I still prefer the all-wheel drive design of Subaru over than of anything that Volvo has offered. Having said that, Subaru caters to a much more "economical" market, and you really can't compare the design or creature comforts offered by a Volvo. Subaru is an affordable, solid and reasonably safe vehicle - but you don't sink into its seats and feel surrounded by luxury, as you do in a Volvo.
I have a subaru and an xc90. I love the Subaru for her safety as she got me over a mountain pass end of April with an unexpected snow storm. Everyone was in the ditch and spinning out, she held steady and got me home safe! We manually shifted gear 1-3 and back down again on repeat. Loved her from that day forward. Volvo is just pure beauty and comfort but when you need a friend, it’s always gonna be Subaru.
The XC90 made me fall in love with it. It's drop dead gorgeous. And I love how it doesn't have those ugly plastic cladding to make it look like an off-roader.
As a conventional T6 XC90 owner, I'm embarrassed by the "alleged" off road performance of the T8. I think Volvo's standard Haldex AWD would fare much better, especially without the 21" Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires. I have 20" Pirelli Scorpions on my 2017 R-Design and it would handle this course with minimal issues.
Agreed. I have a suspicion that the electrified rear axle simply lacks the fine motor control at these low speeds to be a true competitor to the standard mechanical system.
@@JulezWinnfield totally, I think they make great sense for the typical customer but this environment we really see it's deficits compared to something like the T6 system.
@@ALMX5DP EAWD in new RAV4 does pretty well off road considering. Not as capable as true AWD with torque vectoring but far superior then previous system. I've off-roaded with mine in conditions like this and did fine. TFL has good video on new RAV4 hybrid off road.
I’ve had this car (with all these options) for 18 months now. Yes, lovely car - but beware some weird things: (a) the adaptive cruise control (which reduces cruise control separation if the vehicle in front is slowing) does not recognize stationary cars. I.e. if you come around a corner and there’s a traffic queue, the car will not slow down, until it has to do an automatic emergency stop.Pretty scary! (b) if you’re in lane control mode and one side becomes fuzzy (e.g. the white line is covered in dirt) then the lane control can go wrong.... (c) the system for stopping you going into the car in front does not operate below 5mph. This is to disengage it when parking? But it also cuts out in a traffic queue. So I had my first accident in 20 years in this super-safe car when I accidentally brushed the accelerator pedal in a traffic queue while in Auto-park... and it steadily back-ended the car in front! nThe pushed that car into the one in front of it!!!!! All the time I was trying to stop the beast.
All about the tires!! I’ve been looking forward to this review. Ryan, I have the T8 with cooper discoverer at3 on the stock 20” wheel and these slippery mountain trails are good fun in plain awd mode! The ride is so smooth!
@@Tay-ky3fi smaller wheels always have more options for a/t and hybrid m/t tires. I took what was on the lot 😂 lucked out and got nearly every option available. There are about 4 different tires available for my 265/50R20 size (one size up from the stock 275/45).
I am sure the tire size and tire brand / tread pattern have a major impact on the lack luster showing. They look like very low profile tires, not enough side wall. I think I would take an ascent over this even though the volvo is a nice vehicle.
i hate the ascent.. boring, ugly, slow and fat. i dont mind the impreza so much or the modern WRX so much not worst looking. but ascent is stereotypical american mom mover and just so blah. i can agree though, this XC90 is completely useless offroad, but how many buyers of a nearly $90 grand opted out XC90 are going to even get it dirty, much less take it anywhere near offroad? prob none most want it for the off chance transporting grand kids around or it it snows on their driveway. my GF's grandparents want one...incase we have kids oneday.. not kidding you thats is literally why they considering a $90 grand XC90.. i told them that's a bit like wearing a life jacket or a pool noodle everyday incase it floods or you wanna go swimming.. told them get the V90 instead if they want a new large volvo, that's, more comfortable, faster, better handling, nearly all same options including AWD and kinda sorta semi autonomous driving thing volvo has nd much easier IMO to park vs their SUVs.... shame though they dont want a wagon, hell bent on oversized SUVs incase we have kids. old semi wealthy people make some odd choices..
@@Honeypot-x9s The ascent design might not set the world on fire, it's a solid SUV choice with a good strong engine, great ground clearance etc. So while I might not agree that the ascent is slow and fat, I do agree that the volvo V90 is a sweet ride, for me, I just love the design / style as I am a total wagon person. To bad wagons are a dying breed these days. Wealthy people based their decisions on a totally different set of criteria than the average working schnook such as myself. They don't have to weigh wants vs needs, they just for wants. Most average people focus on the needs, well that is, if they are smart and don't want to be indebted the rest of their lives lol.
for all the hate in the comments etc... it still managed to do it successfully up there and it did not STRAND YOU! this wasn't even designed to do off road like you did! but still managed to complete it, So for a system that is eAWD that wasn''t designed from the ground up to tackle that type of terrain in the video! I am highly impressed. Also Subaru can enjoy their engine oil consumptions and CVT issues on their ascent
Honestly felt like there was bias in this review. When same reviewer did the GX (and the 4Runner) in the advanced offroad, there's no mention of the vehicle's AWD "taking its sweet time" to engage the non-slip wheels (full 10 sec for GX and ~40 sec for 4Runner), nor in other vehicles' videos where the AWD takes time on the throttle to engage. Also, at the first rough point, reviewer gave up after about 1 sec of slippage, without giving the AWD time to engage. Think this review needs a refresh with a more open mind. That said, appreciate the reviews and info. Please do an XT6 and an X7!
Great review! Hybrid, plus turbo, plus supercharging, plus air suspension. Wow. Lots of mechanical and electrical complexity always means lots of potential points of failure. The long-term reliability here would be my main concern. Would make a nice lease, though.
