Originally Posted by V-12
ok I'm a car snob and I knew Andrew was knowledgeable about cars but I didn't get the volvo thing...
the contenders were the range rover sport (61k), bmw x5 4.8 sport (63k), and the volvo xc90 V8 sport (56k)...
price really persuaded my decision... i lease all of my cars (easier to deduct for my type of business)...
the payments were out of control on the rr ($1,200 per mo) ... bmw ($1,060 per mo). with the volvo ($625 per mo)... its a no brainer when you consider the above msrp's.
its not that i can't afford the rr or the bmw... it comes down to the justification... and i can't justify handing over 1k per month on a leased car.
the range rover has horrible depreciation along with poor money factors... the bmw just had poor money factors... combined with no incentives. the volvo offered 1% interest and heavy discounts...
the volvo sport is a simplistic and conservative imo but has turn out to be a very good choice in many ways... the sport version is rare (400 produced per yr)... in fact there is only 1 other in the area... the yahama V8 is a perfect match... the sport seats & steering wheel are great interior accents... all the sport pieces in & out allow the volvo to be different than all other xc90's on the road. i like something unique and slightly different than every other car out there.
i think if you drove one (sport)... your opinion may change... and this is coming from a true bmw enthusiast.
this is a great vehicle for its intent and for my wife... her only wishes... they would have offered the sport in white.