One of the reasons we insisted our XC90 have a trailer hitch (to the point of retrofitting) was to be able to tow the TEN tailgate party trailer, which weighs 3,400 pounds. That’s comfortably under the XC90’s 5,000-pound tow rating, so our tech guru and cabin renovator Frank Markus chose a tailgating-free weekend to fill the trailer with eight new vinyl windows purchased at Home Depot for installation at his Ghibli Shores retreat north of Detroit. His engineering brain calculated the added mass brought the load to about the 5,000 mark.
It was not the most fuel-efficient run for our Scandinavian traveler (referring to both Markus and the XC90), but it was a successful mission.
The SUV had been averaging low/mid-20s mpg with a lot of highway driving and had just come back from a coast to upper Michigan and back. But when it hit the road with the loaded trailer, that rolling average dropped to about half. And that was with a cruising speed of about 65 mph in a 70-mph zone to avoid overtaxing the trailer tires. Granted, some of the blame goes to the aerodynamic hit from a pointy-prowed trailer. We know this because trip-computer mileage improved to 14–15 mpg over a 20-mile stretch following a big-rig even as the Volvo endured some side-to-side buffeting from the wind rolling off the semi during that time. The Volvo’s lane keeping system was much appreciated for helping keep the SUV—and more important, the trailer with its wider-spaced wheels—centered in the lane on the freeway.
The 2.0-liter turbo had its work cut out for it pulling a full load. Acceleration response was severely reduced, but the engine never felt dangerously overburdened and always accelerated to highway speeds in a safe time and distance.
It was unnerving to see low single-digit instant fuel economy readings, and it contributed to our mediocre fuel economy rates over the first seven months. We have averaged 21.5 mpg over 15,031 miles.
But we do appreciate that the XC90 trailer hitch package includes both seven- and four-pin wiring sockets to accommodate new trailers with braking and other modern connections as well as old-timers like the TEN trailer or the boat trailer we recently used to take the fishing boat out of the water at the end of the season. The ability to drop the rear suspension greatly eases trailer unhitching, and the camera gives a nice high-def view of the hitch to make it possible to position the ball perfectly in one try. Markus said the only trick he missed: the new trailer-reversing aids starting to appear on vehicles like the Ford F-150 and European-market Audi Q7, which would have eased the task of reversing a quarter mile up his cabin’s driveway.
Since we last checked in, we also had another trip to the dealership after the check-engine light came on. The culprit: cracked ceramic on a spark plug in one of the cylinders. Unusual problem, and the service department had no idea what caused it to crack and cause a misfire. We also got a software update, which should prevent a repeat of an earlier incident where our gauges went crazy after running out of gas. After the fixes and a bath, we were back on the road. Once again, no cost.
And an over-the-air signal restored our expired satellite radio subscription, so we are rocking out again and the XC90 remains a vehicle in heavy demand in the Motor Trend garage.
More on our long-term Volvo XC90 T6 Inscription here:
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