| 2003MDX |
XC90 T6 AWD
$42,950
• 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
Edmunds has a First Drive Review on this car
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/road...90/article.html
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XC90 T2.5 AWD $37,675
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 |
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| vip9 |
from the above article on Edmunds...
As previously mentioned, third-row passengers are expected to be the kids, often the most precious cargo in a vehicle. You might be wondering why there's so little legroom back here; it's because Volvo didn't want to compromise third-row safety by mounting the seats too close to the rear window. By decreasing legroom, engineers increased the rear crumple zone. To further safeguard the little ones, the XC90 is the first vehicle with three-point belts with pretensioners for all seven positions. Furthermore, the side curtain airbags extend all the way to the rear, rather than just covering the first two rows.
Impressive and smart! Look at bold hightlight - don't we have the same??? |
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| 02SSmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by vip9
from the above article on Edmunds...
the XC90 is the first vehicle with three-point belts with pretensioners for all seven positions
The MDX has three-point belts for all 7 positions, but i don't think all 7 positions have the pretensioners. |
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| wmquan |
| The MDX only has pretensioners for the front pair of belts. |
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| vip9 |
| OK, teach a layman - what are pretensioners? Do they "lock" the belt, do they pull it back or what? |
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| edepa |
quote:
Originally posted by vip9
OK, teach a layman - what are pretensioners? Do they "lock" the belt, do they pull it back or what?
They take out any slack in the seat belts so they don't have the slight "give" if your in a crash. I assume this not only stops your body better, but prevents an impact against the belts and possibly some sort of whiplash effect that may cause. just one layman to another. :o |
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| vip9 |
| really? kind of silly not to protect 2nd/3rd row passengers... :( |
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| edepa |
quote:
Originally posted by vip9
really? kind of silly not to protect 2nd/3rd row passengers... :(
they are still protected by the seat belt and shoulder belt, just not pretensioned. Front passengers have more to hit into, such as steering wheel and windshield, but it sur e doesn't hurt to protect the rear passengers too. Side curtain shields are a plus as well. :( |
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| wmquan |
There are small explosive charges that fire off at certain collision speeds (usually a lower speed than what is necessary to trigger the airbag). They cause the belt to tighten up, quite tightly. The idea is to remove any slack and to get you straightened up in your seat, and prevent your body from pitching forward and hitting the dash/wheel, or, in the case of rear passengers, the seat in front of you.
Additionally, the MDX's front belts have not only pretensioners, but force limiters. This is to prevent the force of your body against the belt to be so high that it breaks your collarbone (too tight).
Pretensioners/force limiters in the front are pretty common nowadays. Some vehicles, like MB's and I think some Audis, have pretensioners in all outboard seating positions, while the XC90 apparently has it in all seating positions.
For the Civic/CR-V/RSX, Honda created a new kind of pretensioner that tenses the belt from both directions (the belt is basically looped back into the housing). They claim that it improves the tightening process and is one reason they claim those vehicles got good full-frontal/offset-frontal crash test scores.
Folks who have reported pretensioners working have remarked that they hear a loud "bang," like a firecracker, which is not inaccurate since there's a charge firing off to tense the belt. |
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| renov8r |
First, if the pretensioners are "explosive" how 'buried' are they back there? Any concerns for fire? Close to fuel tank? How is force measured/regulated, especially if 3rd seat is "for kids only" in XC90???
Anybody know where the rear window in the XC90 is relative to the MDX? Is there a significant difference in 'crumple length"??? |
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| archimedes1 |
Two good friends of mine (husband and wife) practically simultaneously jumped on me (via instant messenger) with Volvo's updated website for the XC90. They're both big Volvo fans, and since we're on the market for an SUV (the MDX, to be precise), they had to show me. Here's the specs page: http://www.volvoxc90.com/xc90/specs.shtml
Granted, Volvo's safety is a bit better than the X - but that's what Volvo's claim to fame is. Their motto is "Volvo - for life." Their latest commercials don't talk about styling, performance, or anything else but safety. It's what they sell. But, the safety of the X is nothing to scoff at, either. The passenger injury ratings from NHSTA are all top of the line, and it is the only tested SUV that had a 4-star roll-over rating. For frontal and side crash tests it has 5 stars across the board.
