XC90 good 4wd or not ?

I'm considering buying an XC90 and since I use it off road , up steep
hillside land for my work, I want a vehicle which is good off road. I have
been told by some people that the XC90 is not a *true4wd* and lacks low
ratio gearing. Can anyone comment on this vehicle ? I like the look of it
and it seems to drive ok around normal roads but I cannot yet test one up in
hillside land .

 

1. There is no low range.
2. The AWD is disconnected at low speeds, to eliminate drivetrain
windup during parking, so would not be useful crawling over rocks.
3. It's a "slip and grip" system - power goes to the rear wheels only
when the front wheels start spinning.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

hillside land .

I was interested in buying one of these but if I understand you corrrectly,
the XC90 has no low range AND doesn't have 4WD in low speed for example,
crawling over rocks which is exactly what I need to do . Or have I
misunderstood you here?

 

Yes, you understand me correctly. It's not an off road 4WD system.
Read all about it:
http://www.haldex-traction.com

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

My experiences at work illustrate the difference between 4WD and AWD well.
My 4WD truck crawls up rock off-roads I'd swear a truck can't climb, but I
can't use 4WD on icy streets; it slides when I turn the steering wheel. My
partner's AWD van has to stay off the rocks altogether, but on icy streets
it is sure-footed.

Mike