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By Peter Burgess
18 August 2008 17:27
My word, how excited we all were back in 2002 when Volvo launched its first SUV, the XC90. The initial production sold out almost on the spot, or so the message was from Volvo. Certainly there were premiums paid over and above the list price by buyers desperate to get into a Volvo XC90.
Why? Simply it was a seven-seat SUV. Volvo had built lots of estate cars with those funny rear-facing kids’ seats, but in the XC90 children looked in the correct direction and, hey, everyone wanted those cuddly, safe Volvo values in this newest 4x4 on the block.
Six years down the line, problem number one is there’s not much around that’s now older than the XC90. Problem two is the imminent XC60. It won’t have the space or the seven seats, but it’s newer, cheaper and crucially, greener. Is the XC90 R-Design any more than a last-ditch desperate grasp at a few more sales?
It’s a specification introduced by Volvo across C30, S40, V50 and XC90. Modifications are usually cosmetic but in the case of the XC90 there’s a sports chassis to round off the package. The suspension on the XC90 had appeared previously on the SE Sport derivative, but now Volvo has pulled all the elements together.
There’s no mistaking this for a regular XC90. 19 inch alloys, quad exhausts, skid plate and matt finished to the mirrors show purpose, as do the deleted roof rails (though you can get them if you really need them). Inside the first things to hit you as you open the door are the contrasting pinstriping and stitching around the front two rows of seats. Tasteful? Your decision. We rather liked them. There’s lots of R-Design tomfoolery with logos, alloy pedals and so on, too.
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ArcRendition says
RE: Volvo XC90 D5 R- Design Geartronic CAR review
Volvo doesn't have to have a dynamically superior vehicle to succeed, as we've obviously seen year after year. They tend to cater to their devoted and loyal customer base (here in the US) where the brand as a very upscale, conservative, practical appeal to burgeoning and established families alike. Volvo produces a well rounded product that, although never seems to dominate in any one category, is multi-faceted enough to culminate to a desirable vehicle with very little snob-factor. I quite like their performance variants.
20 August 2008 21:46
JB - STAY ON TOPIC YOU BLITHERING IDIOT
20 August 2008 21:34
JohnnyBimmer says
JD I think most polar bears would eat the whining greens for lunch just to shut them up moaning about the planet going through one of its rare growth phases which benefits every living organism. Lowering mans CO2 has no impact on Earths climate as every polar bear knows whereas eating your greens shuts a lot of people up!
20 August 2008 17:54
joedodgy says
oh and about the car, I would rather have one of these than any of theam other 4*4's, and poosibly looks better than most of them. But the key factor is it's C02, jsut becasaue its so low and shuts Green peace up and temps me more than anything. Still they'll target it call it a gas guzzerler, call it pointless and throw Polar Bears at it.
19 August 2008 08:41
Remember hwen car names used to be really short. Every car name now, well nearly is more liek a essay, to let erveryone know what kind of gadgetry it has. The winner really has got to be that Reanalt hot hatch that I will not even try to anme.
19 August 2008 08:38
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