Automobiles

[Matthew Strongin]

If you're asking if volvos now are as bullet-proof than the pre-SPA ones then I'm not really qualified to answer that, but my experience with a pretty base V60 FWD has been too many electrical issues to feel good about reliability. The engine feels pretty good fwiw, and I really like driving it, especially any distances since it's so comfortable, composed and quiet at highway speeds. But I've also been on a 3-yr lease until this May, so I've paid basically nothing to get those issues handled. (head-unit re-flash, two separate visits for 'software refresh' due to several warning lights going off at once (ABS, stability control, parking brake, TPMS). Obviously all those systems didn't have issues, but their sensors were affected by whatever was going on. To this day they haven't been able to explain to me definitively what went wrong, and how they fixed it beyond any doubt. So, when my lease is up in May I'll be very tempted to buy it at the under-estimated pre-pandemic price and then turn around and selling or trading at some point not to far away.

Of course, you're talking about a small sample size here, so take it FWIW. Seems like Jorn is pretty happy with his wagon. I just don't trust mine and don't want to spend gobs of money on stupid electrical or software issues once it's off warranty in a couple months. Mine is still under 40K miles as well. It's not even into the normal wear or higher mileage items down the road.

We ditched our V90CC for the same reasons. Electronic system gremlins from early days and we eventually got fed up with it. It was the best highway cruiser we’ve ever had, but that didn’t make up for the electronics crapshoot.

[j44ke]

What model year are these two cars - Sean's and Matt's?

[rmplum]

Our XC90 was a 2016, pretty similar car to the V90 and V90XC
Lovely vehicle and super popular in the office, but I'm glad we didn't have to pay rent for the real estate it took up in the dealer's repair bay.

It never broke down on us, but had tons of electrical gremlins and the brakes juddered badly and required replacement at extremely short mileage intervals. We leased a Toyota Highlander at the same time. It ran like a top and needed nothing, but was far less sexy than the Volvo. My parents bought the last Highlander we had in our fleet and it's still a champ. I'd never have let them buy the Volvo.

[Tom]

I need to figure out the whole key user profile thing with the XC40. Depending on which key I have in my pocket the options configure to whatever they were the last time the key was in my pocket. And if the two of us happen to be carrying a key apiece it gets a little confused but the orange key seems to override. I got the little popup that it was speed limited so I looked to see what speed that was.

112mph. How am I supposed to be suppressed like that? Intolerable.

[echappist]

Quick brainstorming exercise.

Low depreciation on the newer models or having to purchase new at very close to MSRP is making me rethink my options a bit.

If not the V60 or XC60, what other good options are there? I think I can live with a SUV that sits low enough. The old Toyota Venza did just that, but the newer version (and most other SUVs) have their front end quite high above the ground. For instance, the front end on the highlander reminded me more of a storm trooper helmet.



Lexus vehicles, with their ginormous shark-mouth grills are quite a bit worse. Sometimes I really think that Toyota's design aesthetics peaked in the late naughts and early 2010s, and its cars have just gotten ugly since (fwiw, I quite like how my Camry looks). Ditto for my dad's Lexus ES from the mid 2010s.

Having said that, I might very well eat crow and end up buying a Toyota or Lexus, but I want to explore options of SUV/ vehicles with luggage capacities that are both decently reliable and semi-decent to in appearance.

[htwoopup]

When I bought the first Volvo I was in need of a car to be in NYC and driving on the highway up to Quebec and then around in the snow etc of the Laurentian mountains. So, I figured the best thing to do was look around me and see what I saw. At that time, far and away was the Volvo XC series. When we decided to get a second car, same eyeball market research and we got a second Volvo. Last week I was doing the same thing and I was noticing an inordinate number of Hyundai’s (mainly Tucson’s). I don’t know if that is they are good on the Quebec roads, they are priced right, the 10 year warranty or some combination. I am sure a person who is in the metal business could comment better than neophyte me, but from a market research by the seat of the pants method I might also look at them. There also were a bunch of Mazda C something’s all around my little ski town.

[echappist]

The Mazdas aren't bad looking at all (in particular the new CX-50), and i think its general reliability is decent. In ways somewhat reminiscent of a Volvo XC60.

[j44ke]

A friend likes to say that most car grill designs are created to make the car in the rear view mirror look like it is getting ready to assault your car because people like their cars to look prepared for violence.

The Mazda looks like that Toyota a couple entries up^.

[claritycycler]

Sprinter big brother? Spoke with the owner in front of an Ace Hardware, Freightliner C2 with Detroit diesel, school bus body by Thomas(model Safe-T-Liner C2), beginning a transformation into a camper. Got the polished alu bling wheels going on, I like the overall scale/shape/form of it, short wheelbase is nice for maneuverability.

[j44ke]

Needs a new paint job.

