I'm sure all of you know by now the issues I had been having with my 2017 Lincoln MKZ. (
https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,8701.0.html)
I really became disenchanted with cars, as I was truly disappointed in my experience with a car I really wanted. Truly I still love the lines of the MKZ -- but then I am reminded that because of these lines -- there isn't enough head room for a 6 foot tall guy to lean forward without hitting his head on the sun visor. (a small but annoying problem).
I went on a mission to find "the car" once again. Here's my feedback on all of the new cars out there:
- I drove the newly re-branded 2017 Genesis G80 (5.0L V8 is doggy but the 3.3T was a ton of fun), my problem was that it was still a Hyundai. I felt a little snobby turning away from a $60,000 car because it was a "hyundai" but it just wasn't me. Plus, the technology, like the blind spot monitoring system (BLIS) didn't work consistently -- like it turns off when you are driving by by a semi truck trailer.
- I also took out a Lexus GS350, but their infotainment controller / joystick would have driven me crazy. I'm a computer guy and it still wasn't intuitive.
- I ventured over to the Infiniti store and took a Infinti Q50 Red Sport for a spin. This car was quick, and a ton of fun to drive but it lacked one thing, sound quality. I'm not talking about the speaker system, I'm taking about the general quality of the windows and sound cancelling equipment. Case and point, if you knock on the sunroof, it sounds just about as thin as a glass coffee table. I couldn't get past the lack of interior quality, and how the car just seemed to lack "quality".
- Frustrated, I walked next door to the Mercedes dealership and I fell in love with a Mercedes C43 AMG -- when you put the car into sport mode and the electronic exhaust valve opens, I just grinned ear to ear. When I took my wife out for a test drive, I realized how cramped I was in the drive seat. Shoulder width wise, I was crammed between the center console and the A pillar. For tooling around town, I could get by, but I drive too much to want to be crammed into a car. The E43 was priced too high, and I would have had to put down 5k for a $1100 lease payment (I didn't like the car that much). No Mercedes for me this round....
- I drove over to the BMW store and took a 540i xDrive out. I owned two 335xi's which have a similar engine, and I was reminded quickly that the interior hasn't changed much since 2008. Any feature that had "technology" was an up charge, and yet again, they came at a premium. I just didn't see the value.
- So I then walked over to the Audi store. I took an Audi A7 out. This had all of the modern features that you'd like -- lane assist, BLIS... and the interior was incredible. Did you know that all of the natural wood in the car is made from the same tree so the grains match? I didn't, but thought it was a neat story lol. I had a little beef with the A7. The engine in the A7 is a 3.0T -- so was my Lincoln. The feel and power was incredibly disappointing in the A7. It didn't throw you in the back of the seat, rather it was just a gradual climb to 60. I love the looks of the A7 but I also hate it says "supercharged" on the side when in fact it is a "turbo". A major WTF moment for me. I decided against the car when I was getting out of the car and my shoulders hit both the a-piller and the top of the door frame, making me realize my shoulders are too wide to easily get in and out of the car. SOOO CLOSE.
- So my final stop in my adventure was to a Land Rover / Jaguar dealership to take out an Jaguar F-Pace. Its been a while since I've been in a Jaguar, and I thought maybe I could roll into an F Pace. I wasn't incredibly taken back by the car. It had the same door issues and with the seat all of the way down, My head was about a half inch away from the headliner.
I was just about to quit searching for cars when I walked to the attached dealership --- Volvo. What? A Volvo? I NEVER in a million years would have considered a Volvo, never the less walk into a Volvo Dealership. I literally was desperate to find a car that I could replace my Lincoln with so I had nothing to lose.
All I can say is HOLY SH*T, how have I never driven a Volvo before?? I think the shock is emphasized by my complete lack of knowledge in the Volvo Brand.
My newest vehicle is a 2018 Volvo S90 Inscription (with the redesigned rear seat that has 4" of extra leg room). Immediately sitting in the car, I was blown away by the large tablet-like infotainment system, the wood, the Premium Bowers and Wilkins speaker system with its "center" tweeter, and the comfort of the front seats. I then took to the back of the car and I was surprised that there is enough room for a 6' tall guy to comfortably sit in the rear seat even when the front seat is all the way back.
The engine in the car is a 2.0L twin charged 4cyl. Yes, twin charged -- the engine is both supercharged and turbo charged. The super charger gets you off the line and the turbo charger pushes you through the higher speeds. Genius. The car doesn't have as much torque as the Lincoln but it pushes the boat up to 60 in 5.9 seconds. I ended up getting the Car PoleStar tuned (which is the AMG / //M Sport series of Volvo), and my numbers are closer to 5.7 seconds... within .1 seconds of the Lincoln with two less cylinders.
The car has every feature you can think of -- Pilot Assist (automated driving (speed and steering) for up to 1 minute), Adaptive Cruise, 360 parking camera, automatic parallel parking and backing into a parking spot -- heads up display, BLIS, heated windshield wipers, headlight washers, rear sunshade, rear side windows sunshades, panoramic roof, auto leveling rear end (air ride)-- and so many more features it would take forever to explain... This has features not even the Mercedes, Lincoln Continental, BMW, Genesis, and Audi had. Plus, the new redesigned look, I kind of like.
If you haven't taken a look at a Volvo lately -- it might be time.
So here it is boys, the 2018 Volvo S90 Inscription:
