Autocar Review on Volvo XC90 vs BMW X5

[Modeldriver]

Volvo XC90 and BMW X5L: The sludge match

By Autocar

 

Buy one and your life will almost certainly be made easier

 

 

Let's get two things straight right away. First, the non-off-roading off-roader may be the most maligned of motoring breeds, but it's also one of the most bought. We're converts; you need to have driven a big four-wheel drive around town to get the appeal of sitting high above traffic, unfazed by kerbs, with seats, space, cupholders and cubbyholes only a people carrier can match, yet without the dowdy image. We're not going to debate whether you should buy one; your life will almost certainly be made easier if you do.

 

Second, this test won't give much weight to these cars' ability to scale Scafell Pike. Only a tiny minority of those sold in the UK will even venture onto its foothills. Plainly, this hands a clear advantage to the two cars you really want to read about - the XC90 and the BMW X5 - as well as the Mercedes ML. But it will be instructive to see if there's any point buying a capable off-roader for road use; as we'll see, the Volvo, BMW and Mercedes don't get it all their own way.

 

Buy one of these and practicality and ease are clearly more important to you than lap times; they make most sense with the economy and lazy low-revs urge of a diesel, so that's how we've specified them.

 

The XC90 immediately looks impressive; for your