Great review! It's too bad the weather influenced the off-road test. I'm a long-time Subaru guy, but am interested in other options. Driving Sports gives the best, comprehensive reviews, in my opinion.
To be honest i'm looking at this exact vehicle for off-road capability. Not looking to pay the price for a Lexus LX nor do I really like the lackluster interior of the GX so I'm thinking this may be an option but my concern has always been off road capability.
@@Jkp564 impressive. Thanks for sharing. Shocked at gas mileage though. I thought that would be one of its selling points. Did you have different tires put on to meet the needs of those conditions?
I wonder if this AWD flaw is specific to the T8. There are so many Offroad reviews of Volvo with their AWD that perform flawlessly. Awesome review of how it would come from the factory!!!
Great review. I am looking for fuel efficient replacement for my 4runner. It seems that the e-locker braking isn't strong enough on the Volvo T8 system. I would love to see how the BMW X5 45e compares. Of course proper tires would make a huge difference. Wish Les Schwab would offer you a sponsorship!
Very nice review. However the off-road test on these type of tires is a bit misleading to my humble opinion. Can You do the same test with Jeep Wrangler on same type of tires / same tire profile?
A wrangler? This isn't about what is th best offroad, it's about how well the volvos 4wd system works as is. The tire discussion is irrelevant for this video. No one buying this vehicle is swapping out the tires
Dude! You buy a Wrangler for Wrangling...you buy a Volvo for Volvo-ing...he was simply showing the ability of the Volvo's AWD system...not trying to prove how amazing or awful it is off road...
That way it challenges the AWD systems even more. Also most owners of these cars are not gonna switch to offroad tires just to go offroad once a year or less.
@Jose Alberto Rosa-Suliveres yea true. Honestly, all the new hybrid suv AWD systems suck(example: lexus RX 450h). The motor that powers just the rear wheels just isnt responsive enough.
@Jose Alberto Rosa-Suliveres time will tell. I would stay away from the T8 and just go for the t6, and just polestar tune it, if you really need a lil more power. 4cyl doesn't make sense but I they're trying to compete and squeeze out a lil more mpg.
Awesome video! I like how you light the car's interiors while driving...MKBHD could learn a trick or two from you...👍🏽 can you please try to review the new Polestar 2?
I was seriously considering buying this car to replace my Land Rover Discovery, but the weak off road AWD capability of the XC-90 is an issue. Thanks for posting!
You need to do justice to that T8 like you've done with other vehicles. Need to try out different drive modes, including programming your own to enable Individual mode so we, as consumers, can see if this vehicle should be ignored and/or totally written off even as a mild offroader
you can see that rear does not provide any forward thrust...the only time you see the rear spinning is with one wheel off the ground and in the sand test it doesn't even switch to awd.....i mean you'd expect a bit more out of 400hp
You should really do a review and off-road test with the T6 variant, not only is it more popular, it should be much more capable in an off-road situation.
The Highlander Hybrid reviewed earlier, but also wet off road conditions... did a lot better on the offroad trail portion. Though, in the video, the rocks look more damp, than pouring rain on the volvo. And note, it does also have the electric motor in the back driving the rear wheels. And the front view camera on the Highlander is just pushing a physical button
Disappointing for the price but I wish you'd point out that these climbing tests are much harder for heavy vehicles with non offroad tires. FYI, the XC90T8 weighs over 5100lb !
I can't say I'm impressed with its off road ability. I would love to see it with different tyres, I've read some negative things about the Scorpios. Anyone have scrorpios and change and notice a big change?
It seems as though very little power (if any) is being directed to the rear wheels. This is also an issue that the Prius AWD suffers from. I thought that the RAV4 prime was much better so electrically powered rear wheels can work off road.
RAV4 hybrid does much better this generation then previous with 59hp (89ft torque). Prius has only 7hp going to rear axle. RAV4 Prime has same rear electric motor as new RAV4 hybrid.
Thanks for review. Can you, please, do one more review with new Volvo XC90 T8 (455 HP) to give him second chance? To see if they change something? Thanks in advance and best regards
You're spot on. Gas engine ONLY powers the front wheels, so that's ~75% of power going to the front. And when the electric motor isn't in play (which only powers the rear wheels), it's 100% of power to the front wheels. There's no physical linkage between the front and rear powertrains, so no software update can remedy this. Own a '16 XC90 T8 and there is a TON of torque steer from the front wheels. However, given that no sane person buys an XC90 as a canyon-carver, it's still probably the best bang-for-your-buck luxury SUV on the market. Best practical vehicle I've ever owned
Can you please try this review again with the updated 2022.5 version, with more powerful electric motor and larger battery? I'm thinking the more powerful rear-wheel electric motor will make a huge difference, especially in off-road tests.
My T8 in off-road is useless.. In Constant AWD it's pretty decent. I've seen the same with getting stuck in simple situations (mainly snow to be fair) the Off-Road seems to react too slow. Also - the T8 doesn't need battery to run the eRAD so it's always AWD if in Off-Road / Power / Constant AWD and if it slips in Pure :)
I have the 2017 T8 inscription, it's never been off. I've covered 53k since new and the closest it's been to off road, is up steep roads in Scotland 😂.
Thanks!….I was thinking of getting a new car but my 2012 Audi Q7 is SO SUPERIOR to this thing off road that it is a no brainer to completely dismiss the Volvo.
As an owner of the new xc40 with the same autopilot and safety features, I was disappointed you didn't talk about the weak points of the system. For example, there are several blind spots. Try driving next to a large truck and you'll be a bit scared. I know you like volvo, I do too, but your reviews would benefit from looking at more of the down sides.
Man why are you turning the wheels back and forth like that? You’re putting yourself in that situation where you got stuck briefly. Other than that, great review! Much apreciated!
