TBP88
Well-known member
Unreal that this is something we actually need to consider *in a car*.
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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
MR_Y
Well-known member
Minor updates:
1. The Volvo app allows one to get into a chat with Volvo Head Office to answer technical questions. The responses were so well written and quick, that I asked them if they are an AI bot or a human. Here is the response 😂
2. Google is launching a major UX update for the Google enabled Volvos (mine included). This changes the main screen to have hot keys to access the driving modes (Polestar with one click, instead of diving into the settings menu) and includes a contextual bar (shortcuts to commonly used apps/features). The driver screen also gets a much needed update.
Google Gemini will also be included as alternative or replacement for Google Assistant.
3. The PPF (installed by the dealership in partnership with a reputable fitment centre in Sandton) is lifting on the lower bumper. The car is booked in later this month for a new application on the lower bumper. No fuss, no cost. I know some places may argue that the PPF is lifting because of high pressure washing (even when it is not the case), but no such issues with Tom Campher Volvo. Noting that the PPF was fitted 3 months ago.
4. No issues to report with the car itself. I hit 20,000km recently (travelled 6,000km in the last 3 months). Looking forward to a nice long road trip in April
1. The Volvo app allows one to get into a chat with Volvo Head Office to answer technical questions. The responses were so well written and quick, that I asked them if they are an AI bot or a human. Here is the response 😂
2. Google is launching a major UX update for the Google enabled Volvos (mine included). This changes the main screen to have hot keys to access the driving modes (Polestar with one click, instead of diving into the settings menu) and includes a contextual bar (shortcuts to commonly used apps/features). The driver screen also gets a much needed update.
Google Gemini will also be included as alternative or replacement for Google Assistant.
3. The PPF (installed by the dealership in partnership with a reputable fitment centre in Sandton) is lifting on the lower bumper. The car is booked in later this month for a new application on the lower bumper. No fuss, no cost. I know some places may argue that the PPF is lifting because of high pressure washing (even when it is not the case), but no such issues with Tom Campher Volvo. Noting that the PPF was fitted 3 months ago.
4. No issues to report with the car itself. I hit 20,000km recently (travelled 6,000km in the last 3 months). Looking forward to a nice long road trip in April
MR_Y
Well-known member
Some recent shots
(AI used to hide number plate and people)
After recent UX update, the interface looks more slick and having quick touch for the driving modes is a big plus.
Fuel consumption is around 10-11 litres/100km, since the car is used daily for short trips in hectic, peak hours traffic in Midrand.
On weekends, open road driving drops it to below 8 litres/100km.
Looking forward to holiday driving next month.
(AI used to hide number plate and people)
After recent UX update, the interface looks more slick and having quick touch for the driving modes is a big plus.
Fuel consumption is around 10-11 litres/100km, since the car is used daily for short trips in hectic, peak hours traffic in Midrand.
On weekends, open road driving drops it to below 8 litres/100km.
Looking forward to holiday driving next month.
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CK4LIFE
Active member
This color looks great in the sun. My 2015 D4 shown me flames mid-week when the turbo pipe broke in Rustenburg, had to be towed back to PTA, but all is well again, now on 170k km
MR_Y
Well-known member
Dealer service:
Happy to report that the PPF issues have been resolved. The owner of the dealership chatted to me as well. Being a non-volume brand, sure there may be limited nationwide dealer footprint, but the customer service (at least from TC Volvo) is superb - you are treated as an individual and not just another number.
A full valet was performed on the car after the PPF work and safety checks were done before my holiday trip.
Holiday driving:
Drive to Sun City went well. Had to evade a few potholes that appeared after a blind rise. Sure, this car is not a sporty handling machine, but when faced with high speed evasive manoeuvres, you can feel that it was designed to pass the moose test (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose_test). Very confident in changing direction quickly to avoid a road hazard.
