Volvo XC90
Volvo XC90 B5 and CoachmanSolo the XC90 is excellent, but once you hook a 2000kg Coachman Laser Xcel on the back things are not so good. Consumption on the Volvo drops to 21 mpg and stability if the unit when using 100kg nose weight is very questionable( much worse than my Range Rover Sport 4.4 which returned 28mpg towing with far superior stability). Having compared my results with other Volvo owners think both the kerbweight and power of the Volvo are too low. Think the added weight and power offered by a T8 would probably correct most of these issues. If towing with the B5 suggest you restrict yourself to a much lighter van.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and SpriteFirst time towing with an auto and it performed rearly well pulling in all gears with no problem and returnig an impresive 32 miles per gallon
Volvo XC90 D5 and ElddisI recently bought a 2019 XC90 D5 to tow my Elddis 840 (1800 MTPLM). It tows much better than my S-MAX as it has a lot more power (240 v 140bhp), 4WD, automatic gearbox, heavier. Electric tow bar is cool and the reversing camera makes it so easy to hook up. The automatic bulb checker is useful as well although I've not tried it yet as it doesn't come up with the option untilt I've started to drive!
Towing was a breeze and very comfortable with elevated seating. I am very pleased with it.
Volvo XC90 B5 and ElddisI've just changed from Audi Q7 to Volvo XC90 B5 Diesel.
I really like the towing light test that the volvo does when you hook up. Just walk to the back of the caravan and it tests all the bulbs for you. Clever. The fold away towbar is excellent also. Rear view camera which shows a line from the towball to where you will go when reversing makes hooking up a cinch.
Towing is extremely stable. Rock solid. I was slightly worried about going from a 3.0 TDI to a 2.0 Diesel but it pulls the Elddis easily up to speed and is more economical both solo and towing. 24mpg towing vs 21 mpg with the Audi. 49 mpg solo vs 42 mpg on a long run. Comfort is excellent but it also has great body control. I think this suits a big SUV more that Audi's more sporty take on things.
Really like the Volvo.
I considered an XC90 T8 PHEV but the 50L fuel tank put me off. 12 miles electric range solo then its a 2.0 petrol with a lot of weight to move around did not seem to make sense.
Volvo XC90 B5 and BaileyThis is my first Volvo, changed from a Freelander 2. The Volvo has bags of room with excellent comfort. Tech is right up there but the lack of USB ports (only 2 with Apple car play) is a bit of a bummer. The sat nav could be better.
Driving solo I can just about get 50mpg on the motorway, towing brings this down to 28mpg. The car & van outfit is very very stable, you only get a slight sensation of the suck push when a lorry passes a little too close. Even though the car is a 2 ltr I was surprised at how well it pulled the van up a very steep hill from a standing start, what made it even more impressive was that the hill had 2 sets of sleeping policemen so I just couldn’t floor it.
Passing slower traffic while towing is effortless.
Volvo XC90 D5 and Lunarxc90 d5 manual loved towing with this car mid 20s when towing lunar quasar 546 and mid 30s without. There was very little movement when hgv,s or coaches are about. I liked towing with this car unlike last car which felt twitchy with the van on the back but no worries now unless the slave cylinder fails as it did on the way home. Anyway could happen to any car, still loved towing with this would recommend this to anyone and being a manual a lower road tax.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and ElddisThe Volvo XC90 pulls the van with no problems at all and is very stable, in fact you don`t know you are towing and getting about 25 to 27 mpg is i think not bad at all.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and SpriteHad this combination for a year now and towed around 1600 miles on motorways and bumpy side roads. Very stable when being overtaken by lorries and buses. Do need to take care with the noseweight and get it between 85 and 90kg for the smoothest tow. Any lighter and although the van is a twin axle it will see-saw up and down a bit giving a slightly disconcerting up and down motion at the back of the car. I'm not a heavy footed driver so performance with the van on the back is similar to driving solo. Overall a pleasure to drive.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and CoachmanBeen using the XC90 for around a year now to tow my Coachman. We've been across to the Continent, down to Cornwall twice and visited the south coast. Not had any drama's and the Volvo has performed flawlessly. Even with a heavy twin axle caravan like the Coachman, it is a pleasure to drive and sits comfortably on the motorway at 65mph. Would recommend to anyone.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and CoachmanI bought the Volvo XC 90 after buying a Coachman 560/4 caravan. My previous vehicle was powerful enough but kerb weight was the problem. The Volvo always feels very stable whilst towing and there is none of the dogs tail wagging the dog! The automatic gearbox makes it all very easy. Sometimes I select manual when descending a hill to get a bit engine breaking and save the friction brakes. I find my outfit very easy to handle and the XC 90 is great for long journeys towing or not.