A standard xc90 would have done better as they use an actual awd system whereas the t8 uses eawd which has no actual drive shaft from the front going to the rear differential like a regular xc90 would have
I saw the T8 off-road on a rocky trail that I thought only Jeeps and LRs were capable of. It was really impressive! There is something seriously wrong in this test drive.
First thing I noticed when we bought this car (2021 T8 Inscription), the Pirelli Scorpions are absolute shit tires for literally anything. Slippery in the wet, loud in the dry, useless off road. Not a single damn clue why Volvo included these as the base tire, but I can't wait to replace them (once my wallet recovers from the initial purchase price, that is).
Kuya Arbee how many Cars with CVT have you own or driven? I am on my third. Two Subaru’s and one Toyota all without any issue. Again, what is your experience?
We test for 2 weeks 2 LR Disco 5 3.0 SD (306 HP) and 2 XC 90 D5 (235 HP), only Diesels in the Swiss Mountains, up to 3,300 m heights, with All Terrain tires. We have a retreat center at 2,300 m: after already 1 day, the choice wa clear. LR Disco 5 SD. The Volvos slipped again and again, and got stuck a dozen time, and had to pull them out. And in mixed drive (overland streets, mountain passes, offroad, highways and cities) there was NO advantage in consumption of the XC90 vs. the the Disco : 8.32 l/100 km Diesel for the 5', 9.2 l/100 km Diesel for the XC90. Why: the 3l Diesel has 700 Nm torque, the 2 liiter XC90 just 470 Nm. Petrols ? never.
Nice vidéo. I like Volvo for its interior design and safety. I agree noone will take a $90k vehicle off road. I have my 2020 ascent limited and like it. I know I can go off-road camping and drive in the city. Practical and not too flashy. I wished the ascent had xmode 2, more horse power and no cvt. But for now I'm ok. For some reason my eyes keep looking at the telluride or the palisade. 🤔🤫😀 don't tell the wife ok? Cheers
Going to see if I can try and see if you tested the non-PHEV version of the XC90 T6 AWD to see if that fairs better with a mechanical AWD system as opposed to this eAWD. So this is definitely a "urban" car -- and not so much for off roading. Good to know though.
So it looks like that Ryan has NOT performed the same kind of test with just the T6 AWD. Again, I would be really curious to find out how well the T6 AWD would fair in this situation with the mechanical AWD system over the eAWD system that this T8 has.
@@drivingsports Do you know if the new XC90 T6 AWD also has open diffs as well? The XC90 is heavier, but the T6 also has 316 hp/295 lbf.ft of torque which should help it overcome the weight difference compared to the V60 Cross Country. It is interesting though, that the T8 eAWD struggled even with the first part of your climb test whilst the V60 CC T5 AWD didn't, and therefore; one might be able to infer that the XC90 T6 AWD won't really struggle with the first climb test either. It would be really interesting to see if the T8 eAWD would fair better in the snow or if the T6 AWD would fair better in the snow. Either way, very good tests. Thank you.
It's the government's job to discourage Americans to buy foreign vehicles, even when they're US spec'd. That B&W sound system is STANDARD on the T8, being the top of the line, along with air suspension, in the rest of the planet!
Embarrasing for a Volvo. Used to be such good off-road vehicles. I swear even my old 80's RWD Volvo would do a much better job than all the new tech stuff.
The biggest problem Volvo has is the MSRP of any of their vehicles, people can get just as safe and reliable, performing car for way less. The cars are nice but the company seem to have forgotten why the old Volvos were popular - aside from practicality and safey, affordability.
I haven’t seen any reviewers mention this but there is no way to schedule your charge. So if your house is on an EV electric rate, then you will have to plug in your charge manually each time to take advantage of the EV rates. Volvo mentioned that they only supports this feature in the U.K. but not in the US. Makes absolutely no sense!
@@drivingsports I’m surprised with your comment there since I’d imagine that this review is not geared towards just your local market. At least it should appeal to the entirety of the US (north America) market which ranges widely in terms of electricity prices. With your logic then there’s no need for a hybrid model for specific market since gas is dirt cheap in some areas which I don’t believe is what you are trying to convey.
Anyone know if u get one of these and if u options for the 20 or 21”s and then put larger tires on them does it cause issues with the air suspension and clearance on upper control arms ? Seems the system is solid just the tires let it down
The electric power is reserved to always have electric power for the rear wheels. The gas motor will automatically maintain this reserve of power to allow for all-wheel drive when needed. You can also manually dedicate the motor to recharge the electric batteries while you drive. For everyday driving there is no appreciable impact on performance while running the generator.
I live in the Colorado High Country and drive in snow. Lots of snow. I don't know if the gas motor is capable of recharging the battery to the extent that it can keep up with this demand on a long-term, ie hours and hours, basis. Just my thought.
@@drivingsports When it turns to "hybrid Mode" the power to the back wheels is the same, like it had a full battery? Sorry for asking for more details, but it seems like you know more than Volvo dealers, and since I am about to buy a new one those days, I need to clarify what Will happen and how my future car Will react in case of no battery life while I am in the middle of an off Road trip.
@@moganrrd2047 The back will engage and disengage based on need, and it uses the onboard generator to constantly recharge the battery, so you should never be completely drained. Technically, if you do a really long ascent without stopping its feasible the battery could be depleted removing power to the back wheels, but that doesn't seem to happen in practice with the systems we've driven.
How come Subaru Forester 2019 and onwards models have never been tested on this mountain terrain ever? I own one and would like to see it in action here.
We “found” this road while filming our snow review of dual-mode X-mode in the Forester. Later turned it into our normal course. Won’t get another one until next years update.
