Road tests by motoring journalist Tim Saunders
Advanced motori
st Tim Saunders was the Business and Motoring Editor at the Bournemouth Daily Echo. His regular test reports are published in newspapers and magazines across the UK and abroad.
BMW X5 E53 video, the subject of Tim's book
Above: Tim Saunders with Vicki Butler-Henderson
Volvo XC90 2018
By Tim Saunders
So I’m expecting great things when I test the XC90. Externally this latest model is more rounded than its predecessor making it more visually striking and attractive. Head on its headlights and large bold chrome grille are what you’d expect of a premium sports utility vehicle that’s got to compete against rivals from BMW, Porsche and Jaguar Land Rover. The rear is a little less appealing to me. The power boot is a bit boxy and could do with more curves. And while the chrome exhaust pipes help to set off the rear their placement is not safe for little children as Henry (2) proves when his hand brushes against one of them after a long journey. They are very hot. Fortunately, I rush him to the sink and after lots of cold water there is thankfully no burn.
A trip to London to see my wife’s uncle Harry allows us to travel with her parents, which is a rare luxury. Lin and John sit next to Henry in his child seat while Harriett (7) and Heidi (5) sit in the third row of seats in the boot. Usually the third row is awkward to the say the least, when it comes to lifting the seats up and putting them in place. But in the Volvo it is simply a matter of pulling them up and they slot into position. On opening the power boot the rear of the Volvo drops, which is quite a surprise; this self-levelling suspension is like Citroens of old. I’m not quite sure how beneficial it is but perhaps it is aimed at the older driver and passenger, perhaps making getting into the vehicle easier. The seats are comfy too, although Harriett does complain about feeling car sick. It is strange how some new vehicles smell so strongly while others do not. We open the windows and that pacifies her. “I find this very comfortable,” says Lin.
The Volvo cruises on the motorway with no road noise in the luxury cabin. The light brown leather seats are comfortable but I do find that they make me sweat on a hot day. They are supportive and electrically adjustable. The sat nav could be easier to operate. I cannot find a postcode search, only one for a city centre or for specific things like accommodation so this is of no help for us in London. Despite motorway cruising the Volvo returns over 30mpg.
Another jaunt sees us travel to Wiltshire where we are able to use the sat nav to find a supermarket and to find Warminster town centre. It works well.
The large panoramic glass tilt/slide roof lets lots of light in and this has to be opened on a sunny day.
The second row of passengers have their own digital temperature controls, much to our children’s pleasure. At this point I should also mention how they all enjoy the touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. I get very frustrated with these things but they love it. It does feel like technology has gone just that bit too far. Do I really need an app to pay for my parking? No, I don’t because as a rule I don’t pay for my parking. There is a whole plethora of stuff that I can quite easily do without. I can’t see the benefit of seeing a picture of my seat and the highlighted area I am adjusting with the control on the seat. It takes me three days to find out how to open the glovebox and it is only when little Henry (2) is carrying out his research that we discover that there is a button on the dashboard. I like a vehicle I can just get into and drive and after realising that the ignition is operated by turning a dial by the centre armrest to the right I pretty much can do this in the Volvo. But it’s these little idiosyncrasies that quite frankly, drive me nuts.
This top spec D5 model, which comes in at just under £65,000, provides comfortable surroundings and an enjoyable, if lazy, drive thanks to its automatic gearbox. It’s a big vehicle and its parking sensors make a lot of noise, audible from outside and, when I am reversing it into place on our driveway, even in our house. My wife rushes out thinking I’ve had an accident. Prior to driving this I drove a Jaguar F Pace and the similarities between its reversing cameras are striking. Both provide all round cameras that even give you a view above the vehicle. Clever stuff. In the Volvo though the view above stays there for the whole reversing process. Now, I wasn’t sure I would warm to this but over my time with the Swede I have found it to be very user-friendly. It makes manoeuvring this very large vehicle as easy as it ever could be – it would be nigh on impossible to reverse such a vehicle without this technology due to its size and blindspots.
Family vehicles, of which this is clearly one, need to be thoughtfully designed and there are areas that need attention in my opinion. The exhausts need concealing from little hands and the electrics need to be safe, too. Look under the seats and there are wires, which an inquisitive child like Henry could pull. This is an added problem that tired and hassled parents just do not need. Then there are the well publicised issues with power sunroofs, windows and boots, which are another hazard for children. Volvo has always had high safety standards when it comes to how its vehicles perform in accidents and it needs to be ahead of the game when it comes to the design of its luxury interiors and at the moment it is simply following the crowd. I expect more from Volvo.
