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2007 also marks the end for the XC90's 5-cylinder engine, and that death lets this Volvo's life begin anew. 5-pot Volvos always operate with a subliminal roughness in the background, which comes to the foreground as a discordantly disturbing moan with every summoning of speed. But that was yesterday. Today, this Volvo's new 3.2-liter inline 6 seduces your senses with a roar that's refined across the entire range and gratifyingly edgy in the upper register. It races to redline with enthusiasm and settles into a cheerful hum in light-duty driving; the reduction in aural pain is like spending ten hours listening to Nickelback CDs before switching to Green Day. We're talking revolution here.
Of course, Volvos aren't so much driven by revolution as by variations on the usual, and the XC90 has that usual unassuming competence. There are early signs that this will not be a passionate affair - turn the ignition and it fires to life by auto-sequence - but the XC90 is easy on the senses, with its nicely-sprung throttle and steering that's light yet pleasant. The minimal road feel is less bothersome here than in Volvo's cars (lower expectations, I suppose), and with only 2.8 turns in the wheel, the tires heed your hands' commands and quickly jump to new headings. But be warned, they're just as apt to jump the curb on any given U-turn due to a turning circle that's pudgier than a GMC Yukon's. That's what you get when you stuff six cylinders crosswise under the hood.
Refinement is pretty average as well. Unlike most Euro machines, the XC90 seems to ride better at lower speeds than higher ones (the bouncing gets boisterous by triple digits), but overall stands where most Volvos stand: on the stiff side of comfortable. That's reminiscent of how the noise levels are on the loud side of quiet; some tire rumble always seems to leak through. The two join together whenever the XC90 hits bumps that reverberate through the cabin, which creates the impression of stiff shocks holding up a not-so-stiff structure. In a world where every automaker boasts of outstanding body rigidity, Volvo has been understandably quiet.
235 horsepower makes the XC90's get-up-and-go factor just adequate. That's an observation, not a criticism, but it's an observation in light of another: this year's redesigned Lincoln MKX, Acura MDX, and Lexus RX350 get anywhere between 265 and 300 ponies to play with (from their bigger engines). Some of us don't mind giving up power for economy in return, but with this sample returning just 21 MPG in mostly highway driving and 16 in mixed, where's the compensation? Also, the slight vibration felt while idling is odd considering its small, inline nature.
Volvo's sixer is also unique for having more torque than power (236 pounds-feet), but since it's of the twin-cam, 24-valve variety (a good thing), the juice takes a moment to flow. Luckily, the 6-speed automatic transmission is a slick piece of work, always ready with a downshift to send the engine zinging happily into its powerband, where the variable valve timing (and lift) turns up the heat.
Things never get too hot. If you were expecting the electronic clutch packs in the Haldex all-wheel-drive system to help push the XC90's massive 4,464 pounds around curves, you might be bummed to know that it sends nearly all power forward until after the fronts slip (and never more than half to the back), so push it to the limits and that's the only slip you'll get. That does keep things nice and safe, though, and Volvo's much-touted Roll Stability Control orders the stability control system to intervene prematurely (you can turn off the tire spin-limiting aspect of the traction control, but all other safety systems are on guard 24/7). And while other Volvos have been cited for mushy or abrupt brake response, the XC90's pedal always give firm, reassuring feedback even in the most panic-ridden applications; the extra confidence really makes you feel safe.
Oh, is that what this is about?
If the XC70 was intended as SUV replacement therapy, the XC90 is for folks who just have to get high. In fact, it gets you higher by a full foot as the rooflines rises from 57.7 to 61.5 to 70.2 inches (V70, XC70, XC90) while ground clearance steps up from 5.3 through 8.2 to arrive at this tippy 8.9. The XC90 also comes out ahead in length, width and wheelbase, though the differences are less dramatic.
The inside mirrors the outside in that the family resemblance is there, yet few pieces are actually shared. The XC90 gets its own seats, steering wheel, foot-operated parking brake, stereo, climate system, vents, and dials. Despite all the trouble, Volvo couldn't stop the XC90's interior from looking like all the others: pretty damn cool.
The doors move in hard notches, most of the controls press stiffly (a few too stiff, and a few quite soft), the turn signal always blinks thrice (new feature), and despite the cream coloring and some bogus wood, the air of businesslike black dominates. It's a European car, all right.
Volvo's interiors aren't arranged or labeled exactly like anyone else's, but all the controls still manage to make sense (I said European, not German). The automatic dual-zone climate control system works refreshingly like a manual system, and in this age of impending hands-free cell phone laws, it's puzzling that no one has copied Volvo's phone-style keypad layout for the stereo, whose ten preset buttons are just great. The manual tuning could be less fussy, but the sound is pretty powerful and deep through the eight standard speakers (if just a tiny bit muddled), and Volvo's finally catching up with the world by enabling playback of MP3 CDs and installing iPod-friendly Auxiliary ports in its whole 2007 fleet. The XC90 even has that Sweden-exclusive feature of a rear fog light, for times when blinding the people in front of you just won't suffice.
Storage compartments, while not huge, are numerous and well-conceived: the captain's chairs feature kangaroo pouches in front and two-tiered pockets on their backsides; the center console weirdly opens 180 degrees. The seats are likewise numerous and well-conceived, with fine support and long-term comfort, nice leather (mixed with not-so-nice vinyl lining the edges and sides) and for the driver, an infinitely adjustable steering wheel plus 3-position memory. The leather steering wheel feels, er, dehydrated… but in a good way!
