2003 Volvo XC90

[surferbum]

I have seen positive things being said about the 2003 Volvo XC90. Motortrend's best SUV of the year for 2003. How did the Pilot fare versus the other 13 entries?

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/...211_suoty_vol/

ps. The Volvo also won the Mudfest: Northwest SUV of the Year against virtually every SUV including the Pilot. Quite a bit of buzz about it.

[RipRocK]

Thanks for the link to the article, surferbum. Motro Trend sure had an ecclectic group of SUV's to test out. What'll be interesting to see are the reliability/dependability ratings after a year or two.

[N_Jay]

How much does it cost?

[SoCalGary]

for $37675 you get:

* 5 Seats
* 208 Horsepower, 236 ft-lb @ 1500 - 4500 rpm
* 2.5-Liter, 5-Cylinder Light-Pressure Turbo
* 5-Speed Driver-Adaptive Automatic with "Geartronic" Transmission
* Electronically Controlled All Wheel Drive
* 16" Alloy Wheels
* Premium Package:
Leather Seating Surfaces, Power Glass Moonroof, Memory Function for the Rearview Mirrors, 8-Way Power Adjustable Passenger Seat, In-Dash 6-CD Changer, Homelink, Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror

For $42,950 you get:

* 7 Seats
* 268 Horsepower, 280 ft-lb @ 1800 - 5000 rpm
* 2.9-Liter, 6-Cylinder Twin-Turbo
* 4-Speed Driver-Adaptive Automatic with "Geartronic" Transmission
* Electronically Controlled All Wheel Drive
* T6 Premium Package:
18" Alloy Wheels, Premium Sound System (with AM/FM In-Dash 6-CD Changer, Dolby Pro-Logic® II Surround Sound, 305 W, 12 Premium Speakers), Wood Steering Wheel, Power Retractable Rearview Mirrors
* Versatility Package:
Third-Row Seats with Leather Seating Surfaces, Air Conditioning for Third-Row Passengers with Separate Control, Nivomat Self-Leveling Rear Suspension, Rear Audio Headphone Outlets and Controls, Integrated Sliding Center Booster Cushion (Second Row)

Neither are exactly a bargain. They have a 2 wheel drive coming out in 3/2003 for around $34,000

I think I will stick to my plans for a Pilot in Feb 2003 !!!!!!!

[aerostar45]

I am a motor trend subscriber but it will end this year and I have no willing to renew it. To me, motor trend car or SUV of the year is actually Newest car or SUV of the year. At least for SUV three years in a row, it is the case.

However, I do love Volvo XC90. Not in my price range though.

[DaCarMan]

Here in Oklahoma they had a pre-production test mule to drive at our local Volvo dealer. It was the i-6 with all the works, sticker price was 45k. I was veryyy impressed specially on the looks dept (looks like the BMW X5 but better). Drives more like the Highlander than the Pilot yet is big inside. The seats...ohh the seats, Volvo makes the most comfortable seats in the business. It feels very upscale and worth the asking price. Is not in my range but might be a year or two down the road. All in all the Pilot is still the value king and is also faster off the line than the Volvo. That makes me wander how fast the new MDX is @ 260HP.

[jswift2000]

Here is a thing on volvos - My wife bought a first production year volvo S-40 and it went back for repairs 8-9 times in the 2.5 years we have owned the car. Her sister and brother-in-law also had volvos that gave them problems. Needless to say they are no longer volvo owners. When our pilot comes in we will no longer be volvo owners. Volvo's marketing is Volvo for life... but I guess that mean if you want to bring it to the shop every other month. My advice - wait until the 2nd or 3rd prod year for any volvo... and dont count on resase value. Dealers are offering us 1/3 of what we payed for it. Just some thoughts. I would rather have an X5 or MDX for the price of the volvo.