Not sure if anyone is following this thread and I can't claim to have read it all, but today I test drove both Model X and a 2017 XC90 PHEV. Some take-aways in brief:
Both cars have autopilot. I don't have that on my S so I'm not used to it. They both behaved similarly, but...
The Volvo looks bigger and feels bigger, even though it isn't. By pure width and length definitions it's smaller, even smaller than the S (I had to look that up...). It looks so big and boxy so it tricks you. Driving it feels that way too, but the boxiness makes it clear where the corners are so you feel more confident.
The Volvo can go 17 miles with only electricity before the gas engine has to kick in. It has a number of different drive modes you can select (sport, eco, AWD, etc.). (If you're in this forum, you won't need a lesson on the X's stats in this category.)
My main purpose for looking is to have car that fits seven people. My 9-year old was test-pilot for the third-row seat. He liked the Volvo better. They call it "theatre seating" in the sense that the third row is actually higher than the second, so the passenger can still out and forward. In the X he got slightly claustrophobic with the dark windows and second row seat right up in his face. It didn't help that the interior was black, with light interior it would probably have been better.
Pack 7 people in the car, they had better travel light in the Volvo. Not much luggage space there unless you put the seats down... on the other hand, if you do it's cavernous. As an S owner, the X's cargo room didn't exactly blow me away either, but it had some decent cavities to fill with bags. Not sure where the bike or skis would go, but the third row seats fold and second row moved. (Does anyone know what the cu.ft. of the X cargo capacity is? I found the S on Tesla's web site but not the X.) Apparently there's a security thing about driving with second row seats moved up, but the sales person let me experiment and the car with bitch with a dialog, but it will still drive.
Both cars drove well. We've had a Model S for almost four years now, so the driving had few surprises in the X. The Volvo was smooth, even when switching around between EV and gas drive. Even the start-stop at a traffic light was much smoother than in other cars with that feature.
I'm in a position where I can consider either car, but not in a position where I can stop caring about money. The fully decked out Volvo ends up in the mid-$80k's, which would be a good $20-30k less than the X, which gives perspective. However, knowing Tesla, the supercharger and service network and all, it's still a hard choice...
Anyway... if anyone else here is in my boat and considering these two... my advice is to do what I did. Go drive both, preferably right after one another.
My 2 cents FWIW
Both cars have autopilot. I don't have that on my S so I'm not used to it. They both behaved similarly, but...
- at times the X was a little jumpy. If the car in front of me moved out of the way, the car hit the throttle and then had to quickly slow down when it caught up to another car. That didn't happen with the Volvo, but the exact same situation didn't happen either.
- the X seemed a little less smooth to me as a driver than the Volvo, but my passenger noticed no difference, so it could be just me being new to it.
- lane recognition seemed better in the X. The Volvo got confused when the markings got weird in a construction zone.
- both cars are a bit too nervous and keep asking you to put your hands on the wheel a bit too frequently. The Volvo was worse here and did this really frequently, every 10-15 seconds (seemed like) while the X let it go for a minute or two at least. In both cars, it seemed you had to almost yank the wheel to let it know you were there, which kinda makes the feature lose its point IMHO.
The Volvo looks bigger and feels bigger, even though it isn't. By pure width and length definitions it's smaller, even smaller than the S (I had to look that up...). It looks so big and boxy so it tricks you. Driving it feels that way too, but the boxiness makes it clear where the corners are so you feel more confident.
The Volvo can go 17 miles with only electricity before the gas engine has to kick in. It has a number of different drive modes you can select (sport, eco, AWD, etc.). (If you're in this forum, you won't need a lesson on the X's stats in this category.)
My main purpose for looking is to have car that fits seven people. My 9-year old was test-pilot for the third-row seat. He liked the Volvo better. They call it "theatre seating" in the sense that the third row is actually higher than the second, so the passenger can still out and forward. In the X he got slightly claustrophobic with the dark windows and second row seat right up in his face. It didn't help that the interior was black, with light interior it would probably have been better.
Pack 7 people in the car, they had better travel light in the Volvo. Not much luggage space there unless you put the seats down... on the other hand, if you do it's cavernous. As an S owner, the X's cargo room didn't exactly blow me away either, but it had some decent cavities to fill with bags. Not sure where the bike or skis would go, but the third row seats fold and second row moved. (Does anyone know what the cu.ft. of the X cargo capacity is? I found the S on Tesla's web site but not the X.) Apparently there's a security thing about driving with second row seats moved up, but the sales person let me experiment and the car with bitch with a dialog, but it will still drive.
Both cars drove well. We've had a Model S for almost four years now, so the driving had few surprises in the X. The Volvo was smooth, even when switching around between EV and gas drive. Even the start-stop at a traffic light was much smoother than in other cars with that feature.
I'm in a position where I can consider either car, but not in a position where I can stop caring about money. The fully decked out Volvo ends up in the mid-$80k's, which would be a good $20-30k less than the X, which gives perspective. However, knowing Tesla, the supercharger and service network and all, it's still a hard choice...
Anyway... if anyone else here is in my boat and considering these two... my advice is to do what I did. Go drive both, preferably right after one another.
My 2 cents FWIW
