[Wanderers]

Originally Posted by VKM

i took a test drive: xc60 & s80.
xc60 test vehicle has done only 1500kms, but i found that the sunroof beading fell off when the door was closed. also the s80 which had done about 10k kms had rattling noise at the rear which was unbearable.

Hi,

Do not judge the car by the TD Car. It can be on it's extremes, either ways .
Low selling cars may use brand new car or the factory test cars for test drive. Odometer can be changed.

My neighbor owns a S80 and he is full of praise for Volvo, both service as well as the car.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by VKM

i took a test drive: xc60 & s80.
your inputs would be of great help.
Thanks in advance!

VKM, if you are planning to go for the S80 then you may want to consider waiting another 9 to 12 months by when I hope the new S.90 will be launched. It is the successor to the S.80. Good as the S.80 is with superb seats and upholstery it is a 10 year old model that is being wound down. Of course it all depends on the urgency of your need. More on the looks of the S.90 at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...s90-sedan.html

[VKM]

^^Thanks Guys. was cut off without internet for the past few days due to the situation here in chennai.
i would prefer xc60, but the general perception is 'are you mad to buy a volvo, ok they are safe but expensive maintenance similar to BMW but has no resale when compared to bimmers, you are the last owner'
only this puts me off, if there is no brand value its ok but if i'm going to pay in excess of 50l & have no service packages/resale along with high maintenance, whats the point. but the heart likes it & therein lies the dilemma.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by VKM

^^Thanks Guys. was cut off without internet for the past few days due to the situation here in chennai.
i would prefer xc60, but the general perception is 'are you mad to buy a volvo, ok they are safe but expensive maintenance similar to BMW but has no resale when compared to bimmers, you are the last owner'
only this puts me off, if there is no brand value its ok but if i'm going to pay in excess of 50l & have no service packages/resale along with high maintenance, whats the point. but the heart likes it & therein lies the dilemma.

VKM, I hope your near and dear ones and you are safe & healthy after the floods and cyclonic rains in Chennai.

On Volvo maintenance costs you can read my post number 102 in this thread on the first service. Psispace's long term ownership is another source of data of long term ownership (in that case a S.60). Volvo does not seem to have the exploitative maintenance and spares costs as BMW, Mercedes and Audi but it will be more expensive than say a Ford or Renault. Where re-sale value goes - well that's a touchy topic and if you ask 10 BHPians you will get 11 opinions. Personally for myself I have never bought a car with resale price in mind because it is an event so far away in time that a lot changes in the intervening 7 to 10 years and in any case by then I have got my value out of the car. Resale of a Volvo today would be much lower than a BMW - but that is today - who knows what it will be in 2023. Let us know your decision. Always happy to provide unsolicited advice.

BTW there is a Volvo Whats App group of BHPians (I am not on it - eschew social media) but Psispace can help you get on to it and ask more questions real time.

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

BTW there is a Volvo Whats App group of BHPians (I am not on it - eschew social media) but Psispace can help you get on to it and ask more questions real time.

Originally Posted by VKM

^^Thanks Guys. was cut off without internet for the past few days due to the situation here in chennai.
i would prefer xc60, but the general perception is 'are you mad to buy a volvo, ok they are safe but expensive maintenance similar to BMW but has no resale when compared to bimmers, you are the last owner'
only this puts me off, if there is no brand value its ok but if i'm going to pay in excess of 50l & have no service packages/resale along with high maintenance, whats the point. but the heart likes it & therein lies the dilemma.

What Mr. Narayan said is correct as always , Volvo maintenance cost is not as high as the German cars.
You can PM me or psispace your number and will give you WA numbers of the chennai members of the group, from whom you can get first hand information and also have a look at the cars.

[VKM]

well, i read in a thread here that the instrument cluster of a s60 costs about 1.5l & i think it is similar for a bmw.

Does anyone have the spares pricelist for volvo & bmw so we can compare?

