2006 Volvo XC90

Pros: great safe automobile
Cons: expensive

A nice family car which is very comfortable and holds 7 passengers. Easy access to the third row, and durable, safe car. With the premium package this car has all the bells and whistles needed. The driver feels like he/she is sitting in an office with all the needed essential within reach.

Pros: Service, appearance, nimble
Cons: Power with V5, engine reliability

We have been driving the XC90 for a year.

It looks great and is fun to drive.

Appearance flaw: The brake dust on the front wheels is frustrating. In two days it needs cleaning again.

The best thing about the Volvo is the Service provided by the local dealer. I just wish we didn't need it quite so much. We had a pretty serious engine issue at about 20,000 miles. The engine locked up and had to be rebuilt. The dealer payed for towing and provided a great replacement to drive for a week.

Update:
The rebuilt engine doesn't have as much power as the original. In addition, the vehicle had a serious issue recently. The engine struggled while using cruise control. It had been running OK for about 10 minutes at 70 MPH and then suddenly it couldn't maintain that speed. In fact it dropped down to about 40 mph and the engine sounded as if were strained. We pulled over, turned the engine off and then re-started it. It ran fine then but we decided to not use cruise control for the rest of the trip. We will be taking back to the Service Department today.

Pros: Looks, mileage OK, practical
Cons: Feels a bit small, but better than the VW Toaureg.

Bought it in July 2006, little over 7,000 miles now. We are very pleased with the car so far. No issues at all. 3,500 oil change and then the 7,000 mile service. They fixed a recall item with the gas tank door, but we never had the problem occur. Mileage is about 19-20MPG hwy, perhaps 17-18 in the city. Car handles great, no issue with power or the T5 engine. Wanted to get a trailer hitch, dealer wanted about $1,000 for one, so went online, found a local shop that installed a great hitch for $225. Great car so far.

Pros: handling, controls, versatility, SAFETY features, integrated booster seat
Cons: gas mileage--17.4 mpg average, underpowered at times (2.5T), would have preferred 2 integrated booster seats

This is our 6th Volvo, but the first XC90. We chose this vehicle for the same reason we chose the other Volvos, SAFETY. This vehicle is not only loaded with airbags, it has the best rollover protection of all SUVs on the road. We love the seating versatility and our children, 6 and 8, don't find the third row seating to be cramped. Accessing the third row is difficult though. The ride is smooth and the handling is very sensitive---sometimes the steering is a bit too sensitive. As with our other Volvos, the seats are incredibly comfortable.
The negatives of this vehicle are gas mileage, averaging 17.4 miles/gallon (I do combined city and highway driving on a daily basis)and acceleration. This vehicle is clearly underpowered in the 2.5 T model; the V8 model probably has no acceleration difficulties but I cannot imagine how poor the gas mileage would be with the bigger engine.
Overall, I liked my Volvo station wagons just as much as this vehicle, but the XC90 definitely provides more seating options (at the expense of gas mileage and power)