Can you drive the T5 sedately?

[DanishPastry]

Getting closer to making a buying decision.

Trying to decide between a nearly-new MY2020 T4 or T5. Or a new MY2021 B4 (pretty much the same price).

I'm inclined towards the T5, partly because I want a car with ACC/Pilot Assist and the majority that have that feature are T5's. But my partner is concerned that a 250 BHP car will be just too 'twitchy'. She doesn't do Zooming off from the traffic lights.

Can you drive a T5 sedately, or is the throttle over-sensitive?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

[blastpipe]

I would say it depends very much on what drive mode you put it in!

[Chris John]

The throttle is as sensitive as your right foot is

[PC40]

I would totally agree that the T5 is perfectly capable of being driven sedately. It just depends how much control you have over your right foot.

My car is currently averaging 34+mpg following a series of pre-lockdown motorway journeys. This is mainly as a result of treating the throttle carefully. I would suggest that she uses the ECO drive mode to start with as this does dampen the throttle response.

The car will however surprise many other drivers when provoked.

[Littletaffia]

Any car can be driven quickly to and beyond it's limit if the driver is thoughtless or just plain stupid. It's not that quick, no quicker 0-62 than my old Audi Q3 Quattro and just like the Audi it benefits from good all wheel drive grip. Stick it into a corner faster than the chassis can handle and it end in tears, just like any car, four wheel drive or not. Like all cars that have ever been made the biggest failure has always been the nut behind the steering wheel. Don't be that nut.

The XC40 is a good stable car on the motorway and can make good progress on country A roads and after three weeks of very limited driving thanks to the pandemic, I'm quite getting to like it.

[aj05]

All my Volvos over the years have been T5 or R models and all could be used as a normal every day family car but if I wanted a bit of performance driving it was there. My current my20 Inscription pro T5 is only getting a run to the shops and back due to lockdown etc and is giving 29mls to the gallon on country lanes around where I live. The car will only behave as you drive it be it fast or steady it is suited for both

[eugen61]

As suggested by PC40, choosing Eco drive mode will offer the sedated engine response you’re looking for.

[Gnomeface]

Our Inscription Pro was bought for my wife, as a quiet, very comfortable cruiser and about-town car. She chose the car and the options, I chose the engine (T5).

She's a cautious driver and loves the car for its comfort and driver aids (lane assist, adaptive cruise, etc.) I like the power that's available when I feel like using it, and quite enjoy driving it even though it lacks the instant "shove in the back" that I'm used to in other cars. It certainly isn't a twitchy car even when pushed a bit, and we both leave it in "comfort" mode.

[Wheaters55]

Yes you can, I do it all the time. Occasionally, if I've had a couple of dopios I stick it in sport mode and have a little fun. Not as much fun as I used to have every day with my last car (Merc C class coupe) but I'm getting on now so Volvo for me from now on.

[DanishPastry]

Thanks. Perhaps I should have asked about smoothness rather than sedateness, now I come to think about what I really wanted to know.

What I found with the T4 on Test Drive Plus was that it didn't pull away from stationary as smoothly as I'm used to, as a manual transmission driver. There was always a small... lurch (isn't quite the right word).

I hadn't driven an automatic for years, so part of that could have been my fault, but even on day 3, and when I made an effort, pulling away was never smooth.

My concern is that with the extra grunt of a T5, that could result in an even less smooth take-off.

Perhaps I just need to become more fairy-footed!