[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by aargee

Whaat??? Two temp settings exclusively for the driver & co driver seat? Why alone left out the passengers in the rear? If it were for the rears, its little understandable; but I don't really see much of any value for it? Could you help me understand pls?

Not sure why, but yes, this is mentioned as the control for the driver side and the passenger side temperature! Now, unless when they say "passenger side" they are referring to the middle row and back, it is kind of strange.

@SS-T: Is there any other talents that you have, apart from your regular work, vehicles and also your capability to consume some seriously spicy food?

[b-positive]

You will see the same kind of temp setting in Nissan Ultima which i drove in US, it will control who cold the air is from the vents facing you from what i understand. Its was a rental no R&D on it

[akshaymahajan]

Both front and back rows have two separate sets of climate controls. So in all 4 units. The speed of blower for all the 4 seats can be thus controlled.

[v&v]

Xc90 v8 is a monster suv even with over 2600 kg weight it is easily achieve 0 to 100 in seven second. Did you get the change to burn the tyres ?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The car came to me for sorting out an intermittent problem of the alarm system triggering spontaneously, which Volvo had no clue about. ...

Car doc as well now?

What a gorgeous patient! But... doesn't the medical ethics thing prohibit any intimate (especially hands-on) relationship?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Guna

How is the third row seat?

Didn't try it.

Originally Posted by suman

Interesting, very interesting! A multifaceted personality in our midst, eagerly awaiting more details of the security "fix"

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

@SS-T: Is there any other talents that you have, apart from your regular work, vehicles and also your capability to consume some seriously spicy food?

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Car doc as well now?
What a gorgeous patient!

LOL... thanks. That's what happens when one is born with a steel ring wrench in one's mouth instead of a silver spoon and such.

Originally Posted by aargee

Whaat??? Two temp settings exclusively for the driver & co driver seat? Why alone left out the passengers in the rear?Could you help me understand pls?

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

...the control for the driver side and the passenger side temperature!

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Both front and back rows have two separate sets of climate controls. So in all 4 units. The speed of blower for all the 4 seats can be thus controlled.

That's correct Akshay. The rear seat gets it's own climate control knobs - there are air flow vents on the pillar as well as on the floor.

Originally Posted by v&v

Did you get the change to burn the tyres ?

Nope, not with DSTC turned on - plus it's an autobox. All in all, it doesn't do things your vRS can!

[SS-Traveller]

Getting inside the XC90 is a breeze. There's so much space for the knees, elbows, ankles, arms, head, and a not-too-lightweight physique - I know, NOW my Scorpio feels a little cramped. The dashboard is about where I'd expect the windscreen to end, and by the time the windscreen does end, the Swift's bonnet can easily be accommodated in that space. Inches is not quite the unit of measure to use here, it's acres. And in those acres there's enough genuine wood from a tree or two.

What I didn't like though, is that the acres are all coloured a dark grey. A black car with dark grey interiors kind of depresses me (but then, I suppose, that's just me).


The seats are great. The driver's seat gets full motorised adjustment with 3 memory positions, and the steering wheel has both tilt and rake adjustments. The switchgear has a nice chunky feel to it, and yes, I remembered not to turn on the wipers when turning!




There are switches, lights and screens scattered all over the dash, little warning lights that flash and beep when you haven't got your seat belt on (that brings up a light next to the IRVM)...


...or when you're reversing into an obstacle (that makes the car beep with rising urgency, but no viual feedback like a camera image or at least the expanding lines behind the little image of a car, that I am more used to). A small screen in the centre of the dash (below the aircon vents) remains lighted to tell me that Reverse Parking Assist is on (one can choose to turn it off too, I wouldn't know why, because turning it off might just prove a tad expensive given the restricted rear view available).

Lots of toys & desirables there - cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring system (it just puts up a warning on the multi-information display when pressure is low - doesn't give a readout like the Scorpio's Tyretronics system does), rain sensing wipers (plus adjustable intermittent wipe that I sorely miss on the Scorp), tilt & sliding sunroof, projector headlamps...


Coming up... driving impressions.

[SS-Traveller]

After all this - the engine, the car, the bells, beeps and whistles - I finally get to talk about the time when I turn on the key.