[gt6267a]

When I bought the first Volvo I was in need of a car to be in NYC and driving on the highway up to Quebec and then around in the snow etc of the Laurentian mountains. So, I figured the best thing to do was look around me and see what I saw. At that time, far and away was the Volvo XC series. When we decided to get a second car, same eyeball market research and we got a second Volvo. Last week I was doing the same thing and I was noticing an inordinate number of Hyundai’s (mainly Tucson’s). I don’t know if that is they are good on the Quebec roads, they are priced right, the 10 year warranty or some combination. I am sure a person who is in the metal business could comment better than neophyte me, but from a market research by the seat of the pants method I might also look at them. There also were a bunch of Mazda C something’s all around my little ski town.

growing up, subaru was always on the short list for an all weather vehicle. the outback has decent storage and awd. curious if people are still considering it?

[SeanEasley]

What model year are these two cars - Sean's and Matt's?

Mine's a 2019. Apparently the first year of the re-design of the wagon. They must not have made many since a recent search on autotrader nationwide just to see what people are asking found only like one or two for sale in my same configuration. Either no one is getting rid of them, or they only made like 5 or 10 of them like mine. I assume most people opt for AWD on these things not FWD.

[j44ke]

growing up, subaru was always on the short list for an all weather vehicle. the outback has decent storage and awd. curious if people are still considering it?

My impression is that they don't get amazing gas mileage, possibly because they are heavy, and I think there are periodic head gasket issues. If you know the engine models, you can avoid those. But I've been told that the design of the Subaru engine is particularly hard on head gaskets. So like timing chains in overhead cam engines, there are times when you just replace those things as best practice. They used to have a reputation for being cheap to repair. I don't know if that is still true. Even if the part is cheap, you still have to pay labor. A LOT of people have them where I live and they are like the state bird in western Mass and Vermont. Not just Outbacks but also Foresters and Impreza hatches. And I see them in all different conditions too, so they are a car with a half-life and loyal customer base. The result is that there are plenty of small shops well versed in Subaru repair. You don't need a dealer.

[j44ke]

Mine's a 2019. Apparently the first year of the re-design of the wagon. They must not have made many since a recent search on autotrader nationwide just to see what people are asking found only like one or two for sale in my same configuration. Either no one is getting rid of them, or they only made like 5 or 10 of them like mine. I assume most people opt for AWD on these things not FWD.

Mine is both the preceding chassis and an earlier engine, also just a front wheel drive. Seems like the 2017 is a bit of a mechanical throwback with a slight exterior redesign from the 2016.

Just trying to forecast if I've been living on luck and to expect any electronic gremlins to appear.

[Matthew Strongin]

Mine is both the preceding chassis and an earlier engine, also just a front wheel drive. Seems like the 2017 is a bit of a mechanical throwback with a slight exterior redesign from the 2016.

Just trying to forecast if I've been living on luck and to expect any electronic gremlins to appear.

Ours was a 2018. Technically it was my wife's, but she doesn't love driving so I probably put as many miles on it as she did. rmplum's post above also reminded me that it developed a horrible judder at high speed shortly before we got rid of it. The dealership swore it was a worn tire, so we replaced the tires only to have it start up again in a week or two. We were pretty much over the car at that point and the judder was the last straw. Replaced it with a large Lexus SUV that doubles as my wife's daily driver (very short commute) and my off-roader 4x4 for trips to the Everglades. My Subaru is still going strong after 4 years, but since I only drive it about 3 miles a week since the start of the pandemic, that's not a surprise.

[htwoopup]

growing up, subaru was always on the short list for an all weather vehicle. the outback has decent storage and awd. curious if people are still considering it?

Interesting question, I notice a LOT of them on my drive from NYC straight north to Montreal up until a little past Lake George. Then they get more and more rare until the border. I am sure there are some folks who have them in my area but I haven’t really noticed them from the border up to and including in Mont Tremblant which suggests there aren’t a lot of folks with them. Now that I am typing this, I remembered that my step-daughter bought a Forester a few months ago and loves it but she is out in LA although she does drive to Mammoth for skiing.

On the overall front, I did wonder on my last drive from the border to the lake if there were more pickup trucks per capita in Quebec or Texas. And it seems like 100% of Quebec pickup drivers go 25% faster than the limit and come into your lane a car length in front of you without regard for the icy slush they throw.

[rydesteel]

Next EV6 we get in I'll take some Pictures and post them here. It's interesting driving a pure electric car, instant acceleration and no engine noise. We've had 5 so far and they usually are sold before they hit the Showroom.

[j44ke]

Next EV6 we get in I'll take some Pictures and post them here. It's interesting driving a pure electric car, instant acceleration and no engine noise. We've had 5 so far and they usually are sold before they hit the Showroom.

What's an EV6?

[sk_tle]

https://www.kia.com/us/en/ev6

[j44ke]

https://www.kia.com/us/en/ev6

Thanks. Never seen one. I think I would remember that taillight.

Car design is a lot like carbon bike frame design right now. Everyone is designing towards each other, possibly for the same reasons - aerodynamics - creating a lot of same with minor injections of different.

What is the best looking car right now?