[kartavya]

Hey Narayan, do you use the City Safety option? or do you turn it off? Is it useful for the Indian roads?

Does the XC60 come with an inscription leather option?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

....Are there any service packs also being offered by Volvo yet?....

Don't know. I can check.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Someone had posted on a random thread (I can’t seem to trace it now) that the insurance quotes on Volvo vehicles are substantially lesser than those quoted for Audi, Merc and BMW vehicles. That was news to me! .... Which insurance have you opted for and what was the quote?

The dealership seems very nice - they lent you the test drive car for a week and you drove it for 350 km! I haven’t heard others being so kind. Did they do it out of their interest in selling you a vehicle or did you know them personally?

And I spotted the HU remote on the rear bench in one of the snaps. Is this the one....

Yes that's my remote....been looking for it. Didn't know you had whacked it... I didn't know the dealer from Adam. Volvo held a raffle at a social event which I won and from that came the one week test drive. Co-incidentally I had been meeting Swede Auto prior to that, had done 2 test drives (XC60 & V40) and had visited Volvo India's office too so they may have gasped "....not him again....". The insurance is around Rs 1.31 lakhs - zero depreciation and covering the tyres.

Originally Posted by vb-san

..... Please do update the thread regularly, and do add in a few more pictures .....

Dear vb-san, WILCO i.e. Will Comply....I'll add a 3 month ownership update.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

....read a few online reviews and came to the conclusion that the XC60 was a credible alternative to german option of the X3, Q5 and the ML250 once you look beyond the badge value.

I have three questions for you

1. Since you don't like to drive fast, why did you opt for the D5 over the D4. I believe the D4 variant now sports an 8 speed auto. Did you TD the 8 speed D4? Does it shift faster than the 6 speed AT box of the D5?
   
2. How comfy are the rear seats when compared to the Superb?
   
3. If you were to seat three adults at the back, would they feel a lot more comfortable than sitting in the Laura?

Lastly some pictures of the instrument console would be nice.

Dear Santosh Bhat, First to answer your very relevant questions which I am sure are on many more minds. I bought the D5 instead of the D4 because over the years I have learnt to buy the highest variant in the range and I liked the idea of more torque. You are right my relatively calm driving style is not likely to test the vehicle to anywhere close to even the 65th percentile of its limits. I do not know if the 8 speed on the D4 works faster than the 6 speed on the D5. Know that you ask I have got wondering - it is a intriguing question. Maybe they are similar. I'll ask the dealer. The 6 speed on the D5 shifts very very well when compared to the Camry at our business office that I often ride in (and occasionally drive). My Superb is manual so can't compare. The rear seat of the Superb is better with oodles of more space. Three adults in a Laura will fit exactly like three in a XC60 width wise. In terms of leg space Laura is better. So if I have to force rank - for 3 adults at the rear the Laura will lead. Hope this helps. Pictures added. Will add some more in a couple of days of the console and monitor.

Originally Posted by kartavya

Hey Narayan, do you use the City Safety option? or do you turn it off? Is it useful for the Indian roads?

Does the XC60 come with an inscription leather option?

Dear Kartavya, Yes I have kept the City Safety feature on. Even though a lot of my driving has been in crowded traffic it has never been needed and the beeper that some one is getting too close also goes on for a second and a half only if the sensors sense that you are not moving and giving the controls some sensitive fine tuning touch. I tried the City Safety while on trials and it works like a charm. It is supposed to work at speeds below 50 kmph. I tried it at about 25 kmph. The car self breaks to an emergency halt and the seat belt tightens and reins you in with a jerk that says 'wake up'. All this also means that there is so much more electronic gadgetry on the car that can go wrong. The XC60 D5 with the leather inscription variation for the seats & dashboards is just being introduced. Looks very neat like the S80's interiors.

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by funkydevil

If u want to remove the setting of tilting rear view mirrors during reversing then u can do that from vehicle settings. After you do that, when u need to tilt the mirrors during reversing, u can do that manually by putting the gear in reverse and pressing either the left or right rear view mirror adjuster button above the joysitck on the door panel.

This would automatically bring the mirror of either side completely down. To undo, just press the button again and it immediately goes back up.