At around 21:30 you can see the front wheel spinning aggresively. The rear wheel without traction isn't spinning, therefore only the front wheels were providing power
After this review I am concerned that this vehicle will do poorly in heavy snow or mud. Does anyone reading this have or know someone who has used this model ( 2021 XC90 T8 E Hybrid AWD ) in either heavy snow or mud? Quite honestly this vehicle is quite heavy at 5100lbs with no passengers and probably 5300 with the one test driver in the video yet it had issues going up rocks and getting stuck in the sand. I would say the mechanics and engineering need to improve to adequately have the car process those situations with a carload of people and luggage ( 6,500-7000 lb total weight according to my calculations of several people at 200lb each and luggage) such as a family going camping, encountering heavy mud or several inches of snow, etc. Also as far as the tires and them not being off-road or difficult ( heavy snow/ mud) the car really should work regardless. If I were to purchase this car I would expect to be able to go camping in the mountainous terrains every few weeks or so without changing from city tires, encounter heavy snow during the winter regardless of tires and I do not want to have to worry about needing to be towed particularly at this price range as I would expect the research, engineering and implementation to be done and incorporated. I am of the opinion that a V8 engine would do well but we must keep the glaciers from melting further and contributing to sea level rise. The new complicated supercharged, turbocharged and electric rear wheels cumulatively do not seem adequate for moderate to heavy off-road use at present. Perhaps future models will do better after improvement in areas mentioned, until then my family and I will postpone things on a new Volvo pending TH-cam reviews showing aforementioned improvement after candid testing & review.
more concentration on the talking than actually driving off-road. i guess the driver needs to be skillful as well to do off-roading, blaming the car only is kind of not fair.
I sold Subarus for 6 years and I owned 2 and I have huge respect for them but now I am selling Volvos and I love them way more
how much discount can you get off the MSRP of T8? I am planning to buy one and want the info as a reference point.
I still prefer the all-wheel drive design of Subaru over than of anything that Volvo has offered. Having said that, Subaru caters to a much more "economical" market, and you really can't compare the design or creature comforts offered by a Volvo. Subaru is an affordable, solid and reasonably safe vehicle - but you don't sink into its seats and feel surrounded by luxury, as you do in a Volvo.
I have a subaru and an xc90. I love the Subaru for her safety as she got me over a mountain pass end of April with an unexpected snow storm. Everyone was in the ditch and spinning out, she held steady and got me home safe! We manually shifted gear 1-3 and back down again on repeat. Loved her from that day forward. Volvo is just pure beauty and comfort but when you need a friend, it’s always gonna be Subaru.
The XC90 made me fall in love with it. It's drop dead gorgeous. And I love how it doesn't have those ugly plastic cladding to make it look like an off-roader.
As a conventional T6 XC90 owner, I'm embarrassed by the "alleged" off road performance of the T8. I think Volvo's standard Haldex AWD would fare much better, especially without the 21" Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires. I have 20" Pirelli Scorpions on my 2017 R-Design and it would handle this course with minimal issues.
Agreed. I have a suspicion that the electrified rear axle simply lacks the fine motor control at these low speeds to be a true competitor to the standard mechanical system.
@@ALMX5DP
These new E-AWD systems are not designed to handle anything worse than an inch of snow or a moderate dry gravel road.
@@JulezWinnfield totally, I think they make great sense for the typical customer but this environment we really see it's deficits compared to something like the T6 system.
@@ALMX5DP EAWD in new RAV4 does pretty well off road considering. Not as capable as true AWD with torque vectoring but far superior then previous system. I've off-roaded with mine in conditions like this and did fine. TFL has good video on new RAV4 hybrid off road.
Brother this machine isn't made for off road.this is on road and in city machine
I’ve had this car (with all these options) for 18 months now. Yes, lovely car - but beware some weird things: (a) the adaptive cruise control (which reduces cruise control separation if the vehicle in front is slowing) does not recognize stationary cars. I.e. if you come around a corner and there’s a traffic queue, the car will not slow down, until it has to do an automatic emergency stop.Pretty scary! (b) if you’re in lane control mode and one side becomes fuzzy (e.g. the white line is covered in dirt) then the lane control can go wrong.... (c) the system for stopping you going into the car in front does not operate below 5mph. This is to disengage it when parking? But it also cuts out in a traffic queue. So I had my first accident in 20 years in this super-safe car when I accidentally brushed the accelerator pedal in a traffic queue while in Auto-park... and it steadily back-ended the car in front! nThe pushed that car into the one in front of it!!!!! All the time I was trying to stop the beast.
I think you r not a good driver that's it 😂
E-AWD systems need wheel spin to work properly, I have a 2019 XC90 T6 and I did the Boreas pass with it and had no problems at all. I love my Volvo.
Nice car, but keep in mind other crossovers like the Atlas and highlander did the same thing without trouble.
I have an XC70 and I noticed when off-roading with these vehicles there is a delay before they fully engaged but you have to keep on the gas
No one cares
Given the bad tyres for off road I am impressed with its capabilities. Nice review
All about the tires!! I’ve been looking forward to this review.
Ryan,
I have the T8 with cooper discoverer at3 on the stock 20” wheel and these slippery mountain trails are good fun in plain awd mode! The ride is so smooth!
Hi Sean, how much discount did you get off the MSRP? I am planning to buy one and want the info as a reference point.
What other tires would you recommend? and why did you pick the 20" wheels vs the other options? I see 21 inch and 22 inch. Which has more options?
@@Tay-ky3fi smaller wheels always have more options for a/t and hybrid m/t tires. I took what was on the lot 😂 lucked out and got nearly every option available. There are about 4 different tires available for my 265/50R20 size (one size up from the stock 275/45).
