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2015 XC 60 T6 AWD vs 2015 XC 60 T6 Drive E

4K views 26 replies 16 participants last post by  Bmo Pete 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I am planning to get a used 2015 XC 60 T6 soon....I have a few choices from the dealership that I am looking at. Their prices are around the same, the T6 AWD is a $2000 more expensive than the Drive E. I have read some stories about the new engine and some issues that have came up (ie. clicking sounds, low coolant issues, issues with start/stop features). I personally would love to have an engine that has great fuel economy but I am a bit afraid of all the issues that I have read. I know most people who have no problem with the new engine will probably not complain on the forum so I don't want to become biased to one engine vs the other. Any of you are currently driving the new engine? Any issues/problems/odd things about it that I should know about?

Also, I live in Canada, so it's a little colder with snow. Do any of you guys do any rust proofing for volvo? I have read how they are supposed to be rust proofed during the manufacturing process.

Anyway, any feedback would be great.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
At only a $2k difference that would be a no-brainier to me.


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#3 ·
The 2015 T6 Drive-E is FWD so that is a reason why it's $2000 less (awd typically adds $1800 to the price). If you live in Canada than the AWD is probably the better choice and the 3.0L I6 is an amazing motor!


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#6 ·
If the (drive-E) 2.0 T6 were awd, I'd go for that but if its not then I'd go for the 3.0 T6.

I had an S40 T5 fwd for many years, it was the best 2wd that I've ever owned in the snow (they are from Sweden after all) but I got really tired of not having awd. I will not buy another 2wd that I intend to drive in the snow.

My XC90 has the 2.0 T6 and I love it, my wife has the 3.0 T6 and she loves it, both have awd. I use less fuel than she does but hers sounds better. Good luck on your decision, enjoy! :beer:
 
#7 ·
If the (drive-E) 2.0 T6 were awd, I'd go for that but if its not then I'd go for the 3.0 T6.

I had an S40 T5 fwd for many years, it was the best 2wd that I've ever owned in the snow (they are from Sweden after all) but I got really tired of not having awd. I will not buy another 2wd that I intend to drive in the snow.

My XC90 has the 2.0 T6 and I love it, my wife has the 3.0 T6 and she loves it, both have awd. I use less fuel than she does but hers sounds better. Good luck on your decision, enjoy! :beer:
Did you do any rust proofing?
 
#8 ·
I love our 6 cylinder's performance (with Polestar tune), but the fuel economy is pretty bad...partly due to my driving style, I'm sure.

Living in Alaska, I would never buy the FWD version of a car model available with AWD. I would think a Canadian driver would also benefit enough from AWD to make it a worthwhile addition.
 
#12 ·
We average 24 mpg with our '15.5 T6 AWD using regular fuel.


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#14 ·
We average 24 mpg with our '15.5 T6 AWD using regular fuel.

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Get the heck out! Highway, I presume? At 70 mph, we get 20 with the 3.2l. Which is sad, because that's what I get combined on the P* C70 hooning around. 15 psi ftw.
 
#13 ·
I like Drive-E. Volvo has the best rustproofing, the car will be mechanically dead long before rust appears.
 
#16 ·
Regarding rust, Volvos hold up very well indeed. I've owned several 10+ year old examples, they only rust if the paint is damaged. No aftermarket snake oil needed. Lots of pre-2000 s70 and v70 models around here, people keep fixing the mechanical issues and driving them because the body still looks good. Almost unbelievable compared to the Honda, Nissan, Ford, and Dodge/Plymouth cars I've owned, some of which started showing body rust in as little as 4 years. I try to keep this in mind when the dealer gouges me for an OEM part. If the car was rusty I'd never consider fixing it up. I recently replaced the AC compressor on my wife's '06 C70 ($1,100 at the dealer). When the AC died on previous non-Volvo cars I'd just do without until I got rid of it the following spring since it was also starting to show rust. Who would spend that kind of money on a rust bucket?
 
#18 ·
You guys must be driving like old ladies lol. I am happy if I get 19 with 50:50 in our 2015 T6 AWD (no Polestar).
 
#19 ·
In Canada do the T6 AWD and add the mudflaps. Also add the P* tune.. after driving a S60 non-P* tuned T6 it felt really slow (even though it isnt).

As for rust proofing I wouldn't worry about that, I would do paint protection film on the entire front end though (especially if you live where they like to sand/salt the roads).

I should add that I also fall into the 22mpg city 26ish highway category running premium gas and I have the P* tune.
 
#20 ·
I have tracked 21k miles on Fuelly. Average MPG 21.3 (68% highway). Best MPG was 27.1.
 
#21 ·
We have one of each. The reason to get the Drive E would be significantly better gas mileage than the AWD. Both engines perform very well, but the AWD/T6 is a smoother and more familiar drive. The Drive E feels jumpier when accelerating from low speeds. Other than that, I often can't tell the difference to the point I sometimes open the wrong garage door, forgetting which vehicle I'm driving!

My wife's 2015 AWD gets around 19 MPG avg over almost two years of short mostly non-highway suburban driving.
My T6 Drive-E is averaging 25.4 MPG (as reported by Automatic) over 20 months in 50 miles of daily congested commuting with 50% often congested stop/go highway. I only turn on economy mode on long open highway drives since you hardly notice it at cruising speed. Seattle to Portland averages around 30 MPG when I do that vs about 27-28 MPG for long mostly flat trips without economy mode. I frequently disable engine stop/start since it is annoying when dealing with many stops and is rumored to only give you 1 or 2% better MPG on most engines.

So we use the AWD for long winter trips, the Drive-E for long trips during the rest of the year. Both accelerate very well, but the supercharger in the Drive-E actually gives it a slight edge for the first 20 or 30 feet of acceleration. If I could only keep one, it would be the AWD though. It just feels more natural. I wouldn't use the 4 cylinder Drive-E for towing a small trailer either.

IMHO, you only want the Drive-E over the AWD if you drive a lot and highly value the much improved gas mileage. The only problem with either car was an occasional transmission slipping/failing to engage issue that happened on the Drive-E 3 or 4 times when pulling out of the driveway cold. Hasn't happened in over six months I think. I did have to add a quart of oil 5 or 6 months in when the oil light came on, but that's it.
 
#23 ·
Hi everyone,

Just want to update. Instead of getting the preown, we actually got a brand new 2016 XC60 T5 Special Edition! It's a AWD 2.5L 5 cylinder engine. It is a bit more than what we first were budgeted for, but we feel the peace of mind of a new vehicle, the AWD, and being a fully loaded vehicle was worth it. All of your advice really convinced me what I should be looking for. I want to thank everyone who has helped in this forum. Thanks!
 
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