I have set only the passenger side mirror to turn downwards automatically.
However I would prefer that the mirror turns back to the normal position a bit earlier than it does. Just a personal preference.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The end product into which this all rolls in....now to get it some Teflon cover

Teflon is a scam. There's nothing like Teflon. Pls. go to 3M car care centre nearby and get a full detailing done with sealant. Pls. don't go to some guy who offers Teflon cause there's nothing like it!!

Originally Posted by vivriti

Having to use a funnel to fill diesel not only feels retrograde but also an irritant.
Is there a proper place to store the funnel in the car ?. There is also the diesel in the funnel dripping and collecting in the car.

The funnel is not always needed. I had the same issue in my Figo. Many bunks have a very wide nozzle which doesn't fit. Mainly seen on highway bunks who fill in trucks. Even in city bunks there you will the bunk has some pumps with wide nozzle and others with narrow one.

If you fill with narrow nozzle you don't need the funnel. This is just incase you find a bunk in the highway without the narrow nozzle. Quite a thoughful inclusion I must say.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Teflon is a scam. There's nothing like Teflon. Pls. go to 3M car care centre nearby and get a full detailing done with sealant. Pls. don't go to some guy who offers Teflon cause there's nothing like it!!
.

Dear Vid6639, thank you for your advice. I took it. Car has been dropped at 3M for sealant film to be pasted over all painted surfaces. Any advice will be cheerfully received. Best wishes, Narayan

[durgaprasan]

Hi,
Loved your review, especially the process of choosing the car. I live in Bahrain, and drive a used XC90 petrol. I also have a new Dodge Durango. Despite the wear and tear, and the poor maintenence by previous Volvo owner, I still prefer the Volvo. They have a way of making cars that seem like the extension of your body. I test drove the XC60 petrol inline 6 cyclinder model here. I think the striking feature of the car was that it didnt feel as big as it was. The seats simply wrap around you. With the experience of an old volvo, I can say that they have excellent metal and paint work. Upholstery is good. AC is not as good as the Japs here in middle east. They define safety, so pointless even discussing it. And the best part is their understated look that somehow looks more elegant as days go by. Just beware of the several sensors and electronics, especially wiring. I think thats true for almost all luxury cars today, just too many sensors. Keep flashing error messages.
Many congratulations, and am sure you will enjoy the experience. Does the dealer do buy back at standard depreciation rates? They have introduced the scheme in middle east to offset poor resales here.
Regards

[autobalan]

Didn't know that new D4 variants has 8 speed auto. I believe they come with new 4 cylinder engines(previously had 5cyl). Don't remember any test drive reports in magazines/tv shows. Does any one have more details about D4 variants in T-bhp or other sources?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Teflon is a scam. There's nothing like Teflon. Pls. go to 3M car care centre nearby and get a full detailing done with sealant. Pls. don't go to some guy who offers Teflon cause there's nothing like it!!

Dear Vid6639, 3M sealant all done - nice thin plastic sheet on all exposed body surface. Cost around Rs 1.28L. Thank you for your timely advice.

Originally Posted by durgaprasan

Hi,
(1) Loved your review, especially the process of choosing the car. (2) They have a way of making cars that seem like the extension of your body. ....The seats simply wrap around you. (3) Does the dealer do buy back at standard depreciation rates?
Regards

Dear durgaprasan, broke your message into 3 parts for ease of response. (1) Thank you for reading the review. Reading the reviews on Team BHP of the XC60 and Camry Hybrid helped me make my check list for the test drives and trial period. being courteous and firm with the dealer also helped. The Volvo India MD sent a nice letter today. (2) I couldn't agree more with you - the car wraps itself around you. (3) No such programme in India. Given how steeply prices fall in India for second hand cars the normal depreciation rates would not be high enough. Sold our Laura 2006 model for Rs 2.35L in November 2014 after just under 150k kms. Original price in 2006 money was about (I think) Rs 16 or 17L.

Some readers have asked for close-ups of the cockpit and other details -will get that organized over the weekend. My thanks to all those who read the review. I hope you enjoyed it. Writing about cars is almost getting to be as much fun as writing about fighter aircrafts.