I dumped the lousy pirellis and put Michelin cross climates 2’s on it, what a huge difference in the rain and snow
I dumped the lousy pirellis and put Michelin cross climates 2’s on it, what a huge difference in the rain and snow, I have 20 inch tires
I am sure the tire size and tire brand / tread pattern have a major impact on the lack luster showing. They look like very low profile tires, not enough side wall. I think I would take an ascent over this even though the volvo is a nice vehicle.
i hate the ascent.. boring, ugly, slow and fat. i dont mind the impreza so much or the modern WRX so much not worst looking. but ascent is stereotypical american mom mover and just so blah. i can agree though, this XC90 is completely useless offroad, but how many buyers of a nearly $90 grand opted out XC90 are going to even get it dirty, much less take it anywhere near offroad? prob none most want it for the off chance transporting grand kids around or it it snows on their driveway. my GF's grandparents want one...incase we have kids oneday.. not kidding you thats is literally why they considering a $90 grand XC90.. i told them that's a bit like wearing a life jacket or a pool noodle everyday incase it floods or you wanna go swimming.. told them get the V90 instead if they want a new large volvo, that's, more comfortable, faster, better handling, nearly all same options including AWD and kinda sorta semi autonomous driving thing volvo has nd much easier IMO to park vs their SUVs.... shame though they dont want a wagon, hell bent on oversized SUVs incase we have kids. old semi wealthy people make some odd choices..
@@Honeypot-x9s The ascent design might not set the world on fire, it's a solid SUV choice with a good strong engine, great ground clearance etc. So while I might not agree that the ascent is slow and fat, I do agree that the volvo V90 is a sweet ride, for me, I just love the design / style as I am a total wagon person. To bad wagons are a dying breed these days. Wealthy people based their decisions on a totally different set of criteria than the average working schnook such as myself. They don't have to weigh wants vs needs, they just for wants. Most average people focus on the needs, well that is, if they are smart and don't want to be indebted the rest of their lives lol.
The Volvo XC90 is by far one of the best aging cars on the market, always been impressed.
for all the hate in the comments etc... it still managed to do it successfully up there and it did not STRAND YOU! this wasn't even designed to do off road like you did! but still managed to complete it, So for a system that is eAWD that wasn''t designed from the ground up to tackle that type of terrain in the video! I am highly impressed. Also Subaru can enjoy their engine oil consumptions and CVT issues on their ascent
Honestly felt like there was bias in this review. When same reviewer did the GX (and the 4Runner) in the advanced offroad, there's no mention of the vehicle's AWD "taking its sweet time" to engage the non-slip wheels (full 10 sec for GX and ~40 sec for 4Runner), nor in other vehicles' videos where the AWD takes time on the throttle to engage. Also, at the first rough point, reviewer gave up after about 1 sec of slippage, without giving the AWD time to engage. Think this review needs a refresh with a more open mind. That said, appreciate the reviews and info. Please do an XT6 and an X7!
Great review! Hybrid, plus turbo, plus supercharging, plus air suspension. Wow. Lots of mechanical and electrical complexity always means lots of potential points of failure. The long-term reliability here would be my main concern. Would make a nice lease, though.
i would go for D5 or T5 without the air suspension on 20inch (max) wheels.... should ease the worries.
It's a Volvo. What problems are u talking about? Lol
@@Asientabs alot of problems the SPA and CMA plaftform volvo's have a lot of problems the list is shorter on wich problem it doesn't have
I have a xc 90 with 365 000 km and it has so far nog had a single problem, it is serviced by volvo though
@@emilejacobs2m53 what year model?
Great review! It's too bad the weather influenced the off-road test. I'm a long-time Subaru guy, but am interested in other options. Driving Sports gives the best, comprehensive reviews, in my opinion.
I have volvo xc 90 t8 and I have done hard off road drive with it. No problems at all. Even a rear wheel drive can perform these tracks
Cap
how much discount did you get off the MSRP? I am planning to buy one and want the info as a reference point.
I am sure too few people would actually take this beauty out to off-road.
Too few people are going to buy it :D
@@dmitry6472 That I doubt. Statistics say otherwise...
To be honest i'm looking at this exact vehicle for off-road capability. Not looking to pay the price for a Lexus LX nor do I really like the lackluster interior of the GX so I'm thinking this may be an option but my concern has always been off road capability.
Can't imagine how much electrical issus this car will ha e in 3 years
@@Jkp564 impressive. Thanks for sharing. Shocked at gas mileage though. I thought that would be one of its selling points. Did you have different tires put on to meet the needs of those conditions?
I wonder if this AWD flaw is specific to the T8. There are so many Offroad reviews of Volvo with their AWD that perform flawlessly. Awesome review of how it would come from the factory!!!
It is. The other systems Volvo uses are quite good.
I had both the XC 90 T8 and D5 AWD and feel like the standard AWD system in the diesel was way better than the e AWD from the T8
Great review. I am looking for fuel efficient replacement for my 4runner. It seems that the e-locker braking isn't strong enough on the Volvo T8 system. I would love to see how the BMW X5 45e compares. Of course proper tires would make a huge difference. Wish Les Schwab would offer you a sponsorship!
Very nice review. However the off-road test on these type of tires is a bit misleading to my humble opinion. Can You do the same test with Jeep Wrangler on same type of tires / same tire profile?
Or a snow tire
They sell them with 20" - 22 " tires so you are going to be stuck with less optimal tires
A wrangler? This isn't about what is th best offroad, it's about how well the volvos 4wd system works as is. The tire discussion is irrelevant for this video. No one buying this vehicle is swapping out the tires
100%
Dude! You buy a Wrangler for Wrangling...you buy a Volvo for Volvo-ing...he was simply showing the ability of the Volvo's AWD system...not trying to prove how amazing or awful it is off road...
Love it when these reviewers take awd vehicles off road with no off road tires. How can you test it properly?