V.Narayan, i read about your service cost, my BMW 530d M sport basic service too cost around 23,000/- that's what rocks the boat. if Volvo's maintenance is significantly lesser then other issues like dealer network & resale will take a backseat. But, if one has to spend similar amounts for buying & servicing, then one might as well go in for the better depreciating car. this is my voice of logic though my heart feels otherwise.

[V.Narayan]

Dear KR Reddy,

My responses to your questions given to the best of my knowledge and experience with the XC60 over 11 months.

Q1. How would you rate the service - service cost, spare parts, service intervals? You said it costed you 22000 for the regular service.

Ans: Service costs seem reasonable for a Rs 50L car. Volvo don’t seem to have a company policy of milk the customer which I believe from the threads on Team BHP to be the case sometimes with the German III. At least nothing that I have come across thus far. Spares are more expensive than a Ford or Renault but not as over priced as the German III. The service interval is every 10,000 kms so for most of us once in 4 to 8 months I guess. As the service centres are not overloaded they can spend time with the customer. The quality of the service centre is far better than Skoda (my other big car) but not anywhere as good as Honda. Odd numbered services should cost Rs 20,000 odd and even numbered ones about Rs 30,000 or so. I took the 5 year - 150,000 kms extended warranty and zero depreciation insurance with cover for tyres in order to reduce future hassles. On the one servicing experience I had they delivered on time and did a complete job but at one point that morning I had to display my teeth in good old fashioned North Indian style to get them cracking.


2. How is the ride comfort/suspension. We take long trips (>500 kms), so we'd like a comfy ride.

Ans: Ride is high on comfort - similar to a Camry give or take a bit; just below E-class or more or less comparable; handles bumpy roads and potholes with reasonable comfort for the rear seat passenger. Much better than the A4 or BMW 5 which also I am a little familiar with in the rear seat. The 440 Nm of torque gives excellent acceleration and the drive has a grip on the road. Braking is very effective without skid or yaw. I have braked on wet and curvy roads from 100 kmph with neat stability. Throaty growl from the 215 horse power diesel gives a sense of power; strong on acceleration. All in all it is fun to drive. All-wheel drive and torque vectoring ensure handling is predictable at all times and you can adjust the level of steering assist to your liking as well. The 8 speed gear you are choosing should be even better.
Driving is relatively less tiring even in Delhi-NCR's traffic conditions. May be it’s a combination of the seat, the low cabin noise and the automatic gear. We've done several short out station trips - the 300 to 400 kms round journey without a hassle or excessive tiredness.

3. Back seat space, height and comfort

Ans: Ergonomics of the driver's seat is excellent. Volvo says they consult a panel of back doctors while designing the seat. Certainly reduces the sense of tiredness. The positioning of the controls and buttons is well thought through. The internal cabin height seems more than adequate. Leg space is okay okay. My Superb is the king of rear seat leg space. On the occasion I ride in the Volvo at the back I push the front left seat way forward to stretch my legs.


4. Average Mileage (city and highway)

Ans: No idea. I have never measured mileage on any of my cars in 35 years! I know that is unusual in our country. I am a lazy man.

5. Quality of plastics and rattles if any?

Ans: Plastics and fittings are very good I'd say. Never had any rattles or loosened fittings thus far. All in all it is well put together. At the time of picking the Volvo I had looked at the E class very carefully and I don't see a difference in the quality of materials between the two.

6. Can you live with the interiors for the next 4-5 years. I find the interiors a bit dated, but it might grow on you I guess.

Ans: I guess that is a personal choice. I am happy with the interiors. I get them cleaned by 3M once a quarter to keep them shining. Have fitted the 3M's PPC plastic on the metal body work to protect the paint from small scratches and pebbles.

I thought of waiting for the next generation XC60 but it could take 2-3 years though. I didn't like the BMW X3 and the Audi Q5 looks old. I wouldn't want to go anywhere near a Land Rover (Discovery).

Ans: I agree the Rover is a big no no. Hope this helps. JF Xavier, Trailblazin and Psispace are the other Volvo owners who write regularly. You could seek their inputs too. All the best with your selection. Let us know how it goes.

