Where some trips of this nature have seen my husband and I pull into our driveway biting each other’s heads off, at the end of this one, we high-fived our renewed sense of adventure. What this car achieves best is calming and de-stressing its occupants, particularly the driver. The T6 Drive-E uses a supercharger at low revs and switches seamlessly to a turbocharger as they climb, smoothly delivering near-constant torque and very good fuel economy for this vehicle’s heft. It’s remarkably quiet and features a clutter-free, minimalist layout trimmed in supple Nappa leather and open-pore wood grain.įrom behind the wheel, the XC90 seems smaller than it is, getting around city streets and in tight, urban parking lots with enough ease to make you forget you’re driving a seven-seat SUV.Īnd the engine is one of the best parts. The interior design in our tester’s Inscription trim appears to be inspired by a yoga studio. The tablet-like infotainment system is a snap to use, making navigation easy and music selection, often a point of contention in our lives, even easier. The adults up front enjoyed Volvo’s renowned front-row seats, and our daughter benefited from the standard panoramic sunroof and four-zone climate control. In here, all three of us were comfortable. My husband and I are somewhat prone to anxiety and verbal sniping in stressful situations, even self-inflicted ones. The XC90 has one far less common attribute that makes it stand out. The unplowed and unsalted roads were covered with 10 cm of snow, and I felt like I was driving on dry pavement.īut plenty of automakers build spacious and capable vehicles these days. That said, the XC90 exceeded my expectations. It’s no secret that the Swedes design good winter cars. Although the exterior styling bucks the current luxury trend of curving large SUVs into coupe-like shapes, a little less fashion sense goes a long way in terms of functionality.Īfter loading up the SUV, it was time to get safely home. We were duly impressed.Įverything fit inside the XC90’s shell. Plus, there was still space for the three of us. With ice whipping our faces, we crammed in an entire Ikea flat-packed queen bed without having to fight much at all. The voyage was fruitful: when we arrived, a mattress was awaiting us.īut in the 20 minutes between grabbing the mattress, paying for it, and walking out, the wind and snowfall picked up considerably.
The roads were slushy on the outbound trip but not terrible. In any case, we belted our five-year-old daughter into the lone remaining rear seat and set off westward. It would also be nice to have some kind of easy-up feature when those seats are down. The SUV could benefit from easier access to the third row, though it’s not bad. It’s in here that we find one of the few things not to like with the XC90. And to top it all off, the city was about to be hit by its first true snowstorm of the winter.īeing hard-headed once our minds are made up, we hastily loaded up our many boxes and bags, a job made easy with the XC90’s flat-fold seats and 40/20/40 split second row. It was the store in Burlington, nearly an hour away. Only one location in the GTA had any in stock. We chose one we liked, made a parts list, picked out linens, and headed to the warehouse to fetch the large items.Īnd wouldn’t you know it? The mattress we wanted was, naturally, sold out. But, without warning, it morphed into the purchase of a queen-sized bed.
One recent trip to that Swedish big-box furniture store started as a post-holiday storage stock-up. My husband and I are impulsive at times and it occasionally lands us in some unfortunate comedies of errors. The Volvo XC90, which just won North American Truck/Utility Vehicle of the Year honours, is an excellent SUV for one reason alone: it handles the eccentricities of family life better than any other vehicle I’ve driven.
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