Help fast -- Volvo or Acadia

[Babywhite]

We have an extended Trailblazer that we are going to trade very, very soon. After days of looking/test driving, etc, we still can't decide.

Volvo CX90 SUV or GMC Acadia?

We only have one child, but we are TTC for #2 (the last one).

We occasionally have the grandparents with us, so we want the 3rd row -- just in case.

Which one do you think and why?

Also, can you fit an infant carseat in the middle of the Volvo -- is it wide enough?

Thanks for your help!

[MommyofAmaya]

We were deciding between Saturn Outlook (Acadia) and an XC70 earlier this year. We went with the Volvo and are happy we did. It drives like a tank and when I have to drive our Mazda I feel so nervous now. The only issue we have with it is the gas mileage. It could be better to say the least. I'm not sure if the seats on the 90 are the same size, but we fit a Safeseat/Marathon side by side in our 70. I can't imagine that you would have any problems with an infant seat but you might do a search on carseat.org to be sure. DH says will be lifelong Volvo drivers now. Our next vehicle will either be a XC90.... or a C30 for commuting.

Have you considered a preowned Volvo? We paid 15K less for our 2008 model. It only had 8000 miles and came with Volvo's 6 year warranty.

[maydaymommy]

When I drove an XC 90 & went to test drive the Arcadia I didn't like it b/c the back window was so small. Not happy with th visibility when driving the Arcadia.

[MaiseyDog]

We just bought a Chevy Traverse this weekend (Chevy's version of the Acadia). I'm not sure the seat configuration of the Volvo XC90, but with two kids in carseats, we decided that we could not live without captian chairs. We had looked at the Honda Pilot and had to cross it off the list when we realized that in order for anyone to get in the third row, we would have to take a carseat out so that the seat could be folded down to let someone climb back there. And then we'd have to reinstall the seat only to take it out again when we got to our destination. I can see the bench seat not being a big deal for some families, but it was a deal breaker for us.

Good luck with the car shopping.

[JBaxter]

adults do not fit comfortably in the back of the xc90 IMO My teenagers complained about having to be back there. Im not familiar with the Arcadia but if you need to 2 car seats and 4 adults would NOT be a comfortable thing in the xc90 ( and I loved it when I had it) but we traded it on the Odyssey before Jack was born

[MamaMolly]

Have you considered a preowned Volvo? We paid 15K less for our 2008 model. It only had 8000 miles and came with Volvo's 6 year warranty.

When we bought our Volvo sedan (I think it is an S70? S80?) in 2006 this is what we did, too. Of course ours is even older older and the only drawback is that it doesn't have the Latch system. I'm sure a newer one would. We both love driving the Volvo, and MIL has had it while we are overseas and liked driving it too. We've taken it on 7 hr. trips several times and it is a nice car to ride in.

Because it is so old we weren't allowed to take it overseas with us (lots of countries restrict the age of cars brought in), so we bought a new Pilot. It took some getting used to size-wise but I love how easy it is to see out, and when the relatives visit we have plenty of room. FWIW there is Latch on the 3rd row outboard seats of the Pilot, so that might be an option if you don't want to take out and put back car seats. When we ride in my sister's minivan with 2 captain seats we are always stuck in the 3rd row anyway, so it wouldn't matter if there were captain seats in our car or not.

[denna]

Are you planning on a new/used vehicle? From what Ive read recently Volvo has been or is in the process of being sold to China, so the rumor is the quality (safety rating, etc) will plummet. Just something to keep in mind if purchasing a Volvo (replacement parts in the future, resale value, etc).

[AnnieW625]

Both my DH and I really liked the XC90 when we were looking at cars in 2005/2006, however we were a little iffy about it because our long time mechanic who had previously no problem working on Volvos (even though they were more complicated than the usual car) and said that the newer Volvos (post Ford merger) were even more complicated and a pain to fix, and their repair records were less than stellar. Now Volvo is running complimentary service (including wear and tear) for 4 or 5 yrs. so that might be a selling point. We didn't look at models with a third row, but I have heard it gets really cramped. Now with all of that said if DH and I had to buy one of those two cars now we'd most likely go with the Volvo because Ford Motor Company owns Volvo and FMC took no govt. bail out money (that's just the way DH is and he grew up with GM cars and trucks).

ETA:



we bought a new Pilot. It took some getting used to size-wise but I love how easy it is to see out, and when the relatives visit we have plenty of room. FWIW there is Latch on the 3rd row outboard seats of the Pilot, so that might be an option if you don't want to take out and put back car seats.

We ended up buying a 2006 Pilot and have been very happy with it. We haven't had to use the third row, but if we ever had to put three adults in the middle row we could easily put two carseats in the back if needed in a pinch, as there are two latches and top tethers too. It might be hard getting an infant in there, but might be easier with a toddler.

[willow33]

We have a XC90 and the 3rd row is very small!! I don't think I could fit back there comfortably...plus there is no real way to access the 3rd row. We have 3 kids and I really wish we had a vehicle that had captains chairs in the 2nd row and a bigger third row. Our plan is to get a minivan soon. With all that said I really like our Volvo. It rides really nice, is very comfortable and is safe. Repairs, however, are very expensive.

Not sure I helped at all, but if the 3rd row is deal breaker I would go for the Acadia. Good luck deciding!!