With a standard third-row seat and up to 93.2 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats folded (including the front passenger’s), it’s reasonable to think that the 2005 Volvo XC90 V8 is a utility champ. That’s true, as long as children occupy the third-row seat and you can accept the struggle to create and use the maximum cargo space. Our test car’s utility score was hampered by the ironically titled Convenience package, which included a cargo cover. The cargo cover is not light, and must be removed to use the third-row seats. When the cargo cover is removed and the third-row seats are in use, there is nowhere inside the XC90 to store the cargo cover – it must be taken out of the vehicle and placed elsewhere. This is terribly inconvenient, made more so by the split hatch design of the tailgate. To remove the cargo cover, pop the hatch and lower the bottom portion of the tailgate. Climb onto the hard plastic finish of the tailgate, reach in, and detach the unwieldy cargo cover. Carefully maneuver it past the D-pillars and third-row seatbelt webbing, slide off the tailgate, and stow the cover in your home or garage. What? Just arrived at the airport to pick up family and didn’t think ahead? Well, you’re sorry now. Have riders in the second row of rear seats hold it on their laps. On an angle. Or with the ends poking out of the side windows. Raising and lowering the third-row seat must be performed from the rear side doors. Tilt and slide the second-row chair forward, and deploy the third-row seat by flipping the backrest up and yanking the bottom cushion out of its cubby under the cargo floor. This is actually an ingenious design, and includes full-sized headrests that never have to be removed. When the third-row seat is stowed away, the XC90 V8 provides a huge cargo space, plenty to carry the luggage of four or five passengers. Reaching bags that are located near the second-row backrests, however, is a challenge due to that lower tailgate portion that must be folded down. Either you must lean against its leading edge and stretch to get that errant bag, potentially soiling the front of your pants, or you must hop up onto the tailgate and reach into the XC90 on all fours, entertaining all manner of passersby. Though it creates a nice seat for soccer games, most of the time this tailgate design is a hassle. Folding the second-row seats down to maximize room is easy, but the resulting load floor is riddled with gaps through which small items could disappear, and the plastic lid for the third-row storage bin is exposed to potential scratches. The front passenger’s seatback also folds in half by pulling two releases near the floor and flopping the seat forward. The upholstery on the seatback could easily be damaged by sharp objects, so lift rather than slide longer cargo to avoid punctures.
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