Used 2016 Volvo XC90 SUV Consumer Reviews
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90K Long Term Review
Matt H., 10/09/2017
updated 10/17/2022
2016 Volvo XC90 T6 Inscription 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger 8A)
98 of 99 people found this review helpful
I've decided to completely rewrite my original review and update the rating from 5 stars to 2. The only reason I'm not giving it a 1 is for the excellent customer service from Volvo/Dealerships, and the design is still top-notch. We currently sit just over 110K miles on our 2016 Volvo XC90. It's fully loaded with everything available when purchased except the air suspension. We drove off the lot with 3 miles on the odometer in 2015. Here's the good: - We still love the design. It's beautiful, inside and out. - The safety tech has saved us from multiple accidents. - Drives spectacularly in snow and rain. All-wheel-drive, skid control, and everything are some of the best. - Volvo's dealership and customer service are among the best in the industry. They always gave us loaner cars (sometimes for weeks), and Volvo went out of their way to cover us even when our warranty expired for minor and major issues. Up until the last problem we had with the turbocharger. They're unwilling to give us any discounts as we've run up a large tab at this point (more on that below). Customer service is one of the reasons we would buy another Volvo, but only after 2-3 years after a new model has been released. - Volvo on-call and emergency services are excellent. Here are the problems we've been dealing with since we purchased the vehicle. - The instrument cluster failed when driving down the road. Meaning we had no visual indication of what was happening in the vehicle. We immediately took it to the dealership. Dealership fixed under warranty. (2018) - The blinker assembly (sticks) stopped working while driving. Again, immediately took it to the dealership. Fixed under warranty. (2018) - The brakes constantly squeal with no way of fixing them. Just a bad design in general. You can't hear them inside the vehicle, but the dealership has done many pads and even rotor adjustments under warranty to try and fix it. I still have had the same issue since I bought it. (2015-2022) - The instrument cluster failed (yes...again) only this time it didn't render it inoperable, just malfunctioned. Fixed under warranty (2019) - We had a major coolant leak which rendered the vehicle inoperable. Towed to the dealership, covered under warranty. (2020) - Oxygen sensor went out (twice) Covered under warranty (2018, and 2020) - A major oil leak caused them to pull the entire engine out to fix it. It wasn't supposed to be covered under warranty (Our warranty has long expired) Volvo made a deal for us to only pay for the labor involved ($1500). The normal cost of the fix was in the thousands. (2020) - A control box at the top of the engine made the vehicle squeal like a bad engine belt. Out of Warranty. $120 to fix. (2021) - A supercharger seal went out and caused a check engine light. Out of Warranty. $1500 to fix. (2021) - The touch screen has just gotten slower over time, like a dying windows computer. It's now just super slow to boot up and sometimes lags when doing any commands. - Tires for this vehicle are EXPENSIVE. Only two manufacturers make the tires that fit the 21" wheels. Scorpion and Goodyear. Volvo techs admit that the tires suck and that due to a design issue, the back tires with Scorpions run down faster than the fronts. We've had two flats due to nails and replaced all 4 three times due to wear and tear. We'll be switching from Scorpion to Goodyear to try them out. - The keyless entry and other features are locked behind a $250 a year app. For the cost of the vehicle and maintenance, while the service has been worth it to us, it's too expensive. We only use it for the keyless entry in hot and extreme cold weather to warm or cool the vehicle. If you use the vehicle for business, it does include a built-in mileage tracker, which is nice. We have one of the earliest VIN numbers for the US models, and honestly, the thing has been nothing but trouble mechanically. Of course, the later vehicles have all been fixed. We felt like an early adopter of the new model and we definitely paid the price for that. Even Volvo and their techs admit that the first 2016 models with low VINs have constant problems and have told us to always wait two years before buying a new model (lesson learned). The cost of ownership for the 2016 model has not been worth it. We paid almost $80K for this vehicle, costing thousands more to service it and maintain it and went sometimes weeks and even. months without our car and a loaner vehicle while we waited on parts to fix it. A typical service costs $200-$300 for this vehicle after the initial warranty and free services run out. On top of that, it takes premium gas only, which means the cost to operate, and the cost to maintain it is super high all around. Do I love my Volvo? Yes. Is it a big piece of crap? Mechanically, yes. Unfortunately, I think I'd be writing a different review if I had bought one today. We just bought way too early on a vehicle that was built from scratch from the previous gens. My tip is to never buy a new model until two years after the vehicle has been out when the kinks have been worked out.
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New Standard for SUV's
Swedishsmitten, 06/22/2016
2016 Volvo XC90 T6 Momentum 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger 8A)
155 of 160 people found this review helpful
Very simply this is a great automobile. We had been a Jeep Grand Cherokee family for 20 years but needed a 3rd row. Base suspension is great. Very smooth and firm, which means it does not feel like a boat. Check your tire pressure when you first get the car. Ours had 45 psi which we found out it quite common as they overfill in Sweden so the tires do not flat spot in shipping. They should check it before delivery but ours was missed. I think some of the rough ride comments are caused by this. After correcting this the ride is amazing. Seats are the best I have ever sat in with great lumbar adjustment. The power is fine. 316 horsepower from a 4 cylinder engine is amazing.
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2016 Volvo XC90 for sale near you
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Who needs options
Dale, 11/19/2015
updated 05/24/2017
2016 Volvo XC90 T6 Momentum 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger 8A)
33 of 34 people found this review helpful
The base Momentum is a steal compared to the competition. The only option I ordered was a trailer hitch. The ride is smooth and quiet. The sound system is great. The seats are the most comfortable I have every experienced. So many optional items on other vehicles are standard such as heated, leather, power seats, huge moonroof, navigation and lots of safety features. We are getting 27 to 28 MPG on the highway at 70 to 75 miles per hour in calm winds. I am not a fan of the auto start/stop function and I prefer the Dynamic driving mode which is very peppy in city driving and disables the start/stop function. I wish the car remembered the previous driving mode setting so you don't have to select it each time you start the car. I also would like to see a Home Link option for opening the garage door.
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Think Twice about a 2016 XC 90
OJ, 04/09/2016
2016 Volvo XC90 T6 Momentum 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger 8A)
67 of 71 people found this review helpful
8 day "old", spring break trip ends 200 miles into an 800 mile return journey! Overheating and no AC - engine management system advises to immediately shutdown the engine. Towed into a local dealership. Has taken 8 days to have vehicle repaired and still do not have the car back home. Very poor customer service from Volvo, the Corporation. Have received good but not outstanding service from the dealerships in trying to resolve the issues. I assume Volvo brand and value proposition is based upon the fact that a $64,000 car is actually "a cheap car" and therefore the customer should not really expect superior customer service!
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In the shop over 80 days in the first 3 mos
David Zuech, 12/04/2015
2016 Volvo XC90 T6 Inscription 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger 8A)
79 of 85 people found this review helpful
I receive my inscription on 17 July 2015. After owning it for nine days I received a suspension error code followed by a safety restraint error code and promptly sent it in for service. It was in the Volvo dealership in Tulsa for over 30 days. After I received my car back I had it for less than one week before more electronic error codes again began popping up in addition to my virtual speedometer going black on rainy night. Despite dispatching numerous Volvo engineers who attempted to service my car, Volvo was unable to repair it and didn't give me a refund after four months of ownership. I would tread extremely carefully with this first model year car as it seems Volvo has no idea how to have the various modules interact with each other. I would visit various Volvo forums to better understand the gravity of this problem and Volvo's pompous attitude to their new customers of the 2016 "car of the year"
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