Used 2023 Volvo XC90 SUV Consumer Reviews
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6 month update: frustrating infotainment
Thomas Roberts, 05/12/2023
updated 05/13/2024
2023 Volvo XC90 B6 Ultimate Bright 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger gas/electric mild hybrid 8A)
25 of 31 people found this review helpful
6 month update: Volvo took a minimalist approach to their new (mid 2023) infotainment that we’re finding incredibly frustrating, which took away some worthwhile customization options. First to note, we had a 2020 R design and this is the inscription. I hate that they got rid of it. I liked the look and feel/ergonomics of the R design, but I get it, not a lot of folks looking for a sporty looking 7 seater Volvo I guess. My biggest gripe is that It’s a great car if it weren’t for a frustrating level of user experience based on taking away simple options. 1. Incredibly frustrating - The sound system. Volvo says it has optimized the sound experience so you only have 3 selections on sound customization and no ability to balance the sound, only to select forward, back or middle. Here is the issue: in the middle option, barely ANY SOUND comes out of the back speakers (middle row). Our kids can’t hear anything when the speakers are “centered.” We took it to the dealer and confirmed this is the same in other cars. Our salesperson was surprised also when we confirmed it. It is a big design flaw. A couple of other salespeople were there and also were surprised, but clearly tried to downplay it. It’s very very noticeable and even more frustrating when it’s a good set of speakers which we’re paying for, and there is no way to mitigate this. 2. They took away drive modes, so except for a box to check for steering feel (firm or soft) there’s nothing. No customization - again. 3. When a sensor goes off because something is close to the car, it immediately goes to a 360 view. This means that every time a pedestrian walks in front of your car close by (which happens a lot in the city) it goes to that view and starts beeping. There is NO WAY to turn it off. So if you are trying to look at your directions at a red light, and people are walking in front of your car, it switches screens and you can’t see your next turn. It gets annoying quickly. 4. This is small, but in our last car we could pick the interior lighting color. It was cool and frankly we liked it. It adds a level of fun/luxury which at this price point was appreciated. And now it’s just white lighting, no options. 5. Waze is finicky at best, still end up using Apple CarPlay. It also doesn’t play on the dash - just google maps. 6. You can’t see what media/song is playing unless you’re in the music app. So no ability to see it while using any navigation app. While the car overall is good, we’re very frustrated with the infotainment, especially compared to our 2020. This certainly didn’t feel like an upgrade, aside from the cooled seats, and actually felt downgraded with these missing important features. Also, we find this car lacks the steering feel of our 2020, but we get it’s not the R design. I will admit the engine is better in the B6, and our mileage is fantastic, it’s just a shame that the user experience is so frustrating. We thought we’d be Volvo lifers as we prefer the more subdued image vs the German rivals, and we LOVE the level of safety Volvo provides, but where before we thought it was a no-brainer to renew our lease, we’ll need to see if these changes are fixed or if we need to shop elsewhere. 6 month update: I moved my rating from 2 to 4 stars. Everything works and the car has been reliable. Service is generally top notch. However, I am still frustrated by the infotainment not showing what music is playing while on map view and not having the option for balance/fade on the speakers. While our mileage is pretty good, I miss some of the sporty characteristics and driving modes of the R design. I really really dislike chrome trim. I’m not saying it doesn’t look good, but it makes the car look like everything else. My overall assessment has not changed unfortunately. While we like the car, the lack of character really brought it down a notch for us from thinking we were going to stick with Volvo for a long time, to “it’s a really good car, but let’s shop around.” Hoping they fix that especially since they do offer dark trim and even blackout editions on the smaller models, and what they took away is some relatively easy and cheap things to fix/add. That doesn’t mean you should shy away from Volvo, they’re still fantastic cars and provide great service, we just miss the personality.