However, if you look at the specs page, I think you'll question as I did if Volvo is worth the additional cost. I think the T6 AWD is the closest comparison to the X. Granted the engine size is bigger, but it's the only 7-seater. The others are 5-seaters, with the engine quite a big smaller. The interesting thing you'll find is that a lot of the things that are standard on the X are extra on the Volvo - most notably paint color!! If you like black or white, you're OK. If you want any other color, it's an extra $450 - what's up with that?!?! That seems very nickel and dime-y to me.
Anyway, I went thru the Build your XC90 exercise starting with the T6 AWD, and making it look like the X with Touring, which is what I'm getting. I didn't add any accessories like side steps, cargo stuff, etc. I did add roof stripes to the Volvo b/c that's standard on the X Touring. End result, the Volvo ran about $6000 more. Is that worth it for a slightly larger engine (fuel economy TBD), a bit more towing capacity, and a bit more safety? (I won't mention that the Volvo has 12 cup holders vs the X's 10. Do 7 people really need 12 cup holders? I don't even think they need 10!)
Everyone will have a different opinion (mine is obviously that it's not worth it). But regardless of your opinion, it's hard to deny that once again the X has demonstrated to be a very strong competitor that provides a lot of value.
$0.02
Ioana. |
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| wmquan |
quote:
Originally posted by renov8r
First, if the pretensioners are "explosive" how 'buried' are they back there? Any concerns for fire? Close to fuel tank? How is force measured/regulated, especially if 3rd seat is "for kids only" in XC90???
I've never heard of an issue with fire and pretensioners. I think the charge is well contained, save for the noise, in the units they use. Pretensioners aren't uncommon anymore, and more and more vehicles have them in the rear. The fuel tank is a decent distance away under the vehicle, so I can't imagine there's any threat.
Don't know what the force limiters are tuned at. I suppose that the force limiters could be tuned different for the third row, but I don't know if Volvo does this.
The reason the MDX doesn't have pretensioners in the second row isn't because of kids, it's just a cost savings measure. Someone banging into the front seats isn't as severe as someone banging into the dash or wheel, so they probably figured they'd distribute the money elsewhere. |
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| ardvarkus |
The engines are smaller than the X. Both models.
Sure, turbos give you the HP and torque specs but what's the driveability? I currently have a turbodiesel, and you do get used to it- you just put the foot in...but I also have a V8 and it's nice to have the instant torque in the low end.
I also wonder about turbos and reliability. Over the 100k+ haul.
Still, my wife really likes the look. She want to 'just look'. Fine
Ard |
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| sar10 |
| Kind of reminds me of a cross between a Jeep Liberty and an X5! |
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| wmquan |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
The engines are smaller than the X. Both models.
Sure, turbos give you the HP and torque specs but what's the driveability? I currently have a turbodiesel, and you do get used to it- you just put the foot in...but I also have a V8 and it's nice to have the instant torque in the low end.
I also wonder about turbos and reliability. Over the 100k+ haul.
Still, my wife really likes the look. She want to 'just look'. Fine
Ard
I echo the concerns on the turbos, but will say that Volvo seems to be doing a decent job with them. A good turbo that comes to mind is the VW 1.8T, which seems to be doing great.
I don't know about the torque curve points, but Volvo does seem to have the engines tuned to produce a good amount of torque at a low rpm:
turbo 2.5 5-cylinder: 236 @ 1500-4500 rpm
turbo 2.9 6-cylinder: 280 @1800–5000 rpm
It won't be quick because the T5 will weigh about 4,450 lbs, and the T6 will be heavier than that. But it should be more than adequate, especially for around-town driving given the relatively high torque at fairly low RPM's. |
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