Specs:
Engine: Six cylinder turbo charged petrol
All-wheel drive
304 HP
440 NM torque
Initial Impressions:
• Since it is CBU, the quality is top notch. Great level of paint finish, the level of leather and wood trim is better than that found in the bimmer.
• Cabin noise is isolated since it comes with thick glasses to prevent outside cold ( in Sweden).
• The response is spontaneous. Just floor the pedal and you are cruising at 100 in no time. Though I feel since it is an AWD, you don’t feel the adrenalin rush which I feel in the 530D.
• The sweet spot for eargasm is after 3000 rpm where it starts sounding like a true 6 cylinder monster.
• It is mentioned that it is expected to be filled by only premium petrol. Many of the pune stations have normal petrol and it sometimes is an issue.
• Ride quality is on the stiffer side since it has low profile tyres and a tuned suspension.
• Cannot comment on the rear legroom since I have never been on the backside nor has anyone else. Even after 7 months, the plastic wrapping still is in the place.
• Cannot turn off the lights at all since it is an European car.
Engine:
The engine is one of the most wonderful engines I have come across. Can be a gruesome beast and in a few moments, a silent spectator. The engine sometimes is so silent that I cannot make it out whether the car is running or has been turned off. The true sound of the V6 as I mentioned earlier can be experienced after 3000 rpm. And boy oh boy it sounds. I am thinking of going for a tune but it will take a while before I take the next step.
Cabin:
As I have mentioned earlier, since the car was supposed to be driven in sub zero temperatures, the window glasses had to be thick. This has a good positive effect since it has isolated outside noise completely.
The interior quality is one of the best I have come across. The leather used is of finest quality even better than the one used in my bimmer. I had an option for orange interiors but I felt that the black ones suited more. And so I went ahead with it. The seats come with memory option for the driver seat and just normal electric position control for the passenger. The rear passengers get two separate air con vents on the side. They also get a charging point at the rear. Though, the rear binds are manual. I do not know how they left it but it is missed. The wood trims too feel of premium quality. I reckon the D5 comes with aluminium finish. So this looks and feels way better than the aluminium finish. The air conditioning is pretty good.
One thing quite good is that the rear view mirrors are also saved in the memory. So you do not have to change it everytime.
Exterior:
The car measures almost the same as that of a Mercedes C class. But due to the coupe like lining, it feels a bit bigger. The car came with 7 spoke alloy wheels, which I didn’t quite like. I would be upgrading to better rims preferably OZ. This will be upgraded in the near future. The tyres are 235/40 R18 and I am thinking of going either 240 or 245 depending upon availability.
The T6 comes with a small spoiler on the trunk which is absent on the D5. Have posted a picture as to what I actually mean. I really do not know the use of it but must be for reducing the drag ( or is it just for aesthetics ?). The mirrors close by themselves just like the bimmer. One thing I have noticed is that the lights cannot be turned off. This is because of the euro spec model, which I really don’t have an issue about, but it is annoying as every other pedestrian make weird gestures to remind me on my turned on lights. Double tap on the key button for “unlock trunk” which unlocks the trunk. The key can also be used to activate alarm in the car just in case you are in the parking and you forgot where you actually parked. The paint finish is absolutely wonderful and you can actually make a difference between a car ( even if it is a premium car) painted in India and the one painted abroad. The color which I opted for is a combination of dark red n black. It is essentially black with glittering dark red particles, which are noticeable when the car is parked in the sun. Overall, I was impressed by the quality it offered.
In Car Entertainment system:
The entertainment system includes a 7” multimedia display, I reckon 8 speakers and also an amplifier ( if I am not wrong). The connectivity options include USB mode, CD player mode, Radio mode, Bluetooth and AUX. Using Bluetooth, you can stream the songs from your mobile directly to the system. It also bring out your phone directory in case you want to dial a number quickly. The quality of the music from speakers is quite good. Though the GPS navigation is missing. Still it is not a big issue as I always carry my iPad with me. Most of the time I am on the USB mode so I haven’t tried the CD player nor the aux input.
Safety:
This has to be the main point of this review and one of the major decision making point when I bought this car. Volvo has been known for making world’s safest cars and this is no exception. It is loaded with so many features which can make even cars worth 70L look like tin cans. The best feature which I liked is the city safety feature. In this, the car detects if a pedestrian is about to cross the road and come in front of the car. It gives a blinking signal and if the driver still doesn’t respond, it brakes by itself. I had tried this when I took the car’s demo, though not on a pedestrian obviously but a dummy. It works pretty well.
And then there is a list of features such as adaptive cruise control, auto turning head lamps, lane departure warning ( which works quite well in India too), park assist, rain sensing wipers and so on. All the camera’s, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors carry out their tasks so that the driver is safe. Hats off to the technology.
I guess I have covered everything. If needed, I will keep on updating this thread.
The log book till date stands as:
Car bought in july 2011
Kilometers covered: 1200
Average fuel consumption in city : 6 kmpl
Average fuel consumption on highway : 13 kmpl
On road cost : @42L