Volvo XC90 T8 AWD

[MorrisonHiker]

Where did you see the Volvo in person?

I'm very disappointed in the XC90 as well and have also been waiting. Ideally I wish the model S was little smaller so it would fit in my garage easier. It's actually 7" wider than the Cayenne and 5 inches longer. I'm cross shopping the Cayenne SEH, Outlander (if it ever makes it here) and the 70D. I have a Volt and my commute means I drive on electric 90% of the time. Would love a plug-in SUV with 30 miles of range and one where I could put on a roof box (sorry Model X) with no Falcon doors!

The X5 plug-in is a FAIL, and the MB SUV is possibly the same. I do like the fact that the Cayenne SEH can recharge the battery fully while only losing 20% MPG - 24MPG on ICE, 20 MPG while recharging and 15 mile average on battery = 35MPG average?

They had the XC90 T6 (not the T8) at the Denver Auto Show last week. It looked really nice and the 3rd row seats had plenty of leg room for me (at 5'8") but my feet were a little claustrophobic. I have also been watching/waiting for the X5, GLC, Q7, Crossblue, etc. but only the Q7 and Outlander can provide ~30 miles of electric range. I would consider the X but with all of the pre-orders, I really don't want to wait another year before buying. When the 70D was announced, that gave me hope that I could get something sooner...and of course I started cross-shopping with the 85D as well. :smile:

In preparation of possibly getting the XC90 or another large vehicle, I actually expanded my garage by 500 square feet last year (up to ~1100 square feet total), widening each of the existing doors from 8 to 9 feet wide and adding an 9x8 foot door for the new bay(s). I have plenty of room for the XC90, Q7, 70D, etc. but I do need to upgrade the electrical. I'm researching adding another 100 amps of electrical to the garage since the 'fastest' outlet I have currently is only a NEMA 6-20 outlet.

I was actually considering the Volt for a long time as well. I was really hoping they were going to have an AWD option or that GM would have a CUV version available but after they announced the 2016 model, I gave up. I suppose I could still get a Volt now and use it for my daily driver and then just use the old SUV for snowy days. That might get me by until the Model 3 is out...but the 70D is available now. Argh.

 

[Xpress]

My last hope (besides the 70D)- after the Outlander are the rumors of the 2016-17 Audi Q5 with a larger battery and longer range. I'm hearing 30 miles but we also heard that about the Volvo way back when. The Q5 will have a major refresh but may not make it here until mid 2016.

2016 Audi Q5 a More Attractive Design - carnewspaper

They had the XC90 T6 (not the T8) at the Denver Auto Show last week. It looked really nice and the 3rd row seats had plenty of leg room for me (at 5'8") but my feet were a little claustrophobic. I have also been watching/waiting for the X5, GLE, Q7, Crossblue, etc. but only the Q7 and Outlander can provide ~30 miles of electric range. I would consider the X but with all of the pre-orders, I really don't want to wait another year before buying. When the 70D was announced, that gave me hope that I could get something sooner...and of course I started cross-shopping with the 85D as well. :smile:

In preparation of possibly getting the XC90 or another large vehicle, I actually expanded my garage by 500 square feet last year (up to ~1100 square feet total), widening each of the existing doors from 8 to 9 feet wide and adding an 8x8 foot door for the new bay(s). I have plenty of room for the XC90, Q7, 70D, etc. but I do need to upgrade the electrical. I'm researching adding another 100 amps of electrical to the garage since the 'fastest' outlet I have currently is only a NEMA 6-20 outlet.

I was actually considering the Volt for a long time as well. I was really hoping they were going to have an AWD option or that GM would have a CUV version available but after they announced the 2016 model, I gave up. I suppose I could still get a Volt now and use it for my daily driver and then just use the old SUV for snowy days. That might get me by until the Model 3 is out...but the 70D is available now. Argh.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

My last hope (besides the 70D)- after the Outlander are the rumors of the 2016-17 Audi Q5 with a larger battery and longer range. I'm hearing 30 miles but we also heard that about the Volvo way back when. The Q5 will have a major refresh but may not make it here until mid 2016.

2016 Audi Q5 a More Attractive Design - carnewspaper

Interesting. I haven't heard about the Q5 yet. That's definitely more my size than the Q7. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the info!

 

[Kandiru]

Autonomous driving beta testing starts in 2017 in Sweden, where
100 lucky ones will get to participate. I suspect by 2018-19 will
become reality for the nouveau riches two years later.

[video]https://youtu.be/ieTst3EphwQ[/video]

In tune with this another pretty neat video about what Texas Instruments could
do just using currently available tech:

[video]https://youtu.be/yo6akuz3vu4[/video]