Connectivity gripe:
The only gripe so far is the Internet/data connectivity (rather lack thereof) built into the car. As standard, the car has an eSim built-in from the factory. In other markets, you can activate this eSim and there is no need to use your phone or WiFi router to get data into the car to use all the Google based functions. In SA, the eSim cannot be activated (it is only used for OTA software updates, not for Google functions). The issue with using another device to create a hotspot in the car, is that the car struggles to properly connect (because it was designed to use its own eSim instead). I raised this issue with Volvo SA and I found out that this is a common complaint among modern Volvo owners in SA.
The solution is to use Android Auto, but the native in-car Google functionality (built in Google maps, Gemini, etc) is wasted. Also, Android Auto is basically mirroring the phone apps and chowing the phone's processing power, instead of using the native powerhouse processor and apps from the car itself.
Volvo SA are to confirm when data functionality will be activated on the eSim.
Other than the above issue, there are no issues with the car.
Fuel consumption stats for drive to Sun City:
Happy to report that the PPF issues have been resolved. The owner of the dealership chatted to me as well. Being a non-volume brand, sure there may be limited nationwide dealer footprint, but the customer service (at least from TC Volvo) is superb - you are treated as an individual and not just another number.
A full valet was performed on the car after the PPF work and safety checks were done before my holiday trip.
Holiday driving:
Drive to Sun City went well. Had to evade a few potholes that appeared after a blind rise. Sure, this car is not a sporty handling machine, but when faced with high speed evasive manoeuvres, you can feel that it was designed to pass the moose test (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose_test). Very confident in changing direction quickly to avoid a road hazard.
Connectivity gripe:
The only gripe so far is the Internet/data connectivity (rather lack thereof) built into the car. As standard, the car has an eSim built-in from the factory. In other markets, you can activate this eSim and there is no need to use your phone or WiFi router to get data into the car to use all the Google based functions. In SA, the eSim cannot be activated (it is only used for OTA software updates, not for Google functions). The issue with using another device to create a hotspot in the car, is that the car struggles to properly connect (because it was designed to use its own eSim instead). I raised this issue with Volvo SA and I found out that this is a common complaint among modern Volvo owners in SA.
The solution is to use Android Auto, but the native in-car Google functionality (built in Google maps, Gemini, etc) is wasted. Also, Android Auto is basically mirroring the phone apps and chowing the phone's processing power, instead of using the native powerhouse processor and apps from the car itself.
Volvo SA are to confirm when data functionality will be activated on the eSim.
Other than the above issue, there are no issues with the car.
Fuel consumption stats for drive to Sun City:
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rsgordini
Active member
I had a b5 for a week. Lovely car. I didn’t know is a mild hybrid got decent fuel consumption.
Then they brought me a brand new t8 plug in hybrid 350kw. 2l turbo and supercharged. I love this car so much I don’t want to give it back. Average fuel consumption 4l per 100km. 0-100 in 4.8 seconds. Bring your hot hatch 😂
Then they brought me a brand new t8 plug in hybrid 350kw. 2l turbo and supercharged. I love this car so much I don’t want to give it back. Average fuel consumption 4l per 100km. 0-100 in 4.8 seconds. Bring your hot hatch 😂
MR_Y
Well-known member
While reading the latest Ts and Cs on the Volvo Maintenance Plan, I found this nugget on sunroof drains....
Damage caused by blocked sunroof drains is excluded from the maintenance plan cover.
While sunroofs will obviously need to be closed when it rains, there is a built in drain (like on all cars with sun roofs) that channels water around the sunroof seal, down a tube in the A pillar and out a drain behind each front wheel.
Anyway, just something to be aware of. I poured water into the drain and it came out the bottom, so there seems to be no blockages.
Not sure if BMW's Motorplan will cover damages caused by blocked sunroof drains. Something to check out if your car is on Plan.
Damage caused by blocked sunroof drains is excluded from the maintenance plan cover.
While sunroofs will obviously need to be closed when it rains, there is a built in drain (like on all cars with sun roofs) that channels water around the sunroof seal, down a tube in the A pillar and out a drain behind each front wheel.
Anyway, just something to be aware of. I poured water into the drain and it came out the bottom, so there seems to be no blockages.
