Running reports
Final report on our long-term Volvo V90
THE V90 CROSS Country is a far cry from those boxy Volvo estates of the 1970s and ’80s. It’s stylish, but huge – on the outside. This is our final report on the V90, after a trip to France where it was driven solo and towing a Bailey Phoenix 640. Even fully laden, the Bailey would only have been a 74% match for the Volvo, so it wasn’t a challenge. Shortly after collecting the V90, I had to buy provisions and found it was longer than the typical supermarket car park space. It’s wide, too. Solo, you notice the size on country lanes, but you get a great view through the towing mirrors with the van attached. I found the car’s mirrors quite obstructive. You sit low, and they blocked a little bit of vision for me. It was possible to lose another vehicle at a roundabout, but a second look helped. That, coupled with shallow windows, means that visibility isn’t the best we’ve experienced. Thankfully, the car has all-round parking sensors: it’s tricky to judge where the corners are. So, what’s the Volvo like on the road? Again, a bit of a mixed bag. Despite being the ‘lowly’ D4, it never lacked performance. Towing on the motorway, I used the cruise control a lot; but in this case, it was to keep the speed down! Overtaking lorries in France, even with a gentle prod of the accelerator, speed built rapidly. As the outfit exceeded 3.5t, I was restricted to 90kph. It’s a given that the seats will be comfortable – this is a Volvo – and they are. The eight-speed gearbox is generally smooth, too. One gripe is that in ‘Comfort’ mode, there was sometimes a delay between pressing the throttle and moving off. Stability-wise, the Volvo is good, not great. It moved around a fair deal when following lorries and in a breeze. It was never worrying, but I was aware of it. When cruising, the Volvo is usually very refined, but it’s a shame there can be a lot of tyre roar on some roads, and the four-cylinder engine makes its presence felt when pressing on. Hitching was a doddle. The reversing-camera image on the huge centre ‘tablet’ was crystal clear, and I’m a fan of Volvo’s factory-fit folding tow bar, which has the integral electrics socket. Economy-wise, when towing the caravan, the V90 achieved a creditable calculated figure of 30mpg (mainly motorway driving); and for a large car, an equally good 45mpg solo, which included town and stop/start driving. Overall, I enjoyed my time with the big Volvo, despite its foibles. This is one tow car that we’ll all miss.