0-60mph: 7.8secs
Economy: 30mpg
Jaguar F Pace
By Tim Saunders
When revolutionary motorised transport was introduced in the late 19th century a whole industry was created that continues in the UK to this day. Throughout its history change has been a key factor in order to progress ranging from design and performance to emissions. There continue to be challenges, too. The current key ones being the joys of Brexit and concerns about diesel emissions.
Since the turn of the millennium the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) has become increasingly popular thanks mainly to the hugely popular BMW X5; the only luxury SUV for years – the 4x4 Range Rover is in an altogether different league as testified by the Royal Family’s reliance on them.
It was therefore time for a new challenger. Enter the Jaguar F Pace.
Think of a standard Jaguar XF saloon, raise it to the height of a Land Rover add a slightly revised backend and All Wheel Drive. A crossover in more than one sense of the word.
Head on it is striking thanks mainly to its massive grille. It is a good looking well-rounded, futuristic vehicle and there are some neat touches, shared with other Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) siblings including the rising dial of the 8-speed automatic gearbox and the electrically operated tow bar.
Inside it is fitted with cream leather and brown wood effect making for pleasant surroundings. An electric cover reveals the panoramic tilting glass roof, which lets huge amounts of light into the cabin; a real difference on a dull day. The 10-way electrically operated front seats are comfortable and my wife does like the fact that the front ones are heated, too. However, once the engine is switched off it forgets that you have put them on and you have to do it again using the touchscreen on the dash. On parking the Jag I forget that I have left the roof tilted and the roofline hides the fact that it is open so I think I’ve shut it until the following morning. It takes me a couple of days to realise that this sunroof also slides. Because everything is electrically operated, if the engine is not running, the battery will not allow the radio to be on for more than 15 minutes, much to the annoyance of my young son. This occurs in many a modern vehicle in contrast to the whole hour I can listen to the radio for with the engine off, in my ageing yet practical Ford Fiesta.
Little Henry (2) does however, thoroughly enjoy the juice sucking touchscreen and in fact I let him show me how to operate it. It does seem that we cannot use the sat nav without inputting a pin which is very frustrating as I don’t know it.
The model tested is the 2-litre diesel which is delivering around 38mpg. It costs a shade under £50,000. There is plenty of space throughout including a very well sized boot making it a practical proposition for executives and their families. The layout of the electronic speedometer and rev counter is confusing with the rev counter generally taking centre stage – it seems to change places with the speedo – not sure if my children are to blame for this – I feel as if I’m losing my marbles.
The head up display, in common with a growing number of vehicles including Peugeot projects the speed with speed limit onto the windscreen so less attention is paid to the dials on the dash. The cruise control is one of the easiest to use and it is an intelligent system, braking and accelerating with the speed of the traffic ahead. Those seeking a more engaging experience will be pleased to see paddleshifts either side of the steering wheel. The low profile tyres give the Jaguar a sportier feel but do highlight bumps.
A qualm I have, in common with the Nissan Qashqai, is the heated front windscreen which includes thin black electrical wires throughout, more visible on a dull day, I find. It seems that this is the only way to manufacture a heated screen and it does clear mist very quickly. However, my preference is a simple unheated windscreen because for me these wires are distracting and uncomfortable to look through over a long period.
I like the raised ride height which gives a good view of the road ahead but no matter how many cameras are fitted to this vehicle and there are quite a few including one that looks at it from up above – how did they do that? - it is cumbersome. Smaller cars allow for quicker more decisive moves, larger ones like this Jaguar force the driver to be far more cautious regardless of whether there is a reversing camera or not. Just reversing off my driveway is a case in point.
In common with other automatics there is a slight delay between kicking down on the accelerator and the vehicle actually moving, even with sports mode. Then on the last day of my test Heidi (5) is fiddling about with the various switches and buttons to reveal that there is one that actually improves the torque on pulling away and it is very effective.
Highways England parks a van on a bend as operatives unload it, causing long tailbacks. When it is finally clear sports mode is selected and the accelerator pushed right down. Nought to 60 in just over eight seconds, just enough to get round the bend in safety. Bearing in mind it is only a 2-litre diesel, this is pretty impressive. But sports mode makes less difference than anticipated.
For street cred there are few vehicles that have as much cache as this big cat. It is nice to see that Porsche Cayenne drivers can’t resist double taking as they savour its more attractive looks.
Facts at a glance
Price: £47,115 On The Road
0-60mph: 8.2secs
Power: 180bhp
Economy: 38mpg
