After taking the new position at Leikin Motor Companies, I’ve had the opportunity to test drive several Mercedes vehicles. I’ve driven a 2009 C300 Sport 4Matic, a 2007 E350, a 2007 Mercedes R350, and a 2009 ML63 AMG. Then I went back to my long term demo, the 2005 Volvo XC90 2.5T. If you have never driven a Mercedes or Volvo, you may be wondering what I’m about to say.
Most people look at Mercedes as a status symbol. In fact, when I brought home the white C300, the neighborhood kids all clamored around wanting to go for a drive. But even with all the extra attention, I honestly prefer the Volvo over the others. The C300 had more technology. The R350 had more room. The ML63 had more power. But the Volvo has something none of the others seemed to have—comfortable seats. Even my eight year old daughter commented about that lately. And that says a lot. If a third grader and a 39 year old both appreciate the seats, you can bet that most people will as well.
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Now just so I don’t forget, I wanted to report on the gas mileage of the XC90. Since my first fill-up I’ve put 566 miles on it.
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10/06/09 – 10/19/09 ~ 87 octane ~ 274 miles ~ 19.23 mpg
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10/19/09 – 11/03/09 ~ 91 octane ~ 292 miles ~ 18.86 mpg
With the turbo charged 2.5T engine, the 2005 XC90 AWD is supposed to be getting between 15 and 20 mpg with an average of 17 mpg. So, that seems to be about right. Hopefully, in the near future, I can tell you how the AWD system works in the snow. We’ll see.
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