Not sure if BMW's Motorplan will cover damages caused by blocked sunroof drains. Something to check out if your car is on Plan.
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MR_Y
Well-known member
Update
As posted recently, I picked up a crack on my a windscreen just before my drive down from GP to KZN. Insurance story here: https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/threads/windscreen-insurance-the-glass-group-pita-experience.103460/
The car itself is performing well. Average fuel consumption for the trip is around 8.4 litres per 100km. Power delivery is effortless.
Previously, I noted tramlining when driving on the scratched (roadwork) sections of the N3. On the trip, I noticed that there was no tramlining. I am still running Pirelli Scorpion Verdes 19 inch 235/55. I assume that the routine wheel alignment that was done last month may have fixed something that may have been off last time. The car feels solid, planted and unwavering on these scratched/unfinished sections of tar road
The recent Gemini integration into the car's Google based (Android built-in) system has been a mixed bag. On the one hand, its contextual understanding is great (say you want a pizza and it already knows that you have dietary restrictions based on past interactions on your Google account history, so it will recommend nearby places that best suit you and rank them based on Google reviews). On the other hand, Gemini is hallucinating when pulling info on the car itself (eg it under reads the fuel range and other car stats, though all the correct info is available on the dashboard). I switched back to Google Assistant and everything works well. Google released a statement that there are some issues with the Gemini automotive roll out and this will be fixed with the next patch.
Maybe to compensate for this issue, Volvo is offering free Apple Music in the car. Ironic, because it is an Android based car.
Speed camera locations and Waze/Google driver feedback on mobile cameras feed directly into the car's native Google Maps. The car also reads speed limit boards and displays this on the display. When there are reported cameras, then it flags these on the driver display and provides audible warnings if you are above the speed limit. I found this feature great on the N3. Because it is live Waze/Google data, it also includes info on roadworks, potholes, police, etc. all displayed on the driver display.
A service was carried out recently. It was the 2 year service. Nothing to report. Screenshot below. All covered under Volvo Maintenance Plan.
As posted recently, I picked up a crack on my a windscreen just before my drive down from GP to KZN. Insurance story here: https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/threads/windscreen-insurance-the-glass-group-pita-experience.103460/
The car itself is performing well. Average fuel consumption for the trip is around 8.4 litres per 100km. Power delivery is effortless.
Previously, I noted tramlining when driving on the scratched (roadwork) sections of the N3. On the trip, I noticed that there was no tramlining. I am still running Pirelli Scorpion Verdes 19 inch 235/55. I assume that the routine wheel alignment that was done last month may have fixed something that may have been off last time. The car feels solid, planted and unwavering on these scratched/unfinished sections of tar road
The recent Gemini integration into the car's Google based (Android built-in) system has been a mixed bag. On the one hand, its contextual understanding is great (say you want a pizza and it already knows that you have dietary restrictions based on past interactions on your Google account history, so it will recommend nearby places that best suit you and rank them based on Google reviews). On the other hand, Gemini is hallucinating when pulling info on the car itself (eg it under reads the fuel range and other car stats, though all the correct info is available on the dashboard). I switched back to Google Assistant and everything works well. Google released a statement that there are some issues with the Gemini automotive roll out and this will be fixed with the next patch.
Maybe to compensate for this issue, Volvo is offering free Apple Music in the car. Ironic, because it is an Android based car.
Speed camera locations and Waze/Google driver feedback on mobile cameras feed directly into the car's native Google Maps. The car also reads speed limit boards and displays this on the display. When there are reported cameras, then it flags these on the driver display and provides audible warnings if you are above the speed limit. I found this feature great on the N3. Because it is live Waze/Google data, it also includes info on roadworks, potholes, police, etc. all displayed on the driver display.
A service was carried out recently. It was the 2 year service. Nothing to report. Screenshot below. All covered under Volvo Maintenance Plan.
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DHimself
Member
200 bucks to clean the front collision camera? Eish, these dealers....