Well, there's not much drama there. The engine roars to life like one expects a big V8 to, and settles into a totally noiseless idle. The cabin shuts out all external traffic noise, and I shift to D and move away carefully to find open road.

Straight open road and a bootful of throttle sees nothing much happening till the 2000rpm barrier is breached. Then it happens. No, the Volvo doesn't lift it's nose to the sky and take off! The feeling of getting pushed back in your seat in a rapidly accelerating car is something most of us have experienced, but this is different. Whatever the engine, gearbox, suspension, traction control and the massive size did together, did not show up in terms of a change in the stance of the car. It was just a feeling akin to riding a high-speed elevator, except that the movement was horizontal instead of vertical. That's IT!

No attempts at high speed cornering or sharp braking, but going by the feel and feedback from the steering and brakes, this car can handle a lot more than I would want to throw at it. I took it into mud for a while, and the Michelins didn't quite like it. With DSTC off, wheelspin happens quickly - there's too much power going to the wheels I suppose, and these are highway tyres. When DSTC is allowed to intervene, it does its job with aplomb, and the car feels different.

I wouldn't reverse this car with its parking assist function turned off, though.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Not sure why, but yes, this is mentioned as the control for the driver side and the passenger side temperature! Now, unless when they say "passenger side" they are referring to the middle row and back, it is kind of strange.

@SS-T: Is there any other talents that you have, apart from your regular work, vehicles and also your capability to consume some seriously spicy food?

Actually its very useful.
In the US we had an altima hybrid. My wife wanted the AC at a slightly warmer setting. So voila, I put it on 22 degrees, and she put it on 25. Both happy.
Usually the driver, esp when driving in tough conditions feels hotter.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Well, there's not much drama there.

The real drama of driving the XC90 happens inside, on the information display. Specifically the instantaneous fuel consumption readout. Ask the autobox to kick down and take you on that sandwiched-to-the-seat ride, and the readout changes to 30.3. That's litres/100km. Or just a shade above 3 km/litre.

Even when decelerating, the best that I could see was a 10.9L/100km readout. And the average consumption read 20.6L/100km.

Ten+ bucks per km. My Scorp does it in 3 or less.

[shajufx]

Nice to read about it. I dream to own an SUV one day just for the heck of it, not knowing whats in store. Interesting to know many control levers as same as a Ford.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

...what was the issue that Volve had no clue about and you rectified? Care to share that info?

Originally Posted by condor

...woh problem ke baare mein bhi thoda bataiye sir !

Finally, the problem... and its solution.

It took me over an hour to figure it out - because we kept waiting for the alarm to trigger. The Volvo's central locking would just not activate if any of the doors, the hatch or even the sunroof is open. Very unlike the systems we have in India. So there was no issue about a door remaining unlocked, triggering off the alarm.

There are vibration sensors there - kick a tyre or try to tow the vehicle away, and the alarm goes off. Even low-flying aircraft overhead trigger off the alarm. But the alarm can go off all on its own for no such reason, as was reported.

I had to go through the owner's manual, of course. There's a small switch on the dash behind the gearshift, which, when pressed, shows a display saying that there is reduced level of security. That is supposed to be used when you leave a pet or small child inside a locked car. The gentleman is ultimately so fed up that he parks the car with this switch always on - and that does not trigger the alarm any more.

This switch essentially switches off the vibration sensors, I thought. But wait... there are motion detectors inside the car as well. I finally figured it out when I locked myself inside the car, and moving my hand triggered off the alarm.

So what was triggering off the alarm occasionally?

This was...


...and this is the solution!

[HappyWheels]

^^ ROFL SS-T!

That was one heck of a problem creator! Of all the things that one could have taken to trouble-shoot, who would have thought of the common fly!

Good one!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

So what was triggering off the alarm occasionally?

This was...

Eeeeeee!

There! See how good my Tamil is?

[v&v]

Even when decelerating, the best that I could see was a 10.9L/100km readout. And the average consumption read 20.6L/100km.
Ten+ bucks per km. My Scorp does it in 3 or less.
Actually it will even much much higher. The running cost for a 50L Xc90 will be 20+ if you include cost of maintenance.

So what was triggering off the alarm occasionally?
Are the motion sensors so sensitive that even a fly can trigger alarm ? Pretty surprising!