It's how most of its drivers will 'go off-road' if that ever happens so it's actually quite useful.
That way it challenges the AWD systems even more. Also most owners of these cars are not gonna switch to offroad tires just to go offroad once a year or less.
@Jose Alberto Rosa-Suliveres yea true. Honestly, all the new hybrid suv AWD systems suck(example: lexus RX 450h). The motor that powers just the rear wheels just isnt responsive enough.
Tires still have a huge factor in how well the vehicle performs in off road conditions.
@Jose Alberto Rosa-Suliveres time will tell. I would stay away from the T8 and just go for the t6, and just polestar tune it, if you really need a lil more power. 4cyl doesn't make sense but I they're trying to compete and squeeze out a lil more mpg.
Awesome video! I like how you light the car's interiors while driving...MKBHD could learn a trick or two from you...👍🏽
can you please try to review the new Polestar 2?
I have this car, he was on the menu with camera and it’s in the second group of icons so the fact it took him two mins is an exaggeration.
I was seriously considering buying this car to replace my Land Rover Discovery, but the weak off road AWD capability of the XC-90 is an issue. Thanks for posting!
Lol, read my comment man. The XC90 has excellent off road performance.
When testing off-road, or living in a village, is obvious you should have winter or all weather tires. For an off road test I would suggest 235.60/R18
You need to do justice to that T8 like you've done with other vehicles.
Need to try out different drive modes, including programming your own to enable Individual mode so we, as consumers, can see if this vehicle should be ignored and/or totally written off even as a mild offroader
you can see that rear does not provide any forward thrust...the only time you see the rear spinning is with one wheel off the ground and in the sand test it doesn't even switch to awd.....i mean you'd expect a bit more out of 400hp
You should really do a review and off-road test with the T6 variant, not only is it more popular, it should be much more capable in an off-road situation.
The Highlander Hybrid reviewed earlier, but also wet off road conditions... did a lot better on the offroad trail portion. Though, in the video, the rocks look more damp, than pouring rain on the volvo. And note, it does also have the electric motor in the back driving the rear wheels. And the front view camera on the Highlander is just pushing a physical button
Disappointing for the price but I wish you'd point out that these climbing tests are much harder for heavy vehicles with non offroad tires. FYI, the XC90T8 weighs over 5100lb !
Not really, it's not meant to be a full off roader, and secondly wrong tires, plus driving on wet smooth rock is like driving on ice !
Dont under estimate volvo....
When you're off-road, you don't pet the throttle. Step on the gas and drive.
I can't say I'm impressed with its off road ability. I would love to see it with different tyres, I've read some negative things about the Scorpios. Anyone have scrorpios and change and notice a big change?
James Segers yeah my T8 with copper at3 tires on 20” wheels does this slick mountain hills very well
Read my comment.
It seems as though very little power (if any) is being directed to the rear wheels. This is also an issue that the Prius AWD suffers from. I thought that the RAV4 prime was much better so electrically powered rear wheels can work off road.
RAV4 hybrid does much better this generation then previous with 59hp (89ft torque). Prius has only 7hp going to rear axle. RAV4 Prime has same rear electric motor as new RAV4 hybrid.
Different tires would make a massive difference
Indeed especially winter tires
And it was very wet, not good on rocks ! like driving on ice !
21' wheels are way too big for off roading. The Volvo XC90 is still a nice vehicle though.
I doubt many will use it for off roading 😎
Looks like a great day for the new Crosstrek!
Thanks for review. Can you, please, do one more review with new Volvo XC90 T8 (455 HP) to give him second chance? To see if they change something? Thanks in advance and best regards
I feel like this is way more front wheel drive biased.
You're spot on. Gas engine ONLY powers the front wheels, so that's ~75% of power going to the front. And when the electric motor isn't in play (which only powers the rear wheels), it's 100% of power to the front wheels. There's no physical linkage between the front and rear powertrains, so no software update can remedy this.
Own a '16 XC90 T8 and there is a TON of torque steer from the front wheels. However, given that no sane person buys an XC90 as a canyon-carver, it's still probably the best bang-for-your-buck luxury SUV on the market. Best practical vehicle I've ever owned
Hoping the newer version with the upgraded rear motor gets reviewed soon.
I took my V70XC on some sand. It wasn't bad the first 3 times
The 4th time it cost me $200 to get towed out of sand :(
Can you please try this review again with the updated 2022.5 version, with more powerful electric motor and larger battery? I'm thinking the more powerful rear-wheel electric motor will make a huge difference, especially in off-road tests.
Gotta love these mall shopper city crossovers.
??? Crossover! ??? Xc40 is a crossover
Xc90 is a big family SUV
So...
Great video, the unit in front of the rear view mirror, is that lidar, radar, or something else? Thanks.
For off-road, what is the best vehicle in the same class as the XC90?
OMG the amount of GC is amazing!!!
My T8 in off-road is useless.. In Constant AWD it's pretty decent. I've seen the same with getting stuck in simple situations (mainly snow to be fair) the Off-Road seems to react too slow. Also - the T8 doesn't need battery to run the eRAD so it's always AWD if in Off-Road / Power / Constant AWD and if it slips in Pure :)
Did you pop the low profile tire sidewall?
On 18inch rims with proper off-road tires the Volvo XC90 is a beast
The tires and profile are the issue with the offroad test. Those are very much summer street tires with very little compliance.
I have the 2017 T8 inscription, it's never been off. I've covered 53k since new and the closest it's been to off road, is up steep roads in Scotland 😂.
Size of the rims and low profile tires maybe the problem
Thanks!….I was thinking of getting a new car but my 2012 Audi Q7 is SO SUPERIOR to this thing off road that it is a no brainer to completely dismiss the Volvo.