The picture is nearly as optimistic for second-row passengers, who sit on a chair-height bench with decent legroom and plenty of scooped out stomping room under the front seats. Not until the third row (optional) does the most voluminous of Volvos fail, due to legroom tight enough to push any adult's limbs inward in a pelvis-crushing fashion. Kids will survive with all organs intact, but suffer from a myopic worldview from the tall wall formed by the second row bench.
But wait: that bench is split 40/20/40, so just fold down the "20" (in times of, say, exactly six passengers) and you can spell relief. When upright, that middle seat also slides forward to ease parent-infant interaction. Also appreciated are collapsible head restraints on both back rows to ease folding and a flat floor once done. The third-row's folding method is something new: its bottom cushion disappears backward under the rearmost part of the floor. The reward for these careful solutions is a fantastic 93.2 cubic feet of space (with 6 of the 7 seats down), and filling it is made easier by the mini-tailgate.
The only possible footnote in the comfort picture (aside from those gypped juniors in row three) is the head restraints, which stand so far forward that no one will ever substitute the slang "head rests" again. At least the sacrifice of never relaxing one's head is not without purpose: in a rear-end crash, those missing extra inches of slack could make all the difference.
Volvo's other measures to save your neck, literally and otherwise, are thankfully free. More whiplash protection is found in the safety system called, surely enough, WHIPS, which lets the backrests move back with you to absorb some crash energy. The front airbags are both dual-stage and dual-threshold, and the war on slack continues by making pretensioners standard on every seatbelt in the house, plus force limiters on the fronts. Finally, what would WHIPS be without SIPS (Side-Impact Protection System, best summed up as careful utilization of the body structure to dissipate energy), much less ROPS (RollOver Protection System: curtain airbags for everyone), or pillars and a roof made from Boron steel?
Amidst all this talk of WHIPS and SIPS and ROPS, rear side-impact airbags are notably AWOL. Still, the NHTSA's crash test awarded 5 stars to both rows in a side-impact anyway, as well as to the driver from the front. The passenger's front crash only maxed out at 4 stars, as did the Rollover score (where no SUV has scored 5), but the other big car mangling institute, the IIHS, awarded the XC90 a "Good" on every detail its front-offset crash test. So mission accomplished, right?
In addition to 2007's slightly revised styling (I didn't notice either), new engine, and added features, Volvo revised the options and packages this year. They're still pretty different between models, though, so first you should answer the two big questions: do I want the 6 or the V8 (a.k.a. the slowest or fastest SUV in this class?), and if the former, do I want all-wheel-drive (which is standard on the V8)?
If you stick with six cylinders driving two wheels, you can walk out with a $36,830 XC90; adding power to the back makes that $38,680. It takes $47,120 to buy the V8 along with its 6-disc CD changer, aluminum interior trim pieces, power passenger seat, child booster seat, third-row seats, leather upholstery, and self-leveling rear suspension. New this year is the XC90 V8 Sport, bringing stiffer shocks and stabilizer bars, sport-tuned speed-sensitive steering, 19-inch wheels, sport seats, and a pimped out interior to spice up your life for $49,995.
The V6's two option groups make up the difference. The Premium Package fills in the leather, CD changer, power passenger seat, and moonroof for $2,995; the Versatility Package builds on that with second-row booster seat, third-row seats, and self-leveling rear suspension for another $2,250. The V8 has only Touring Packages to add (18-inch wheels and wood trim), while both models share the Convenience Package (rear parking assistance, power side mirrors, child safety locks, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and Interior Air Quality Sensor for $1,295) and Climate Package (heated front seats, rain-sensing wipers, and headlight washers for $675). Shared stand-alones include DVD navigation ($2,120), rear-seat DVD entertainment ($1,995), HID headlights ($800), Blind Spot Information System ($595), and for the V8, a 650-watt DynAudio sound system with Dolby Pro Logic ($1,400). Most paint colors cost $475.
Reasonable? Against Europeans like the Mercedes ML350, BMW X5, and Porsche Cayenne (all mid-$40s), sure. But if European-ness is a state of mind and mechanicals over geography, the Volvo tends toward the more numb-driving SUVs that ascended from Japanese family sedans - the new Acura MDX and Lincoln Zephyr and the newly invigorated Lexus RX350 - where it's more average.
Average. Isn't it, though? Though it's somewhat exclusive for offering 2WD, a third-row seat, and a V8 (items lacking in roughly half the class), it's hard to think of anything making the XC90 a standout SUV. It probably has a slight edge in safety - even if competitors' mostly equal crash test scores don't support this - but if safety's the cincher, why buy something so inherently tippy and unstable, with relatively weak tire grip and stopping ability? Avoiding an accident is just a tad easier when your tires and brakes have 1,031 fewer pounds to fight, and dropping them is as easy as stepping down to Volvo's $2,705 cheaper V70 2.5T wagon (or XC70 if you need AWD). By the way, the V70 got better crash test scores (perfect, in fact), shows some consideration for the safety of other humans, and is truer to the "Earth First" attitude supposedly held by Volvo owners. BMW and Porsche got lots of laughs for creating their SUVs, but a Sport Utility Volvo is hardly less hypocritical.
For the safest SUV, buy the XC90. For the safest family transport, buy a real Volvo.
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