The New Ride..

[pitch3110]

Chaps,

Not really the done thing I know, but several had asked me to update on the Q7 replacement..............yes its an XC90.....sorry VWAF.

Here they are together before the Q was taken away..



Firstly, I absolutely adored my 24 months in a Q7, had very few gripes and if a good deal could have been found I probably would be driving another now. But I am a tight @rse, could not imagine spending my hard earned on a purchase so PCH's are my weapon of choice and a further £2,500 over two years was not an option. I am a share holder of my business and MD so car allowance and 45p a mile works great and PCH's are real value. Investing in depreciating rubber, plastic, metal and glass sitting on my drive or garage does not appeal.

The obvious replacement with all the hype of the Chinese £33bn investment was Volvo and the XC90 and with the lease of less than £6k a year it was a no brainer.
Reviews all have been pretty good and the press do sing the praise of the reincarnation of Volvo and the Sensus system.

So here goes:

Engine - No brainer Audi win through smoothness alone. The forced air, turbo 2.0 litre in the XC is no slouch, is quicker than the Q7 (218 though vs 235) and is proving far more economical out of the box, by some margin. But its no silent smooth lump of beauty which the Q7's clearly is.

Ride - Very very close but the Q7 nips it for one reason only. The 22" rubber on the XC make a lot of noise and I mean lots.

Handling - XC90 win. On the road it feels far more nimble, the turn in is razor sharp. There is no question that on a B road blat I would leave my old Q7 for dead.

Interior - The Q7 is a wonderful place to sit and the XC90 equals this, there is really nothing between them. The quality is impressive and any grumbles that it is not quite there is unfounded IMO.

MMI vs Sensus - For me this is the biggest win for the XC90. The big portrait centre screen is a dream and within 24 hours it was completely mastered it is just so so easy to use and everything is where you would expect it to be. I find the map and destination entry so much more pleasing and easy to use.

Other XC90 wins:

The standard equipment

• ADVANCED KEY........YES..........Its a dream.....
• Adaptive cruise.
• Pilot Assit which works absolutely faultless.
• Speed sign recognition. Picks up even temp ones and again faultless.
• Ambient lighting. Just so cool to have purple pimping my ride. You can also set to the temperature so its blue and then turns to red as it warms up or visa versa.
• Memory seats both sides.
• Memory on the keys.

The nice touches

• There is additional button on the tailgate to lock as you close, saves reaching for a key or touching a door handle.
• Super quick mirror folding.
• Clip on the screen to hold parking tickets.
• Lots more storage.
• All controls of the steering wheel, never did like the stalk for cruise on my 12 years of Audi's
• There is flap in the floor (like a big raised shelf) of the boot to hold everything close to opening rather than losing everything to the back when the rear most seats are down. Great for food shopping.
• Parcel shelf works far better.
• Rear seats fold better for ease of access to rear two.
• Leather keys.
• Being able to adjust the passenger seat from the drivers seat.

And the REALLY nice bits

• Hi-Fi. As we know the standard Q7 is pants to say the least. The standard XC90's is equal to the Bose on my last A6, it is very very impressive, the base is so deep and warm and it handles the young'ens Lo-Fi beats. Lovely to have a great sound again in the car.
• The Volvo App Store. There are not many apps yet but what I have downloaded to date work absolutely great. The Spotify is as you would expect, Google, nice one which you can send voice notes to pre saved email addresses, very handy for sending stuff to my PA and fellow Directors when out and about.
• Volvo OnCall App. Great for storing every trip so monthly mileage claims are a breeze, checking the car is locked when Capitan Paranoia kicks in. And.....setting the internal temparature to remotely chill or heat at a given time or on request, also you can start and stop the engine remotely. It also tells you the outside temp of where the car is.
• Looks...The car is a stunning beast from every angle on 22"s. For me looks it has far more presence on the road.
• The virtual dash is very nice and the menu's work very well and with ease once again. I never knew why Audi thought we would want to stare at a picture of out Q7 in half the screen.

The bad/disappointing

• Engine. I am getting use to it but it was noticeable as soon as I was a few new miles down the road. A 2.0 4 pot is never going to be 6 cylinder smooth.
• Road noise. On some surfaces it sounds like the wheel bearings are shot, its that loud.
• Google map graphics. I do miss these they were also uber cool and a nice touch.
• Seats are a tad harder and not so arm chairish.
• Manual operation of the rear seats is a bit naff and not as nice as the switches in the boot of the Q7.

So to sum up, I really do like the XC90 and overall I could not be more happier with the switch which after 12 years of constant Audi ownership was a big move to make.

Would I have another XC90 in two years, oh yes, most definitely, another Q7, without a doubt it is still a fantastic car. The big one is if both were on par financially and spec wise in 2020......thats tough and I am sure both will have been through a facelift.......lets see.

The pics...... and once again many thanks chaps for all your assistance and banter over the past two years, this Q7 forum is a lovely place with some wonderful chaps who know a great deal, keep it up.

Take care all andHugs

Paul

[Hammy969]

Hi Pitch.

Just popped on here after notification of an updated for some other post I had written on, so I thought I would look you up and see what you are ups to!

Good looking Volvo you have there. I have a friend who got one of the first preface lifted models 3 years ago Only thing I didn't like was the 2.0l engine all the rest was pretty impressive.

BTW I always meant to ask where you arrange PCH's through? Send me a pm if you have a minute.

Stewart