sportsguy

Anyone else cross shop the Volvo XC60 or XC40 ? I like the exterior look of the RDX Advanced but prefer the interior / features of the Volvo XC60.

Any major points one way or the other?

KK689

flames9

I will start off with saying I am a huge Honda/Acura fan. and I really liked the 2019 Acura RDX Advance model, but I didnt want to buy the 1st year of a major model change and my wife hated it....to her, it wasnt much better than my Outback.....thats her opinion,which I do not share,lol. I bought a 2019 Volvo XC 60 T6 Inscription with Polestar, Advance pkg, Nappa seats..heated steering wheel/back seats,air suspension...everything except the $3200 upgraded stereo for $56200....The Advance Model RDX is going around $44000 (at least it was last month when Iwas looking) My T6 does not arrive for a few more weeks. Why I went with the XC60 T6........I found the ride very quiet & smooth......really loved how uncluttered the car is...very simple and clean...I much prefer a touch screen. The T6 really gets up and goes nicely....adding the polestar (just programming) option ups the HP and Torque and from my understanding, it puts the power/torque in areas where you actually use it. The T5, was less peppy than the RDX. I really just liked the XC60 T6 more.....Is it worth $12000 more.....prob not.....Would I be happy with the RDX more than likely yes.......If you go test drive a Volvo XC 60, make sure u test drive a T5 and T6..I feel there is a big difference between the 2and many reviews you see online are based on the T5. SOme other nice features of the XC60......can parallel park and back into a spot almost on its own....u control the breaking and have to push a button on the display if my memory is correct......cooled passenger side cubby hole....The Nappa seats are heated, ventilated and massaging...and the massage feature works well...Power folding Side mirrors. With the Air suspension, you can actually lower the rear to load stuff (yes its $$$ to fix) HAs both Apple and Android auto I think it has a lot to offer.....but so does the RDX. I think 1 is fortunate to be able to own either vehicle....and if it wasnt for my wife hating the RDX, I would probably have had 1,lol as I had no plans to test drive other vehicles,lol But I am glad I did....my wife isn't,lol

I found the cabin noise much quieter in the XC 60 than the RDX.....I always test drive vehicles with the radio and fans off..... When u test drive an XC60..pay attention to tire size.....as they come in 19" and 20"..most around me seemed to be 20"

B25Nut

The XC60 set the standard that my wife wanted for interior comfort. When I first sat in the RDX, I knew it would be close enough to satisfy her. Saving 10K was a major part of the decision, but the fact that the XC60s are being made in China and the RDX in the USA sealed the deal for the Acura.

flames9

Yes I was concerned about that as well......But I read some reports that quality has actually been higher in China, as they have more people on the line (vice robots) so they are able to remedy errors a lot quicker. My fridge iw made in America and sure glad its under warranty as it has been replaced once and have had the techs here 4 other times.....made in America isn't what it used to be.....

ross7777

It's not so much where it's assembled. IMO it's the engineering. Both initially and ongoing support during manufacturing.

anoop

Are all of the ones being imported to the US made in China? According to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_XC60
they are built in Sweden, China, and Malaysia.

The XC40 is made in the US and that is the one I wanted to try, but the local dealer never had one that I could even test drive because they were in such short supply.

The XC60 was out of my budget at this time.

IMO, Volvo makes the best looking cars inside and out of all brands and has the best seat comfort.

It's great to own an RDX that was designed and built in the US. But I didn't buy it because of that. I bought it because it was the one I liked that I could get without waiting. I needed something quick to get mobile--I had a really bad back and sedan was too painful to drive, so I needed to switch to an SUV urgently.

I've been enjoying it but it's almost like the car is jinxed. In < 2000 miles of ownership, I've had a fender bender (someone back into me) and a flat tire.

Midnight Mystery

@RDX10

sportsguy

did you get the crystal gear shifter with XC60 inscription? Is that only on the XC40 inscription?

DHood

I did cross shop the XC60 and it is a lovely automobile, but to get equal features you needed the Volvo XC60 with the Inscription Trim. The price difference was just too big for me to justify. I too also like the "made in North America" factor. Both vehicles are really nice, but the Acura is definetly better value, and given how quickly cars loose that value it made sense to me to purchase the Acura RDX Platinum Elite.

flames9

I never test drove the XC40...too small for what I wanted, but I do believe the XC40 is the 1 that comes with that, I know my XC60 Inscription wont have it.

Madd Dog

securityguy

We narrowed down our selection to the RDX and XC60. Couldn't justify the additional cost of the XC60 and my wife did not like the touchscreen interface. Very busy and easy to select the wrong option. When she discovered that it was built in China...GAME OVER!

Midnight Mystery

This may be of interest!

flames9

Not sure why he used the Volvo T8 which is part electric....

securityguy

I saw this a while back...not apples to apples by any means but it is his opinion so weigh it how you wish.

Midnight Mystery

Sofyan is biased to Acura as am I, so, interior to interior, and exterior to exterior... Powertrain is a whole different story and I'm not really into Volvos anyway.