I still get confused with BMW charging a fee to put your car on a charger during the service... VW has a "misc fee" that changes from dealer to dealer. No idea what the fee is for. I've started to treat it as an unexplained adjustment to retained earnings...
MR_Y
Well-known member
I am living the Motorplan life 😂
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MR_Y
Well-known member
Thoughts after 16,000km and 7 months...
The car crossed the 30,000km mark recently. Purchased in December at 14,000km.
Fuel consumption is around 11.0 litres per 100km in urban traffic (school commute and wife's short trips).
On long distances, it drops to around 8.0 litres per 100km. We are not calm drivers, so this is with a heavyish foot.
Overall, around 9.6.
The tech features and issues have been discussed before on the thread.
The high speed driving experience has changed slightly after the last Volvo service (which includes a software update)...
Previously, the car was not limited to 180kph based on real world performance (controlled and safe manner of course 😉). After the update, the 180 limit is there, so it is now aligned to the global Volvo speed limit. It is not a brick wall limit, rather the throttle tapers gently off as you press past 180. So, on-clock figures sub-190 are still possible. The Polestar optimisation tune is still in place through, but top speed is limited as per Comfort mode. This is not a deal breaker, since this is a family car after all.
A welcome perk after the dealership software update was more audible vrrrp (but, still no hard "pa") sound when pushing hard on the throttle, even in Comfort mode. This is no Tiguan R, but it is nice that the Polestar tune is allowed to inject some fun into the Comfort mode.
Interior quality is still tops at 30,000km. Not a squeak or creak. The lounge chair like leather seats are developing a natural patina with use. These are not the sport spec seats (on the more expensive XC60 trim lines), but they still hold you well during cornering.
The steering is obviously not as communicative as an X3, but the firmness can be dialed up. Body lean is there, but as mentioned before, it is all very predictable and controllable. You just need to set up your corner carving accordingly.
Given the complexity of the drivetrain and associated maintenance costs, I don't foresee keeping the car beyond 100,000km. Have another 3 years to go until then. At that time, a slightly used X3 M50 may be on the radar 😊
I don't think I will go back to a 20d, since the immediacy of turbo petrol power (with hybrid boost) is far more compelling 😁
The car crossed the 30,000km mark recently. Purchased in December at 14,000km.
Fuel consumption is around 11.0 litres per 100km in urban traffic (school commute and wife's short trips).
On long distances, it drops to around 8.0 litres per 100km. We are not calm drivers, so this is with a heavyish foot.
Overall, around 9.6.
The tech features and issues have been discussed before on the thread.
The high speed driving experience has changed slightly after the last Volvo service (which includes a software update)...
Previously, the car was not limited to 180kph based on real world performance (controlled and safe manner of course 😉). After the update, the 180 limit is there, so it is now aligned to the global Volvo speed limit. It is not a brick wall limit, rather the throttle tapers gently off as you press past 180. So, on-clock figures sub-190 are still possible. The Polestar optimisation tune is still in place through, but top speed is limited as per Comfort mode. This is not a deal breaker, since this is a family car after all.
A welcome perk after the dealership software update was more audible vrrrp (but, still no hard "pa") sound when pushing hard on the throttle, even in Comfort mode. This is no Tiguan R, but it is nice that the Polestar tune is allowed to inject some fun into the Comfort mode.
Interior quality is still tops at 30,000km. Not a squeak or creak. The lounge chair like leather seats are developing a natural patina with use. These are not the sport spec seats (on the more expensive XC60 trim lines), but they still hold you well during cornering.
The steering is obviously not as communicative as an X3, but the firmness can be dialed up. Body lean is there, but as mentioned before, it is all very predictable and controllable. You just need to set up your corner carving accordingly.
Given the complexity of the drivetrain and associated maintenance costs, I don't foresee keeping the car beyond 100,000km. Have another 3 years to go until then. At that time, a slightly used X3 M50 may be on the radar 😊
I don't think I will go back to a 20d, since the immediacy of turbo petrol power (with hybrid boost) is far more compelling 😁
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