Kind regards,
Narayan

[VKM]

xc60 has no grasp handle at the rear door armrest & my wife found it to be very inconvenient to hold the centrally placed depression which gave her an elbow ache within 5mins of highway drive & feels that during long drives it will surely be a huge no-no. makes me appreciate my humble yeti's considerate design.

[V.Narayan]

1. My young lady completes one year this month and has clocked 14,000 kms. These 14,000 have been clocked on the crowded roads of Delhi-NCR and several out station trips including a few fast runs on the Yamuna Expressway. The verdict in brief is - the Volvo XC60 has been a delight to drive and has given trouble free service. She is a solidly built car, runs fast and is tiredness-free over long drives. The longest drive I've done virtually non-stop (but for a single bio-break) was one of 6.5 hours/425 kms (U.P. to Delhi) and arrived home without a headache or backache.The tank swallows 70 litres and the longest highway drive without re-filling done is 845 kms and the 'fuel low' light had not blinked on by the time we drove into our residence.


2. The torque, the acceleration, the throaty growl, solidly planted stance on the road, park assist camera, emergency brake assist and fantastic braking are the driving qualities I like best. The ergonomic seat, the sunroof, the quality of materials on the inside, the keyless door, the park assist camera and the sinewy looks are the non-driving features that tickle my palate.


3. The real value of the AWD came on a recent vacation to the Chambal area where the AWD and hill descent/ascent features were used in full over about 30 kms of dirt track. On the road the Volvo XC60 has a well ballasted stance. The car has an automatic leveling system and a corner traction control both of which make driving serious fun. The latter helps the car not have a top heavy SUV gait but more of a road hugging style. Now I am no sports car aficionado so can't compare with a BMW or Jaguar but for my driving needs the XC60 is fun to drive and has 440Nm of torque which is more than adequate for acceleration. As an aide memoire the powerplant is a 2400cc, 215 horsepower 6-speed All Wheel Drive.

Seats are the best I have seen in a car - front & rear. The back seats two comfortably and 3 with a pinch. I've done 1 hour plus journeys with 3 adults at the back so I guess it works well enough. The front seat hugs you from the thighs to the hips to the shoulder. I agree with Volvo's claim that one can sit for hours driving from these seats without getting tired. The comfort at the rear is high, the leg space is okay - not as good as a Camry and definitely not comparable to a Superb. The rear seat ride is comparable to the Camry though.

For those interested the full body PPC is doing its job to full satisfaction of both protecting the natural lustre of the paint as well as protecting the paint & body from the innumerable super-tiny scratches that develop especially during fast highway driving from tiny road particles hitting the car.

I won't repeat here all the points of feedback that was elaborated upon in post #102 on the 10,000 kms service. But instead I'll spell out the little things in the car's design that indicate thoughtfulness for safety & convenience and good engineering practice.

For example:-

- the side windows are laminated with a water repellant that causes rain drops to quickly slide off the side windows thus improving visibility
- the door handles on the inside open on two lever actions and not one thus reducing the chances of a mishap from a door being opened accidentally if the central lock is not engaged.
- automatically dimmed inside rear view mirror
- front headlamps bend actively, upto 15 degrees, when on a turn
- hill descent control takes the vehicle at gentle speed down a hill, without pressing the accelerator or brake pedals. When going uphill, it holds position (need not press the brake) till you accelerate. It works in both, forward as well as reverse gears.
- the steering weighs up as the speed increases
of course the 6 airbags/curtains and the emergency brake assist at speeds below 50 kmph. This latter is useful in slow moving traffic when some bright spark suddenly cuts.
- the brakes are powerful and the stability systems hold the car steady and avoid skidding even in violent braking situations.
- Volvo has built in a Dynamic Stability & Traction Control (DSTC) which prevents the car from losing stability by automatically cutting engine power and applying brake power differentially to one or more of the 4 wheels as needed to prevent skidding. The system has a gyroscope to sense the car's angle and figure out when the rolling is getting out of hand. Needless to say I haven't had occasion to discover if it works or not!


