2006 Volvo XC90 Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the Volvo XC90:

Ride motions are tidily controlled, the ZF rack-and-pinion steering reacts and reads back faithfully, and the chassis feels stable and predictable.

-- Car and Driver

The XC90 is well-stocked with standard features. Among them are dual-zone climate control, a power driver seat, steering wheel-mounted stereo controls, one-touch up and down front windows and a roof rack (cross bars are optional).

-- Edmunds.com

The wood inserts throughout the cabin provide some brightness and give it that upscale look. And the usual speedometer, tachometer and other gauges are as easy to read as ever.

-- Road & Track

ROPS (Roll-Over Protection System) uses a torque sensor mounted in the floor to detect when the car starts to rotate about its longitudinal axis, or roll. The system then independently applies brakes to understeer the XC90 out of trouble. We tried to roll the thing and couldn't.

-- AutoWeek

What reviewers liked least about the Volvo XC90:

Where it comes up short is in fuel economy, 15 mpg city/20 mpg highway with full-time all-wheel-drive.

-- Cars.com

Not enough support in seats to stop you from rolling around during cornering.

-- CAR

In normal driving conditions, power [from its Haldex all-wheel drive system] is split 95 percent front and 5 percent rear, for the sake of better fuel economy.

-- Road & Track

Volvo XC90 Comparisons:

The ute accelerated to 60 mph in 9.15 seconds (the V8-equipped Aviator was more than a second quicker) and there is no turbo lag. The Volvo stopped from 60 mph in 135 feet (14 feet less than the 4818-pound Lincoln).

-- AutoWeek

It lacks the silky, fluid quality of the Lexus RX 300 and the sport sedan-like demeanor of a BMW X5, but like the Acura MDX, it's a nice compromise of both.

-- Edmunds.com

Best one-liner about the Volvo XC90:

When a car company whose name means 'I roll' in Latin plans a foray into the world of sport-utility vehicles, you can bet there's some serious review of the issues.

-- Car and Driver