Volvo XC90 D5 and BaileyBrill 2005xc90 pulls van no problem returns mid20s and very stable when towing can not fault it and very comfortable would recommend as a tow car
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and BessacarrBought the Volvo in February this year to replace 19 year old L/R Discovery, certainly not regretted it. 20 years ago would not have considered towing with an automatic, but this Volvo is brilliant. I have towed the Bessacar 3,459 miles in UK and Germany with an overall average diesel consumption of 24.7mpg towing and around 28 to 30mpg solo. As others have commented the suck/blow from overtaking lorries etc. is not noticeable, unlike with the Disco
Volvo XC90 D5 and Swift2007 xc90 d5 se lux geartronic.
brilliant towcar, caravan never twitches.great on a roads and motorways too.
regularly returns high 30's solo mpg and mid 20;s towing.
can't fault it really.
Volvo XC90 D5 and BaileyTowing the Arizona with a 2007 D5 Geartronic 185.
Have no problems with this outfit. Very comfortable, very little buffeting effects from overtaking vehicles or more frequently when doing the overtaking of HGV's and such.
Downsides are the monumental fuel consumption. In 3 years, the best ever achieved solo is 33mpg. Towing mpg not actually as bad as I predicted, at around 25. Don't forget to factor in the whopping car tax.
Overall - great when towing, but expect to pay for the privelage.
Volvo XC90 D5 and Bailey2010 xc90 D5 manual, towing a bailey pageant ardennes with max load upgrade to 1700kg TA. Only towed with volvo once for about 200 miles each way, very easy due to excellent stability and able to reach 60mph from standing start with little effort. No swaying and very little rocking like you normally get with TA, previous car ford s-max was decent but lacked the pure grunt that the volvo has. Would recommend to anybody as it makes the towing a much less stressful job -probably even relaxing! ! !
Volvo XC90 D5 and SterlingXC90 T5 Active geartronic. No problem towing, very stable and plenty of torque. Good grip on grass too. No deviation at 60 mph when being passed by busses & trucks - yes, being passed at 60 mph! MPG towing about 26-28 compared to 34 solo.
Volvo XC90 2.4D and AbbeyGreat towcar, but watch which towbar you fit as many provide a very low towball height and the hassles that brings. Noseweight is also low on this car - typically 90kg and many vans are higher...
Volvo XC90 D5 and Coachman2010 XC90 2.4D Manual. The Volvo tows the Pastiche very well, on Motorways get to a safe speed and set the cruise and let the car do the work. found very stable even in cross winds!
Volvo XC90 D5 and Bailey2010 XC90 Active 2.4D Geartronic (185 bhp). Very stable, loads of torque - feels safe 10/10
Volvo XC90 2.4D aut. and CompassGreat car pulls my twin axle compass with out any problems. Does not slow down on hills and auto box is a dream. Very stable outfit does not get effected by passing lorries or coach like my Discovery 2 used to. Will def be keeping this car for some time.
Volvo XC90 2.4D and BaileyGreat car as other reviews say you dont know the vans on the back. More than enough power on standard 163bhp. Hand brake(foot brake) can be awkward to use but other than that no problems. Im sure this car could easy cope with a larger van as this combo is very stable in all conditions.;-)
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and ElddisI have towed with lots of different tow cars over the years and this one is just perfect ! ! ! It pulls far better than the 4.7 ltr Jeep it replaced. Utterly predicable when towing, with no suck and blow when overtaking or being overtaken the latter happens very rarely. Towing MPG is approx 20, Solo just over 30.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and BaileyJust swapped from a 2006 Zafira 1.9cdti to a 2005 XC90 D5 185 Auto. I thought the Zafira was good, but this XC90 is just in another league.