4. Rear seats with reasonable space; seats three comfortably; for long distance two is right


5. Photo depicts a well set man height about 5'7" sitting behind drivers seat adjusted for 5'10"


6. Cavernous boot with hard plastic flooring; on one trip we carried 4 cabin baggage strollers+2 large suitcases + 3 smaller backpacks


7. Beneath the boot floor is space for accessories such as tow rope, tools etc


8.And below that is the space saver spare and associated tools. Large nets for carry on's plus a restraining net to hold overflowing luggage in place when you open the rear door


9. Sun roof fully open. Lights up the cabin


10. The cockpit. The steering can be set for your taste and weighs up with speed.


11. The central console. In my humble opinion it has too many buttons and not ergonomically placed. But this is just my view. Useful hill descent in the 5 o'clock position. Aircon is strong and fully adequate for Delhi's summers.


12. Typical display view. Three modes to suit your mood….


13. Another mood, another display.


14. Multi-menu options. This is the main menu on the 'business' side. There are others for entertainment.


15. Each menu bar opens up a plethora of options. From 'My Car' to 'Settings'


16. And then within 'Settings' another drop down menu. In my view it has way too many options and it takes a while to figure them out. A trifle bothersome to me. Can be a lot of fun for others.


17. Excellent ORVM view. Left side ORVM tilts down when reversing. Unfortunately tilts too much to be effective.


18. Driver side door/window controls. Central lock automatically activates at speeds above (I think) 15 kmph. What strikes about the Volvo is the quality of materials used on the inside and the fit and finish.


19. The regular seat controls. The button on the far left is for lumbar support.


20. Front part of the B pillar. Note the black tube carrying cables in a protected sheath. Good engineering practice. No loose cabling in this car.


21. Photos were taken by my daughter. Here the photographer is unknowingly caught in a reflection


22. 14,000 down


23. For her first birthday the lady was treated to a car wash and wax at 3M. I like the car's wedge shaped sinewy looks

All these features make the XC60 a fairly complex car with a lot of electronic control systems. From whatever little I have seen of Volvo dealers' engineering depth I wonder if they could handle a complex repair. But this may just be my lack of experience showing up. Thus far through year one the car's quality of manufacture has ensured a hassle and niggle free experience. I look forward to it staying the same way in year two too.

Thank you for reading. Next update will be when she completes 20,000 kms and goes for her second service.

Narayan

[vb-saan]

Thanks a lot for the detailed report! Volvos are built to last, and the recent models have managed to shed away the boring tag.

Is the insurance premium of the XC60 much lesser than its competition - say a X3?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Is the insurance premium of the XC60 much lesser than its competition - say a X3?

vb-san, I don't know about the comparison with a BMW X3. However for your reference the insurance for year one was Rs. 131,000 with zero depreciation and coverage for the tyres. For year two the premium is Rs. 106,000. Hope this helps. - Narayan

[jfxavier]

A well written review and excellent pictures.
I am sure that the "young lady" will give you good company for years to come.

Not many people were fans of these center consoles with multitude of buttons and Volvo knew it. They replaced the whole thing with a single touch screen.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Thanks a lot for the detailed report! Volvos are built to last

Originally Posted by jfxavier

A well written review and excellent pictures.
I am sure that the "young lady" will give you good company for years to come.

Thank you for reading the post and for your good wishes. I can see this car staying with the family for 10 years or more. I am now waiting to evaluate the S.90 when it comes to India. Kind regards, Narayan

[CarLoverJosh]

Congrats bro, she is a beauty. I think this is the only car which tugs our heart strings apart from our X3. We absolutely loved this brown colour and nearly bought the car in the same colour but destiny had other plans. Congrats on completing one year and 14000 Kms. Wishing you many many more happy miles with your beauty.

[V.Narayan]

Volvo on Yamuna Expressway


Volvo on dirt tracks along the Chambal river. By Supreme Court order on either bank of river Chambal no construction or village or farming is permitted across a belt ranging between 1 kms to 6 kms. As a consequence it is a vast wildlife sanctuary with only dirt tracks to drive on after registering with the Forest Dept. The AWD and ground clearance came handy.


XC60, dusty on the exterior but untroubled on the interior, after a 15 kms dirt track drive