension for turns, lane changes and cornering.
The Advanced mode almost makes you forget that your in a CUV with a 9 inch ground clearance. I can take corners and 270 degree highway exits faster and smoother than I can with my S40 sedan! There is a noticeable difference in shock absorption in this mode, but not enough that bumps will rattle your teeth.
Switching between the modes while driving couldn't be easier and is conveniently located near the gearshift nob.
I haven't tested the Speed sensitive steering yet, I am using it on the medium setting right now. The steering wheel response at highway speed is sufficient for darting between lanes. At lower MPH, like about 40, it seems a little to sensitive though. At low parking speed the variable power steering seems really loose at the medium setting and takes a full steering wheel rotation to get a 90 degree turn.

#17 of 39 Re: Got to have the Dynamic Package with a T6 [pawlybauls] by idmd

Sep 28, 2011 (5:16 pm)

Replying to: pawlybauls (Sep 26, 2011 6:44 am)
So here's my review of my 2011 XC60 R-Design after living with it for a little while. These are my current perceptions (some of which maybe incorrect and I may simply not know how to do something so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).
 
Exterior: Great looking car. IMHO one of the best (if not the best) small CUV on the market today especially in R-Design trim where they've managed to make it look sporty but not cheesy (thinking about the poor GMC Acadia Denali here).
 
Interior: Typical Volvo design. The dash always seems down and a away from you and the seating height high. I feel the same in the XC90 - it's more like sitting on top of rather than cocooned in the vehicle. Nice material. Already have one legit squeak and the surface the passenger side seat belt naturally hangs next to is hard and makes noise over bumps. Sensus is a mixed bag as is the Nav. Lots of menus. Multiple ways of doing the same slightly different thing (ex. pressing sound for basic audio options vs navigating through Sensus to adjust audio. Why can I only turn surround sound on/off through the Sound button and not through Sensus with all the other audio options?). Just seems like things could be more organized. More importantly HOW DO I CANCEL THE NAVIGATION? Needs a quicker way of getting to things like cell phone presets. The nice thing about the system is it's reasonable responsive and the graphics are nice. Once you learn which of the 10 menus something is in it's easier to navigate. Lastly, it would be nice to be able to have the navigation screen show radio/iPod information across the top. As far as I know you have to switch screens if you want to know any information about Sat/iPod/Radio when you're looking at the NAV screen.
 
Audio: I have the Premier Audio system which isn't bad but it needed a lot of tweaking. I'm coming from an Acura with the ELS system which is the best OEM audio I've every heard. When I first got the XC is sounded horrible. Every live song played through my iPhone resulted in HUGE amounts of bass drum distortion at even medium volume levels. Songs recorded in studio less so. I had to adjust the EQ on the iPhone to "Reduced Base" and turn Surround Sound OFF. Now the system sounds very good at all volume levels and all songs.
 
Power train: Sweet engine. AWD is adequate so far. Still getting used to a non-SH AWD system that is mostly FWD torque steer and all. Transmission is smooth although "Sports" most manual shifts are only semi-manual. If you mash the throttle in manual mode it will downshift all by itself anyway. It would be nice to allow a complete and fully manual mode.

#18 of 39 Re: Great responses [juxta] by myob

Oct 10, 2011 (10:27 am)

Replying to: juxta (Aug 09, 2011 10:33 pm)
10 months into an '11 XC60 T6 R design we've had zero issues. No wind noise problem at all. It's a lot quieter than the Infiniti G35 we had before, and smoother riding than a BMW 328i w/o sport package, despite what some reviews claim (they're likely used to Volvo squishy soft).
 
Grip is excellent, but steering does suffer from the numb and light steering. You can tell it could do a lot more if they gave you more feedback through the wheel. Drives like a sedan, not a crossover. Visability is good, comfort excellent, and the best feature is that the cargo area is large for the class and the seats fold fully flat. Power is excellent for this sort of vehicle, very smooth. Trottle tip in from a stop is a little on/off, wanting to either go slow or fast, but very manageable.
 
Dealership experience was top notch, they even offered a loaner for a basic oil change/inspection. According to another website I go to that tracks reliablity based on actual user reports '11's have been exceptionally trouble free, with '10's having a few more problems but nothing bad.
 
It is an excellent trip vehicle and also great around town. Not too big or too small.
 
Fuel economy is 20.9 mpg in hot weather short trips for errands (including idling waiting on the wife in the summer sometimes) with mostly rural 35-45 mph driving.
On 77mph avg highway trips I was pleasantly surprised to get 24 mpg (winter, no hills) vs the rated 22.
 
Units built mid '11 model year on have a better information screen with full color.
 
For those who prefer utility, reliability, styling, and comfort to max handling this is the choice in its class. The R design is stiffer and more buttoned down than the standard XC60. For better steering or max fuel economy you might prefer the X3 or Q5. Just be prepared for a few more headaches.
 
We've owned BMW, Saab, and Infiniti vehicles and overall for us the Volvo is the best combination of performance, utility, safety, and reliability. We also like that Volvo doesn't seem to carry the class warfare baggage like other brands.

#19 of 39 XC60 continued discussion by mscar54

Oct 11, 2011 (5:16 am)

I am always glad to see these positive responses from owners. My own XC60 now has about 3300 miles on it and I am liking it more and more. Other than what I call the "quirky" response time and issues with the Info-system, and yes, some wind noise, the good things outweigh the smaller things. I'm still loving the room and the ride. My overall MPG, which is 60/40 town-highway driving, is about 22. And I love the electronic hatch, which I did not have in my Infinity EX.
 
Thanks to all for the reflections.

#20 of 39 Re: XC60 continued discussion [mscar54] by travelguy2

Oct 13, 2011 (1:25 pm)

Replying to: mscar54 (Oct 11, 2011 5:16 am)
Thanks for all of your comments on the XC60. The 2011 XC60 T6 is one of my two final choices. Just curious...I am hyper sensitive to the wind noise on the highway I guess given the comments in this forum. I know it's subjective but have you gotten "used to it." Also, do you find there is enough space in the rear door entryways to move items in and out (as I will be doing with an infant seat).

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