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Don't Buy
Jo, 02/09/2023
2023 Volvo XC90 B6 Ultimate Bright 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger gas/electric mild hybrid 8A)
21 of 29 people found this review helpful
I've had my '23 XC90 Ultimate just over a month and am extremely disappointed. The blind spot monitor doesn't light when it should. It also gets stuck on and doesn't go off. There is an annoying squeaky noise when the brake pedal is released. Service has lubricated and checked the pedal but it did not fix the noise. XM allows you to replay about 15 min. of their stations; however, Volvo is not set up with "Replay". Very aggravating if you turn to a station and want to replay to catch the conversation they were having. But the most concerning thing is the amount of force it takes to stop the hatch when it's coming down. It doesn't stop when it touches an object, it continues until it's pushed the object to the floor then reverses. Very dangerous. I've owned Suburbans, Toyotas, and Jeeps. None of them have had issues like this Volvo. One month in, I hate to think of what might be going on with it a year from now.
2023 Volvo XC90 for sale near you
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- Recharge T8 Plus Bright Plug-In Hybrid 4dr SUVMSRP: $58,99824 mi away
- B6 Ultimate Bright 4dr SUV w/6 Passenger SeatingMSRP: $44,036In-stock online
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Car for an IT Geek
Mr.Ginter, 12/26/2022
updated 07/17/2024
2023 Volvo XC90 B6 Ultimate Bright 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger gas/electric mild hybrid 8A)
16 of 25 people found this review helpful
So last week we traded in our Audi Q5 for an XC90 Ultimate. After driving it for a little over a week and about 150 miles I can make a few comments. First off if you don’t have 20/20 vision you’ll hate the key. Not sure what they were thinking as the controls on the FOB are too small to see. I don’t understand just why all the controls are on the screen as the last thing you want to do while driving is take your eyes off the road. Thank goodness many of the controls can be verbally controlled by google. Even the vibrating seat needs to be controlled from the screen and doesn’t have a timer to turn it off. The car drives very lose like a boat not like our BMW or our Audi which has much better road feel. Now the positives! The interior of the car is stunning . The seats are super comfortable .The Bowers & Wilkinson stereo maybe the best I’ve ever heard. The $1800 air ride will take some getting used to so I won’t comment. There are a ton of what I’d call amenities in the car. The GPS is great . The ride when on a straightaway is ok and I guess on a long ride won’t tire you out. I highly suggest they have some older individuals be involved in the design and controls as they will probably be 75% of the buyers at $78,000. I’ll follow up at a later date once my mind can wrap around all the IT crap. I miss my Audi! Oh we do feel VERY safe driving this huge machine . Update after 6,000 miles. I’m starting to think some the reason I didn’t love this beast was the lousy dealer prep. So much for the $1000 prep charge. After rotating and BALANCING the tires ( which the dealer never did ) the car drives much better. Electronics are still a pain but I can deal with it. Would I ever buy another Volvo. NO! UPDATE: We’ve owned this SUV for almost 2 years . Certainly feel safe in case of an accident and it does really well on fuel economy for its size but that’s where the good stops. The google infotainment system D- . I’ve never had as many issues with an $80,000 car EVER. The car has every available option and I’ve should have known that there would be issues. I hate the fact that we’ll be losing so much money trading it in but the aggravation factor is not worth my health. The upgraded stereo is amazing and at least playing it load helps take away the road noise . For a heavy SUV with the $1800 air suspension you’d expect a nice comfortable quiet ride . NOPE I’m going back to Audi where they actually care .
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B5 Plus Delivers
Robibi, 01/20/2024
2023 Volvo XC90 B5 Plus Bright 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 8A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I love the simplicity of the cabin, and the slightly better fuel economy over the B6, as well as the cost savings from the T8. Adaptive cruse controll practically drives the car for you, and the google integration is fantastic! No more wires for carplay/android auto. Very VERY happy with this XC90 trim (purchased after owning the T6 Inscription, and B5 plus is vastly superior in my oppinion).
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Easy Elegance
DThor, 01/11/2023
2023 Volvo XC90 B6 Ultimate Bright 4dr SUV AWD w/6 Passenger Seating (2.0L 4cyl Twincharger gas/electric mild hybrid 8A)
4 of 7 people found this review helpful
Enough range that I don't use any gas on a standard commute and drives like a dream.
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