Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience • Hacker News Board

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#101

Post by SecretDreams » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

runako wrote: post #85

nicce wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What reliable is left?

Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Honda. Not sure if Hyundai & Kia are quite as reliable, but if not it's on them because they have some of the best warranties in the industry.

The two main Achilles Heels of Hyundai/Kia are their ICE Engines and their EV ICCUs. Google reliability for both and proceed accordingly. They're good about replacing/fixing both issues when they come up, and normally have extended warranties, but they are critical components too and long lead times to fix.

Outside of those issues, which don't happen on all vehicles, I view the brand as pretty rock solid. I'm impressed by how quickly they iterate, their styling, and their NVH attributes. Their pricing has crept up a bit, but still not terrible.

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#102

Post by websap » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

Thanks for documenting your experience, I would not buy a Volvo ever.

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#103

Post by PaulHoule » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:16 PM UTC

runako wrote: post #85

nicce wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What reliable is left?

Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Honda. Not sure if Hyundai & Kia are quite as reliable, but if not it's on them because they have some of the best warranties in the industry.

For a long time Consumer Reports has ranked cars as Japanese > American >> European, European cars have some luxury cachet but if you want a car that starts when you turn the key look elsewhere. American cars came a long way since the 1970s when they really were trash.

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#104

Post by cptskippy » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:16 PM UTC

api wrote: post #65

jorvi wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be honest, it has never been about pure brand. Every brand has had clunkers and has had great models. Having said that, Toyota is known for their reliability, and Volvo (+ Polestar) was / are known for their safety. Just to emphasize the point: Nissan is doomed because generally no one wants their cars, but they have perhaps one of the greatest bang-for-buck EVs outside of Chinese brands: the Leaf 2.

I have a 2022 model Leaf, the one with 230 miles range, and it's... boring in a good way. It just works. Zero problems whatsoever and zero noticeable battery degradation after about 27K miles. Only big downside is poor rapid charging, but we use ours as a city car and rarely if ever need it. Put a CCS fast charge port and better battery cooling in this thing and it'd be the perfect boring reliable EV with physical da…

That's been my experience with a 2015 Leaf. It's ugly and the range is trash, and that it. It's a dolled up golf cart but in a good way.

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#105

Post by bsder » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:17 PM UTC

iwanttocomment wrote: post #66

1970-01-01 wrote: post #52

The open secret to EV ownership is to lease. This effectively mitigates depreciation and forces a dealership to own any problems (sooner rather than later).

The open secret to EV ownership is to buy after the lease. The depreciation is insane, why pay to rent the car for three years when you can buy it outright after the lease return for a fraction of the cost? EVs with active cooling systems last just about forever but people are still "oh no the battery". (Still driving my 2012 EV - not a typo - and got a can't-miss off-lease CPO deal on a "new" 2022 this year.)

> The open secret to EV ownership is to buy after the lease.

How do you dig into this responsibly?

I really don't want to be buying a new car right now as the ICE ones all seem to be expensive trash but the EVs are changing so quickly that it isn't worth it.

My Chevy Volt is beginning to show its age, but you will pry it from my cold, dead hands at this point.

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#106

Post by DyslexicAtheist » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:18 PM UTC

nicce wrote: post #64

blueflow wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> .... if you want reliable quality. I'm saying this as a German, i strongly reject those accusations. Do not buy from VW group (and not from PSA/Stellantis (Citroen, Fiat, Opel etc brands), either).

What reliable is left?

idk but in addition to what was listed already stay away from: Land Rover, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Fiat ... all of them leave you stranded in the middle of the road

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#107

Post by kelnos » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:20 PM UTC

sixQuarks wrote: post #93

mttch wrote: post #88

I wouldn’t buy Tesla again but I’ve never experienced software issues in mine. Although some of the menus could be re-arranged for clarity, it’s otherwise clear and responsive. The app is great and the third party apps are even better. I’ve not heard positive things from VW or MG owners in terms of software either. Is there any good alternative to Tesla in this domain?

[flagged]

It's one thing to have terrible political views. It's quite another to join the government and lead a crusade to (illegally?) slash and burn government agencies.

And while it's not ok to have terrible views, I can at least summon a token minimal level of respect for someone who keeps quiet about them, vs. someone who needs to yell them over and over, as loud as possible, for everyone to hear.

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#108

Post by haunter » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:20 PM UTC

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #106

nicce wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What reliable is left?

idk but in addition to what was listed already stay away from: Land Rover, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Fiat ... all of them leave you stranded in the middle of the road

Anything from Stellantis is a big no

https://www.stellantis.com/en/brands

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#109

Post by allenrb » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:20 PM UTC

New cars are a fool’s game for most people, imho. Unless you just insist on having the newest thing, they rarely make sense. Couple that with the relentless electronic gadgetry and phone-home surveillance and I may never own a car produced after ~2020. Our current stable:

2007 Mazdaspeed 3, just keeps going. All buttons, no screens.

2016 Porsche Cayman, one small multifunction screen, display only, no touch. Buttons for the very few “features” present on the car.

2016 Ford Transit Connect. 200k miles. Just goes. One small screen, doesn’t interfere with anything critical.

Re: Unsafe and Unpredictable: My Volvo EX90 Experience

#110

Post by haunter » Tue, Jul 22, 2025, 9:21 PM UTC

runako wrote: post #85

nicce wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What reliable is left?

Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Honda. Not sure if Hyundai & Kia are quite as reliable, but if not it's on them because they have some of the best warranties in the industry.

Acura too (Honda's premium brand)