Dream sequence Volvo the S.90 scheduled for Indian shores in mid-2016

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Vid6639, 3M sealant all done - nice thin plastic sheet on all exposed body surface. Cost around Rs 1.28L. Thank you for your timely advice.

Wow. That's like the full body wrap. I was thinking more on the lines of wax treatment topped up with synthetic sealant.

I believe what you got done is their PPF (Paint Protection Film) treatement. This is like a bullet proof layer over the paint. Will last you life long!!

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Vid6639, 3M sealant all done - nice thin plastic sheet on all exposed body surface. Cost around Rs 1.28L. Thank you for your timely advice.

PPF for the whole car?!! While it may last long and protect the paint surface, I am not sure it will give the same finish and feel as the original metal painted surface. In the long run it will develop scratches like the scratch guard on our touch screen phones. Normally PPF is recommended for areas which get scratched easily , like mirror casing, fenders, door edges, inside part of door handles etc...

Paint sealant which Vid6639 recommended, is a wax and chemical treatment on the painted metal surface which adds gloss to the surface and protects the paint from fade etc... for a reasonably long duration of about 6 months to one year and costs about 5 to 6K for a car this size.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Cost around Rs 1.28L.

For that sort of price you could have got Modesta BC-05(The best, I would say) coating done every year on your car, costing Rs 25000 keeping 1.28 lac on a interest rate of 10%. Your car would have shined exceptionally.

PPF would start to make car paint feel artificial.

[kkkkkaran]

Congratulations on getting one of the safest cars in the world.
A very good part about the volvo, is the exclusivity factor, as compared to the 'Big 3', seen on every corner of the roads in major cities.
Wishing you a million happy miles with the car

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Vid6639, 3M sealant all done - nice thin plastic sheet on all exposed body surface.

Yikes!

That's the PPF which we usually apply on the door handle cups, fenders and other areas that are prone to paint nicks and scratches due to daily wear and tear. Looks like you just wrapped the whole car!

No harm done but if the PPF starts coming off at the edges, it wouldn't look pleasing to the owner's eyes and you'd feel like stripping it off!

Do post some snaps.

[sagarpadaki]

PPF on the whole car may look good initially. But after a few months down the line , with exposure to elements, it will start to turn yellowish. Scratches will get into the film and it will block the shine of the car paint!

A better option would have been the Modesta coating which is mentioned above . Else even CQuartz Finest would be awesome at 15 percent of the price you paid for PPF !

Of course with PPF the car is fully protected. But it will like looked through a pair of scratched/dirty spectacles few months down the line!

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Wow. That's like the full body wrap.....
I believe what you got done is their PPF (Paint Protection Film) treatement. This is like a bullet proof layer over the paint. Will last you life long!!

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

....While it may last long and protect the paint surface, I am not sure it will give the same finish and feel as the original metal painted surface. In the long run it will develop scratches like the scratch guard on our touch screen phones....

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

PPF would start to make car paint feel artificial.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Looks like you just wrapped the whole car! .....
No harm done but if the PPF starts coming off at the edges, it wouldn't look pleasing to the owner's eyes and you'd feel like stripping it off!

Do post some snaps.

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

PPF on the whole car may look good initially. But after a few months down the line , with exposure to elements, it will start to turn yellowish. Scratches will get into the film and it will block the shine of the car paint!

A better option would have been the Modesta coating which is mentioned above . Else even CQuartz Finest would be awesome at 15 percent of the price you paid for PPF !

Of course with PPF the car is fully protected. But it will like looked through a pair of scratched/dirty spectacles few months down the line!

Car now 5 weeks old to the day. Done 1800 kms. The film pasted on the full body metal surface is doing just fine (so far - fingers crossed). 3M say that they polish & wash over the film and it should last without trouble for 12 to 24 months. The owner of the 3M centre, where I went, had a full body done on his personal A4 more than a year ago. I looked over the car. The sheen seemed intact and happy. Will let you know if the scratches/milkiness problem comes up - you folks have got me worried. Will post more photos of the accessories and the cockpit.

The XC60 is running well. No complaints.