Volvo XC90 or other large 6+ seater

[ValeTudoGuy]

Im looking for a 6+ seater with enough room for luggage, some go anywhere capabilities would be nice, tough as old boots. Must be nice to drive long distances, be a passenger in for long distances and absolutely has to be reliable and dependable, at least 30+ mpg not much more than £6k and less where possible. Ideally not much over 100k miles, less where possible.

I would rather keep road tax, insurance group and maintenance as low as possible too.

Am I asking for the earth? Is the XC90 what im looking for? Ideas, suggestions and testimonials welcome.

 

[Janne]

The Volvo will not go anywhere like a Range/Land Rover, but almost.
Yes, I endorse the Volvo. I have never owned a Volvo, but as it is Made in Sweden it must be good! Made IN Sweden FOR Swedis roads and conditions.
I guess a large % of the young Swedish population began life in a XC90.

 

[baggins]

Never had an XC90, but do like the look of them. Had an old 850 estate, paid £400 for it, did over 200k in it, all for the cost of tyres and a new clutch. Was so comfortable, spacious and reliable.
i doubt you could go far wrong with one.

 

[Janne]

The previous model is supposedly a better, more solid car than the new model. Excellent engines.

 

[Adze]

Excellent engines but thirsty. I had a loan of a XC90 D5 auto a while ago, the MPG were pitifully low, worse than my Defender by a long way, although faster and more comfortable.

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

Excellent engines but thirsty. I had a loan of a XC90 D5 auto a while ago, the MPG were pitifully low, worse than my Defender by a long way, although faster and more comfortable.

Not what I wanted to hear. I was hoping the manufacturers claimed combined 30 was about right

 

[Mesquite]

Not what I wanted to hear. I was hoping the manufacturers claimed combined 30 was about right

I seriously doubt any car will ever achieve its manufacturers claimed mileage.

 

[Adze]

Is that the manual or the auto? I used the car for the school run in the mornings twice and it blitzed through almost a quarter of a tank, which was a bit scary. At no point did I play to its strengths, i.e. motorway cruising, which I suspect improves the combined figure quite a lot. Stop start certainly ain't going to be your friend.

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

I seriously doubt any car will ever achieve its manufacturers claimed mileage.

My old Polo 1.4 Tdi PD used to do more

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

Is that the manual or the auto? I used the car for the school run in the mornings twice and it blitzed through almost a quarter of a tank, which was a bit scary. At no point did I play to its strengths, i.e. motorway cruising, which I suspect improves the combined figure quite a lot. Stop start certainly ain't going to be your friend.

The one im looking at is the Geartronic, it claims 38mpg on motorway and 31 combined

 

[Adze]

What does it claim for the urban figure?

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

What does it claim for the urban figure?

They say 24

The honest john site records the Geartronic getting a real world of 29.8 combined and the non Geartronic 31.7 which suggests some way over 90% of Volvos claim of 34

 

[DavidJT]

Have you checked the car tax amount and likely insurance costs? Will both be fairly high I expect.

A friend has the Volvo, and it's very comfortable. Also very safe in a collision.

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

Tax and insurance I will be taking a hit on.... It's completely unavoidable for what I want.


After a bit more of a look around I think there are a few vehicles that get close to what I want, but fuel economy is going to be the sticking point.

Mitsubishi Shogun, Nissan Pathfinder and Patrol, Toyota Landcruiser and Landrover Discovery initially look like the ones that also come closest to my requirements. The Volvo seems like a good compromise between these vehicles and an everyday car.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I loved my XC90 apart from the shocking fuel consumption and was the 2.4 D5.
My Pathfinder had the clutch replaced 3 times in six months(2 under warranty)
Also had an X trail which was a good reliable car but smaller.

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

3 clutches...... Eek

How much was one of them then?

 

[The Lord Poncho]

I bought a 2004 Landrover Discovery 2 a couple of years back for significantly less than your budget, and with less than 60K miles on it and the highest spec. The reason - it was a 4l petrol V8. The TD5 diesel equivalent was about 2k more expensive, and despite the drastic difference in fuel economy, i reckoned it would take me 4 years or so of driving to burn through that extra 2k worth of fuel. the V8's are a great engine - much more power and smoother than the TD5, but there is a health warning that some can suffer from slipped liners which is fairly terminal - its a bit of a gamble.

 

[Adze]

With LPG they're comparable £s per mile as a diseasal too

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

Dont you lose storage space with LPG?

 

[Tim_B]

If you're looking at a Shogun, then you may want to look at a Touareg....not 6 seater though and like the others you will struggle to meet your consumption requirements....

Thanks
Tim B