After reading over 370 of your family-friendly SUV suggestions both on this blog post and this Instagram post, doing lots of research on our own, and doing a few local test drives, I’m excited to report that we went with the Volvo XC90! This was on of our list of contenders from the beginning, but hearing many of your rave reviews about this car definitely reassured me that it would be a great car for our growing family. I shared a few things I love about the car on my Instagram story over the weekend (now saved in the Volvo highlight!) but wanted to highlight a few of the deciding factors for us as it sounds like a bunch of you have been car shopping as well!
1. Safety first. Volvo as a brand is pretty much synonymous with safety, which was a huge consideration for us as soon-to-be parents of two little boys. In addition to having a five-star crash-test rating, the XC90 is packed with driver assistance features like a 360 degree camera, forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, and lane departure warning.
2. Captain’s seats! I grew up as the oldest of four siblings and my parents convinced us captain’s seats were basically a must-have in a car for a growing family. Will and I weren’t ready to lean into the minivan lifestyle just yet, so we were pretty excited when Volvo released its first six-passenger option with captain’s seats last year. Right now we have Teddy’s car seat installed behind the driver’s seat and we’ll add the infant car seat behind the passenger’s seat when baby #2 arrives at the end of April. Anyone with a newborn knows you’re constantly popping that car seat in and out, so it will be easy for other passengers (and our “pawsenger” Rory) to get through the center aisle to the third row.
3. Size. We wanted a car that could easily accommodate two or more kids and that felt spacious enough for adults in the second and third row, but I was also nervous about driving (and parking!!!) anything enormous or insanely high off the ground. The XC90 falls in that perfect sweet spot where it fits everything we need but is still easy to drive and park.
4. Technology. Will admittedly gave more thought to the bells and whistles of the car than I did, but three things I’m obsessed with are the back-up camera quality (truly crystal clear, even when it’s snowing!), the heated steering wheel, and the wireless charging plate under the center display. No more wires in the front seat! ??
5. Comfort. Will and I took turns sitting in every seat of the car and the captain’s seats and third row are both totally comfortable for adults. There’s plenty of headroom above both rows and we both agreed the massive sunroof makes the interior feel extra roomy relative to other cars of a similar size.
6. It’s just really pretty! There’s a reason people say the XC90 is the ultimate mom car and I’d be lying if I said none of my reasons for loving this car are remotely superficial… it’s just a beautiful car inside and out! There are obviously tons of options for family-friendly SUVs and the XC90 has an intangible quality that moved it to the top of our list.
7. Customer service. We wound up leasing our car through Riley Volvo in Stamford and it was far and away the nicest experience I’ve ever had at a car dealership. Truly no pushy salesmen in sight! Riley is a family-owned business and everyone there was extremely helpful and patient in walking us through the various options and safety features both on the day of our test drive and the day we picked up our new car. We’re beyond excited to do a year-long ambassadorship with Riley to show you everything we love about the XC90 and share deals that pop up at their location throughout the year! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or send me an email and I’ll either answer from personal experience or put you in touch with someone from their team who can answer better than I can. We so appreciate you all weighing in on this decision and are so excited with where we wound up!
P.S. Time to cross #28 off my 101 in 1001 list!