As an owner of the new xc40 with the same autopilot and safety features, I was disappointed you didn't talk about the weak points of the system. For example, there are several blind spots. Try driving next to a large truck and you'll be a bit scared. I know you like volvo, I do too, but your reviews would benefit from looking at more of the down sides.
Shouldn't be a problem, as Volvo's come with approaching car warning mirrors !
Man why are you turning the wheels back and forth like that? You’re putting yourself in that situation where you got stuck briefly.
Other than that, great review! Much apreciated!
The hat definitely got you up!!! Volvo exteriors B+ interiors C- always...the older models had like 200 buttons...
A standard xc90 would have done better as they use an actual awd system whereas the t8 uses eawd which has no actual drive shaft from the front going to the rear differential like a regular xc90 would have
Volvo's SPA platform has a long dash-to-axle ratio, it is not rear-wheel drive. Would've been great if it were rear-wheel drive.
For those who bought the T8, how much discount did you get off the MSRP? I am planning to buy one and want the info as a reference point.
Nice video. Nice SUV. Nice Locations.
But you need 2 min to find the 360°cam...😂
I saw the T8 off-road on a rocky trail that I thought only Jeeps and LRs were capable of. It was really impressive! There is something seriously wrong in this test drive.
Meni Fo It needed different tires, the wet rocks provide the same traction as ice. The pirellis are too highway biased.
@@SeanMcCartney2808 I agree, but nevertheless, that didn't fair the car.
There is, the driver lol
Interesting, thanks for sharing! 🙂
First thing I noticed when we bought this car (2021 T8 Inscription), the Pirelli Scorpions are absolute shit tires for literally anything. Slippery in the wet, loud in the dry, useless off road. Not a single damn clue why Volvo included these as the base tire, but I can't wait to replace them (once my wallet recovers from the initial purchase price, that is).
I love me some XC90, and this plug-in only furthers that with it's power and all electric range. That being said, damn that is one complex vehicle.
Great review.
Hmm I always admire Volvo however I will stick with my 2019 Subaru Ascent.
You took my thoughts man!
have fun with that CVT!
Kuya Arbee I’m not race car driver all I need is reliability and safe car to take the family around.
Kuya Arbee how many Cars with CVT have you own or driven? I am on my third. Two Subaru’s and one Toyota all without any issue. Again, what is your experience?
You're comparing apples to oranges.
Would love if you did this exact same thing for the Lincoln aviator Grand touring phev!
We test for 2 weeks 2 LR Disco 5 3.0 SD (306 HP) and 2 XC 90 D5 (235 HP), only Diesels in the Swiss Mountains, up to 3,300 m heights, with All Terrain tires. We have a retreat center at 2,300 m: after already 1 day, the choice wa clear. LR Disco 5 SD. The Volvos slipped again and again, and got stuck a dozen time, and had to pull them out. And in mixed drive (overland streets, mountain passes, offroad, highways and cities) there was NO advantage in consumption of the XC90 vs. the the Disco : 8.32 l/100 km Diesel for the 5', 9.2 l/100 km Diesel for the XC90. Why: the 3l Diesel has 700 Nm torque, the 2 liiter XC90 just 470 Nm. Petrols ? never.
Find it odd you're comparing subaru to this; the comparison of a car that costs twice as much?
Nice vidéo. I like Volvo for its interior design and safety. I agree noone will take a $90k vehicle off road. I have my 2020 ascent limited and like it. I know I can go off-road camping and drive in the city. Practical and not too flashy. I wished the ascent had xmode 2, more horse power and no cvt. But for now I'm ok. For some reason my eyes keep looking at the telluride or the palisade. 🤔🤫😀 don't tell the wife ok? Cheers
Shows you how $$$ can differentiate between the Subaru outback and this Volvo, when it comes to the amenities, and their ease of use.
Going to see if I can try and see if you tested the non-PHEV version of the XC90 T6 AWD to see if that fairs better with a mechanical AWD system as opposed to this eAWD.
So this is definitely a "urban" car -- and not so much for off roading.
Good to know though.
So it looks like that Ryan has NOT performed the same kind of test with just the T6 AWD.
Again, I would be really curious to find out how well the T6 AWD would fair in this situation with the mechanical AWD system over the eAWD system that this T8 has.
No, but we did an even more extreme test with the V60CC, which has the same powertrain.
@@drivingsports
Do you know if the new XC90 T6 AWD also has open diffs as well?
The XC90 is heavier, but the T6 also has 316 hp/295 lbf.ft of torque which should help it overcome the weight difference compared to the V60 Cross Country.
It is interesting though, that the T8 eAWD struggled even with the first part of your climb test whilst the V60 CC T5 AWD didn't, and therefore; one might be able to infer that the XC90 T6 AWD won't really struggle with the first climb test either.
It would be really interesting to see if the T8 eAWD would fair better in the snow or if the T6 AWD would fair better in the snow.
Either way, very good tests.
Thank you.
Excelente sensación de conducir un vehículo de alta gama como los volvo
Great video!! The car is very good but the t8 doesn't cut it
I wonder, how the lighter, smaller XC60 with the same engine would perform.
Great test. Lovely car.
At 3:23, how were the brake lights on even though he had stepped out of the vehicle?
It's the government's job to discourage Americans to buy foreign vehicles, even when they're US spec'd. That B&W sound system is STANDARD on the T8, being the top of the line, along with air suspension, in the rest of the planet!
So the thousands of new jobs Volvo have brought to the US is a bad thing?
There's nothing amazing about an autopilot system that doesn't automatically deactivate in bad weather.
wondering what if car makers use TMPS to help the system decide which tyre actually grips?
12:33 moment of truth 😁
Embarrasing for a Volvo. Used to be such good off-road vehicles. I swear even my old 80's RWD Volvo would do a much better job than all the new tech stuff.