Hope it helped still.

flames9

Its a pretty fair assessment, I just wish he had test drove the T5 or T6......If it wasn't for my Wife I would have prob had the RDX, as I had no intentions of test driving other vehicles.

securityguy

Totally agree...the T8 took it to another level that the RDX cannot compete in and the pricing alone is a huge delta from that of a loaded Advance.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I have a Volvo now and I love how it drives...
and to me, the best looking SUV on the road is the XC60.
Acura makes a great car too, obviously...
having owned German, the Volvo mimics it in how it's put together.
I love that all the parts have the part number on them too.

flames9

The T5 was very bland....The T6 was the game changer for me. I thought about the T8 as the tx credit saves u a fair bit of $$$$$.......But the RDX is a great car, no doubt about it

securityguy

Agree that the T6 is the best option on a XC60...the additional power is worth the investment over a T5. However, even a T6 is priced substantially more than a RDX and the AWD system on the RDX is superior. My big turn off was "MADE IN CHINA" and couldn't justify the additional cost along with missing options like air conditioned seats which comes in handy down here in Florida.

sportsguy

Test drove the T6 XC60 Inscription yesterday. Overall I did not notice a major difference either way vs the RDX Advanced. I do love the instrument cluster in the Volvo with the navigation in the middle. One of the things I hate on the RDX is the "middle of the instrument cluster" and no digital speedometer.

I am still undecided, not sure Volvo is worth extra $5-10k. If I could get the Advanced RDX in the Aspect Blue + Black trim I would have it in my garage now. Now thinking of going back to used 2018 BMW 3 which is near RDX Advanced price point. I love iDrive 6 with the 3 live tials and I am sucker for interiors.

flames9

My T6 Inscription with the nappa seats has the ventilated seats(and massaging,lol) $2200 option though. Made in China concerned me at first, but soem research showed me the quality was as good as it was in Sweden if not better as they have more people on the floor and can pick up on errors much quicker and fix them. A fellow on 1 Volvo page had a Sweden made XC60..then bought a Chinese made XC 60 (6 months apart) the Chinese 1, had better fittings......not a hard core experiment by any means. When I was buying my CRV in 2011....most on the CRV boards wanted the CRVs built in Japan..not USA. But I can't argue, the RDX is the better value and a great car...I have never owned a Volvo before.....I may be cursing that I did......time will tell

flames9

End of Oct I was offered $44500 from Pohanka Acura for the Advance model.......Im at $56200 for the XC60 t6 Inscription +another $1100 for the polestar addition(ups the HP & torque). Do a lot of things with that $$$$$$ I plan to keep this car for approx 10 yrs......figure by then, the electric vehicles will be more main stream. Its a goo choice to have and 1 should be happy with any of these vehicles

Madd Dog

Midnight Mystery

I'd be lying if I didn't say the 2012 'era XC60 didn't make my head turn a few times!

flames9

Not sure what 2 packages ur referring to....Believe its just 1.....called the Advance pkg..$2500

sportsguy

any idea if the Acura Advanced has the XC60 feature "Brakes with Hill Start Assist and Automatic Hold"? In the XC60 there is a button you push and when you are at a red light you can take your foot off the break and it holds until you hit the gas.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

My RDX Elite Platinum has this feature. It's just called brake hold and there's a button for it, where you can come to a stop, and release the brake, and the car won't go anywhere until you step on the gas again. As for hill start assist, you don't need to press anything. When you are on a hill and you let go of the brake, the car won't roll back so that you have time to step on the gas gently. I'd imagine all RDX's have both of these features. Heck, my civic has both lol.

anoop

It's standard on all RDXs. However, when combined with auto idle stop you have to be careful. If idle stop disengages on its own, brake hold will also disengage and the car will start rolling forward, even without stepping on the gas.

Midnight Mystery

Does turning the steering wheel or turning on A/C restart the engine?

Madd Dog

flames9

Ok, I was talking Volvo,lol

RDX10

The XC60 is an incredible looking crossover but it is by no means a value play like the RDX is. To get the same features on the XC60 as the RDX you would have to spend a few thousand more and it's up to you to decide if it's worth the extra money.

The XC60 and RDX are both tweener vehicles. I.e between the compact and mid size classes meanwhile the XC40 is between the sub compact and compact class but considered sub-compact. My favorite sub-compact crossover is the XC40 by far. It just looks awesome and it is incredibly well built. Volvo also has some amazing little tricks to maximize space in there and it feels much larger inside than it is. The perfect city crossover.

If you don't need the space, XC40 all the way. If you do need the space, I'd just like to mention that if you're buying an AWD vehicle, the RDX has a MUCH superior AWD system. SH-AWD is probably the best or shares the top spot with the best AWD systems on the market. If it were my personal choice and I needed the space, I love the XC60 but it's not worth the extra money to me. The much higher price coupled with being terrified of that powertrain and those electronics longevity means I would never buy one. FWIW the XC40 has only a turbo vs a turbo and supercharger like on the XC40 T6.

anoop

Nowadays all cars are packed to the gills with infotainment, safety, and fuel-saving technology. I would not feel comfortable owning any car without a warranty. I would get an extended warranty if keeping the car beyond the original manufacturer warranty. But if I had to take chances, I would prefer to take it with Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus.

RDX10

While I do agree with you absolutely that all cars these days are way too complex for their own good, like you mentioned, there are certainly some better options than others. I have WAY more faith in the Honda 2.0T vs the Volvo 2.0T+S. That's a lot of stress on a small engine IMO.

anoop

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

My RDX did that when I first got it. But it doesn't do that anymore. So if I have brake hold activated, when I come to a stop, the engine stops, I let go of the brake pedal, car remains stationery. After a while, engine restarts, the brake hold is still activated and does not roll forward.

Turning the steering would restart the engine.

RDX10

That last sentence was supposed to say "....like on the XC60 T6".