I am considering the XC 90 V8 for towing a large boat, any opinions appreciated

[T5AUS]

Hi guys,
I am looking at one of these to tow a rather heavy boat (just over 1.5 tons) which I am currently towing with my 94 850 T5. This does the job getting it down to the boat ramp and back which is about a mile away but is quite a handful. Later in the year we want to take the boat up to the Whitsunday Islands which are about a 1000 K's North and I really dont want to do that distance with the strugling T5

I have been considering a good second hand BMW X5 4.4 V8, 10 year old models really have dropped in price here and are much more comfortable than the old land cruisers. Then I thought why not a similar aged CX 90 V8 which are even cheaper than the BM's with same kind of milage. I really want something that can pull the load easily especially up hills, I have spent most of my earlier years whith slugish old diesel 4X4's and really dont want to go down that route again.

I know the V8's are exy on the fuel but I am wondering if any one has had experience with them generally, how reliable are they, do they have any reoccurring faults, any comments for or against getting one much appreciated,
thanks
Phil

[T5AUS]

So, I just brought a 2009 v8 with 100k Kl's. It came from the original lady owner down in Sydney, a beautiful thing (yes, both of them) which handled the 1000 Kl. drive back to Brisbane effortlessly, cruising at 110 k's an hour most of the way which was returning me an average fuel consumption of 9.5 k's per 10 litres of fuel, better than my V70 T5!, so much for for the gas guzler comment's I have been reading about these on some forums. The only concern was when I went to start her up the next day, the power steering reservoir was totally empty, there was no warning level light prior and I can find no obvious signs of a leak, so the fun begins :D

[VolvoUhu]

So, I just brought a 2009 v8 with 100k Kl's. It came from the original lady owner down in Sydney, a beautiful thing (yes, both of them) which handled the 1000 Kl. drive back to Brisbane effortlessly, cruising at 110 k's an hour most of the way which was returning me an average fuel consumption of 9.5 k's per 10 litres of fuel, better than my V70 T5!, so much for for the gas guzler comment's I have been reading about these on some forums. The only concern was when I went to start her up the next day, the power steering reservoir was totally empty, there was no warning level light prior and I can find no obvious signs of a leak, so the fun begins :D

You shouldn't have any problems with the V8 and towing your boat. We have the 3.2 6cyl and we've been very happy with it's towing (and AWD/off-road) capabilities. We've towed as much as 2.5 tons 2700 km, and on another occasion nearly 1.5 tons more than 5200km including over steep mountain ranges (16% grades to more than 2700m alt.) and did fine. Our next big trip will involve towing about 1 ton for more than 8k km round trip.

I hope it has nothing serious and that you'll get to enjoy your new truck!

[T5AUS]

Thank you for you kind words, you certainly get around and those are some weights, I expect be up around 1.7 ton all up so it should be a breeze (what does OSD stand for on your XC 90 ?)
Happy and safe travels

[VolvoUhu]

Thank you for you kind words, you certainly get around and those are some weights, I expect be up around 1.7 ton all up so it should be a breeze (what does OSD stand for on your XC 90 ?)
Happy and safe travels

Over Seas Delivery - we took delivery of our XC90 R-Design at the Factory Delivery Centre in Torslanda, Sweden.

One thing I forgot to mention - although from the sounds of it if you're already towing with your 850 T5 is being sure you have adequate brakes on your trailer and a brake controller if electric to manage it. Check your owner's manual to see what it says for weights and the threshold for which you should have brakes on the trailer. We used one for the heaviest load (2.5 tons) which had electric brakes (car hauler to transport our V40). The new trailer, which may be like your boat's, has surge/cable brakes.

[T5AUS]

Well, after the initial empty PS fix and replacing a failed starter motor she has been running as smooth as silk ever since with no other issues and tows the boat with ease. I keep her regularly serviced and will be taking her on a major drive down to Tasmania for a month in a couple of weeks (not with boat) and will be travelling the inland route as shown on map below, so this is going to be an experience, cant wait. [thumbup]
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f275/T5AUS/Volvo%20XC%2090%20V8/P1310195_zps21kuipup.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/T5AUS/media/Volvo%20XC%2090%20V8/P1310195_zps21kuipup.jpg.html)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f275/T5AUS/IMG_0235_zpsdwn8gexq.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/T5AUS/media/IMG_0235_zpsdwn8gexq.jpg.html)

[RedGeminiPA]

I'm hopefully coming back after quite some time away from here and my XC90. I have a bite on an '06 V8 that will be available in a couple weeks. It has about 160,000 miles on it, but my buddy who's the seller (he buys and sells wholesale) says he'll be fixing a worn pulley and serpentine belt. I can get it for around $2,800. From what I can see, it has the Versatility, Touring, Convenience Packages, as well as the RSE package. It does appear to be missing the cargo cover. Other than a mark on the front right bumper where the washer cover is broken off, I can't find a mark on it. Even the leather is in excellent condition with no rips or split seams.

He has a guy checking it over thoroughly, and everything is coming back good - with the obvious exception of the pulley. He also mentioned he had zero luck finding that pulley anywhere but a dealer, but admitted he might not know exactly what it's called for a proper lookup.

Is there anything outside of the normal XC90 stuff I should be looking for?

Also... I know I've been away from this site for quite some time, but it seems to have really died off over the last few years.