It sits at my normal cruising speed (62-63mph to keep me out of all the other traffic) all day long. I average around 22.5mpg with this mostly motorway driving.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and HobbyGenuine detachable towbar, under 30k miles - best towcar ever driven, genuinely effortless - sometimes use the Geartronic to lock it in top, mid 20's to the gallon. Out performs our previous Amazon 4.7 V8 - tows with less drama in cruise. 50kg Thule roofbox on Volvo roof bars doesn't seem to effect the mpg either. Caravan at the Volvo 90kg towbar load suits stability up to and just over the legal limit.
Volvo XC90 2.4D aut. and BaileyTowing Bailey Pagent Bretagne 2008.
We have a transmission problem with the XC90 only when towing or fully loaded with family and bikes...... We had the gearbox oil changed by Volvo Garage as told and still the same.... Apparently the Asin Warner gearbox can have a rare problem with a solenoid valve sticking. Could it be to do with overheating?.... Complained to Volvo who have been very lacklust up to now in helping us with the problem. They say they could replace the solenoid housing for £1500 no guarentee to fix problem or new gearbox £2995. 130K miles on an auto box.
Disapointed with performance, car is really nice tho' when not towing......
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and BaileyAn excellent outfit with no downsides. Mileage on the D5 auto is only slightly down (to 28 mpg) when towing and it's easy to forget that you have a van on the back. Last car was a 2006 E class merc 2.2 CDI manual estate and the XC90 is a world better as a towcar. In particular, you can't feel the effect of being overtaken by HGV's etc.
Volvo XC90 2.4D aut. and SunRollerAt this moment a have a transmission problem. the alarm only appears when the car tows the caravan. I have to go to Volvo dealer (car is 220kkm by highways)
the gearbox is an AW55-51. I heard problems with XC90 T6 but my car has another kind of transmission.
I bougth the caravan 4 months ago and I have seen the alarm just from the begenning.
??????
Volvo XC90 2.4D and AbbeyHad a 14 year old van to start with and noticed a lot of clunking but this was down to the shock absorber on the front of the van not anything else, just changed our van to an Abbey Cardinal(Aven 316) and didn't even know I had it on the car.
Volvo XC90 2.4D aut. and AvondaleThe match between the excellent towing capability of the XC90 and the stability of the Avondale Eagle make it a dream combination cruise at 60 MPH all day and return approx 24 MPG
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and AvondaleWe have the latest XC90 / D5 Auto, and have done 7500 miles with the van on the back this year. Fantastic towing car, you can adjust the ride to suit We use the Sport mode as it hardens up the back and stops the bounce from the double axel. Only draw back the fuel consumption is dreadfull with or without the van attached best I have ever had is 32 [car alone] and 20 towing
Volvo XC90 2.4D and BaileyThis is my 4th volvo(2xs80,+a v70)i have towed with my v70 and current xc90 and all i can say is that it is as usual superb.Remapped to 195 bhp the caravan is hardly noticable.Everything is v stable even in bad weather,i would find it hard to change except to another volvo.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and CoachmanI have found that towing with the XC90 is very comfortable and very smooth there is no wind suction from buses and lorries passing you and find it very easily does any manouver required of it, the fuel consumption is very resonable considering the size of the outfit we are towing even on not so long journeys, all in all a treat to own and drive.
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and CoachmanTowing a 530/4 Coachman Pastiche is so easy and economical 26 mph. You hardly now the 'van is there. Perfect balance, not a hint of 'weave'. Gear ratios are excellent but benefits from using the manual element of the Geartronic system
Volvo XC90 D5 aut. and Avondalethis is a nice set up we achieve between 20mpg on hard road and upto 27 on the motorway. the gear box seems to be able to adapt to the job very well whilst the suspension the the rear seems some what bouncy at times but is smoth on normal roads a normal tow bar non detachable has been fitted and does not interfear with the revesing sensors.
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