Good sacrifice....but i didnt understand about the drive modes?
The biggest problem Volvo has is the MSRP of any of their vehicles, people can get just as safe and reliable, performing car for way less. The cars are nice but the company seem to have forgotten why the old Volvos were popular - aside from practicality and safey, affordability.
Twilight bronze is now called Pebble Gray?
i love this videos!!!!!!!!!!
What ever manufacturer doesnt have 4x4 with a rear solid axle should at least try to make one. At least give us the option.
I haven’t seen any reviewers mention this but there is no way to schedule your charge. So if your house is on an EV electric rate, then you will have to plug in your charge manually each time to take advantage of the EV rates. Volvo mentioned that they only supports this feature in the U.K. but not in the US. Makes absolutely no sense!
Where we live power is dirt cheap all the time. We’re a combination of hydroelectric and nuclear. We’d have no need for such a feature.
@@drivingsports I’m surprised with your comment there since I’d imagine that this review is not geared towards just your local market. At least it should appeal to the entirety of the US (north America) market which ranges widely in terms of electricity prices. With your logic then there’s no need for a hybrid model for specific market since gas is dirt cheap in some areas which I don’t believe is what you are trying to convey.
@@vcheow Fair point. We’ll take a look at those features on future EV reviews.
Great video
Anyone know if u get one of these and if u options for the 20 or 21”s and then put larger tires on them does it cause issues with the air suspension and clearance on upper control arms ? Seems the system is solid just the tires let it down
So, if the rear wheels are exclusively battery powered, when you run out of battery in the snow, no more AWD?
The electric power is reserved to always have electric power for the rear wheels. The gas motor will automatically maintain this reserve of power to allow for all-wheel drive when needed. You can also manually dedicate the motor to recharge the electric batteries while you drive. For everyday driving there is no appreciable impact on performance while running the generator.
I live in the Colorado High Country and drive in snow. Lots of snow. I don't know if the gas motor is capable of recharging the battery to the extent that it can keep up with this demand on a long-term, ie hours and hours, basis. Just my thought.
What happens If you are out of battery life during off Road trip? The car Will turn into front wheel drive? Isnt this scary?
It never drains the batteries completely. Just like any other hybrid.
@@drivingsports When it turns to "hybrid Mode" the power to the back wheels is the same, like it had a full battery?
Sorry for asking for more details, but it seems like you know more than Volvo dealers, and since I am about to buy a new one those days, I need to clarify what Will happen and how my future car Will react in case of no battery life while I am in the middle of an off Road trip.
@@moganrrd2047 The back will engage and disengage based on need, and it uses the onboard generator to constantly recharge the battery, so you should never be completely drained. Technically, if you do a really long ascent without stopping its feasible the battery could be depleted removing power to the back wheels, but that doesn't seem to happen in practice with the systems we've driven.
How come Subaru Forester 2019 and onwards models have never been tested on this mountain terrain ever? I own one and would like to see it in action here.
We “found” this road while filming our snow review of dual-mode X-mode in the Forester. Later turned it into our normal course. Won’t get another one until next years update.
@@drivingsports I viewed the 2019 forester review and hoping you film one with the 2019 or later model on this road sometime. Thanks
At around 21:30 you can see the front wheel spinning aggresively. The rear wheel without traction isn't spinning, therefore only the front wheels were providing power
After this review I am concerned that this vehicle will do poorly in heavy snow or mud. Does anyone reading this have or know someone who has used this model ( 2021 XC90 T8 E Hybrid AWD ) in either heavy snow or mud? Quite honestly this vehicle is quite heavy at 5100lbs with no passengers and probably 5300 with the one test driver in the video yet it had issues going up rocks and getting stuck in the sand. I would say the mechanics and engineering need to improve to adequately have the car process those situations with a carload of people and luggage ( 6,500-7000 lb total weight according to my calculations of several people at 200lb each and luggage) such as a family going camping, encountering heavy mud or several inches of snow, etc. Also as far as the tires and them not being off-road or difficult ( heavy snow/ mud) the car really should work regardless. If I were to purchase this car I would expect to be able to go camping in the mountainous terrains every few weeks or so without changing from city tires, encounter heavy snow during the winter regardless of tires and I do not want to have to worry about needing to be towed particularly at this price range as I would expect the research, engineering and implementation to be done and incorporated. I am of the opinion that a V8 engine would do well but we must keep the glaciers from melting further and contributing to sea level rise. The new complicated supercharged, turbocharged and electric rear wheels cumulatively do not seem adequate for moderate to heavy off-road use at present. Perhaps future models will do better after improvement in areas mentioned, until then my family and I will postpone things on a new Volvo pending TH-cam reviews showing aforementioned improvement after candid testing & review.
i dont know about any capable e-awd.... in fact im surprised that it climbed up the second rock section....
Beautiful car. It's a pity it has no v6 engine.
Absolutely. Hence the reason I ain’t buying. No faith in turbo / sc
Beautiful vehicle
What is with failute rate in B5? I want to bay this engine in XC90 and i do not know what is this engine. Someone says me?
Should have used AWD mode not off road mode. Reduces ride height for more suspension travel. You didn't really.need the height at the beginning.
more concentration on the talking than actually driving off-road. i guess the driver needs to be skillful as well to do off-roading, blaming the car only is kind of not fair.
He knows all the line. He has been on that trial many times.
Still a quite bad off-road driver.😂
If the XC90 is a crossover then the Ford F-350 Super Duty is a mini truck
Nothing like the old XC90 off road. 🙁
It’s much better but this is just bad because of the tires and how he drives it
Yeah the tyres are letting it down. Stick on some better tyres and maybe but I guess those are tyres that are on most premium on road SUV’s.