Author: carcoutureblog

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A big Discovery? Is Land Rover’s new Sport up to scratch…

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Hyundai Santa Fe, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 – premium brand SUVs that family drivers everywhere secretly coo over in the supermarket car park.

The old Land Rover Freelander was part of the same pack but never quite got over the dull image of the first generation model. Shame really, because the final Freelander II was a bloody good motor.

Land Rover is unashamedly targeting this huge corner of the market with the Sport – and judging by first impressions, it’s going to do very well indeed.

On the driveway today is the e-Capability – the brand new eco version.

I’m worried because the figures suggest it’s sluggish, 0-60mph in 11 seconds. The full-fat Discovery Sport with 178bhp has very decent mpg already and is quite sprightly by comparison.

Do we need a lighter more frugal version? Join us for a week to find out….

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The Volvo XC90 is the ‘nanny state’ of family cars

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There’s no doubting the XC90 is one of the finest SUVs on the market. Even so, I’ve discovered some niggling faults over the last seven days which would annoy me if this was my own car.

The XC90 is overladen with safety devices. What’s wrong with that? Well, obviously, we all want to be safe but the Volvo is the equivalent of the ‘nanny state’ with simply too many devices to keep you on the road.

You can switch off the lane departure system but with it active, the steering wheel vibrates when you change lanes and it gently tries to ‘push’ you back into the right place – unless you press the indicator stalk of course.

However, I was taught that you only indicate when another road user benefits. With the Volvo, you could be driving down a motorway with no other cars around in the middle of the night and the system still vibrates and squeals.

The impact warning system that flashes red lights and sounds an alarm when it detects an imminent impact isn’t foolproof. It will detect a parked car on a corner and suspect a crash – when you are simple driving past.

Finally, the gears can be frustrating, not letting you select ‘drive’ in automatic mode unless the handbrake has been deactivated. It’s not as bad as a Maserati Ghibli but you get the picture.

I guess people buy big Volvos to be safe – it’s the key message of the company. For me, I like to think my driving skills and instincts can cope with many of the things the Volvo wants to do for me. And for that, the XC90 won’t be everybody’s cup of tea…

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The Volvo XC90 is safety personified… just mind out for the alarms!

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I’m feeling guilty about picking on the XC90. It’s not that the 7-seat Volvo isn’t a great SUV but living with one for a week does reveal a few cracks in the public image.

I know that if I was fully loaded with sprogs and dogs it would make a perfect family car. Everywhere you look inside, Volvo has gone the extra mile to make this the safest motor on the market.

The integrated child seat in the back, multiple airbags, lane departure warning system, cameras at every angle – it’s packed with technology.

You might find the brake assist system takes a bit of getting used to. Drive towards any car – even one parked on a bend – and red lights flash at the bottom of the windscreen and buzzer scream.

But otherwise, the Volvo wraps you up in a veil of security. Quite a nice feeling…

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Why the new Volvo XC90 keyfob might leave you cursing…

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So, you know what it’s like. You’re walking back to your vehicle in a dark car park at night and choose to illuminate the scene by pressing the key-fob ‘unlock’ button. What could be simpler?

The XC90 has brilliant illumination – the whole area around the car is illuminated by lights under the door mirrors and smart bulbs in each of the four door handles.

It looks very cool, except for one thing. The Volvo keyfob isn’t like any other. It’s a thin, square unit with the lock, unlock and boot buttons down one edge (not on the sides!). On the other edge is the alarm button that sets the lights flashing and horn blasting.

So when I pressed what I thought was the unlock, instead I had pressed the alarm. It’s very difficult to feel the different and in darkness, it’s really pot luck as to what button you do hit.

It’s just the little things but this is one advance in technology and design that really doesn’t work. Form over function…

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‘It’s no looker but it’s not ugly either’ – the general consensus about the latest Volvo XC90

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‘It’s no looker but it’s not ugly too’ Such is the general reaction to the new XC90. Car Couture appreciates the gorgeousness of the interior, the ground-breaking technology and the super safe gizmos that will wow many family buyers.

But which ever way you look at it, the XC90 just isn’t a car to set the pulses racing. Sexy SUVs are few and far between. You could argue that there aren’t any.

I think the the Range Rover Evoque, BMW x5 and Porsche Macan are among the best – but none of those have the all-round ability and practicality of the Volvo.

I rather think Hyundai now make some of the more stylish SUVs and they’re considerably cheaper than the Volvo. Still, it hasn’t stopped the XC90 being a sell-out success, so what do we know?

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The Volvo XC90 has a huge iPhone right in the middle of the dashboard

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If the shape of the new Volvo XC90 is less than inspiring, the touchscreen dashboard inside the cabin is beautiful in every way. Apart from a Tesla, I can’t think of a better system.

Plenty of cars have touchscreen but the XC90 takes it to a different level. Pretty much everything you need is embedded in the huge panel, including most of the traditional dials and buttons.

Most people own a smartphone these days. The XC90 screen effectively becomes a bigger version of your mobile, interacting to provide seamless telephone, music and entertainment options.

And it’s intuitive too. The functions might look complicated but even I navigated my way around the functions in a matter of moments.

Best of all is mapping. It receives ‘live’ upgrades so you don’t need to download expensive upgrades. Brilliant! Why aren’t all cars like this?

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The greatest SUV or 2015 – but is the Volvo XC90 stylish?

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I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed when the XC90 was delivered to The Milestone Hotel in London today. The Milestone was number one London hotel on Trip Advisor last year and I’d enjoyed 24 hours of style and refinement. I was rather hoping it would continue.

Even the doorman was excited about the Volvo’s arrival. But the shape – is it just me or does the XC90 just look like the old model with a bigger ‘happier’ front grille?

There’s little to inspire you from the rear or side, so it’s just the front three-quarter angle that really catches the eye. Those narrow headlights and upright grille are pretty slick.

At least on the inside it’s more inspiring. That enormous media screen, minimalist dashboard and shapely seats really cut the mustard. More tomorrow…

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Is there actually a car designer out there who can pen a decent looking SUV?

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Beautiful cars are few and far between these days. Take BMW. Brilliant vehicles on nearly every level but I’m not sure even the M5 of M6 truly take my breath away. I’m prepared to haggle over the Z4.

The latest Audi TT looks dull, the current Porsche 911 isn’t as mouthwatering as the previous 997 and Ford has cunningly borrowed the nose off an Aston Martin in an attempt to make the Mondeo interesting. Fat chance.

And so we arrive at the Nissan X-Trail. Yes, it does look like a BMW X3 from some angles and the funky rust colour of our test car is better in the metal than it looks in our photos. But will you really get a buzz seeing it parked on your driveway every morning?

Somehow I doubt it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but surely there’s a car designer out there somewhere (please God!) who can make an SUV look appealing? Having seen the new Bentley Bentayga, perhaps not…

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What car would Jeremy Corbyn drive to Downing Street?

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So if I was picking an SUV for Jeremy Corbyn to drive it would be the Nissan X-Trail. Not too flash, very workmanlike and room for six colleagues from the Shadow Cabinet (OK, four because that third row of seats in tiny).

Nissan also has strong links to Britain with their Sunderland plant, plus he needs to boost his ‘British’ credentials doesn’t he?

 

I can see Cameron in a Range Rover but Corbyn? No, he definitely an X-Trail man, Except his would be in a gaudy shade of red, rather than the rust colour of our test vehicle this week.

I somehow doubt Corbyn will still be leader the next time Labour is in Downing Street. Maybe Corbyn would turn up on his bike and ditch cars altogether. We’ll have to wait and see..

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The Nissan X-Trail is no longer a box on wheels – at last it has some cache

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The original X-Trail was something of a box on wheels. It was utilitarian on the inside and less than exciting to drive. People bought them in vast numbers because the Nissan was cheap and came with plenty of standard equipment.

Our latest version may not boast German standards of trim quality and image cache but it does represent a huge leap forward from the previous generation model.

This is especially true on the inside. The dashboard finally looks like it was designed to please the eye – rather than something made out of leftover parts from another vehicle in the Nissan range.

And while the seats are not clad in leather (even in our top spec n-tec model) they are supremely comfortable. Soft but somehow supportive in all the right places.