Compare the2024 Ford ExplorerVS 2024 Volvo XC90

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Explorer are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The XC90 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Ford Explorer has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The XC90 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the Explorer and the XC90 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Explorer is safer than the Volvo XC90:

	Explorer	XC90
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	137
Neck Injury Risk	26.3%	27%
Neck Stress	167 lbs.	252 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/210 lbs.	567/631 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Injury Risk	29.2%	31%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Explorer is safer than the Volvo XC90:

	Explorer	XC90
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	224 lbs.	255 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	86	94
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	604 lbs.	608 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Ford Explorer is safer than the XC90:

	Explorer	XC90
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	86	123
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	7 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.98 in	1.38 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.42 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	825 lbs.	915 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Explorer is .8% to 4.4% less likely to roll over than the XC90.

The Ford Explorer has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The XC90 is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024, though it hasn’t yet been rated in the updated moderate overlap frontal test, a requirement for the “Top Safety Pick Plus” award.

Warranty

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Explorer 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the XC90. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the XC90 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 10 times as many Ford dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Explorer’s warranty.

Reliability

The Explorer has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The XC90 doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. With 49 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Ford higher than Volvo.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volvo is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 3 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

Engine

The Explorer has more powerful engines than the XC90:

	Horsepower	Torque
Explorer 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder	300 HP	310 lbs.-ft.
Explorer ST/King Ranch/Platinum 3.0 turbo V6	400 HP	415 lbs.-ft.
XC90 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	247 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	295 HP	310 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Explorer turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid:

	Explorer	XC90
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	6.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.2 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Explorer gets better mileage than the XC90 running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Explorer
	RWD	2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
XC90
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

Both the Explorer and the XC90 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Explorers have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The XC90 Recharge doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Explorer uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The XC90 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Explorer V6 Turbo’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the XC90 (20.2 vs. 18.8 gallons).

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Explorer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the XC90.

Brakes and Stopping

The Explorer stops much shorter than the XC90:

	Explorer	XC90
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Explorer has larger standard tires than the XC90 (255/65R18 vs. 235/55R19).

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Explorer can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The XC90 doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Explorer has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The XC90 Ultimate suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The front and rear suspension of the Explorer uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC90, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

The Explorer’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The XC90 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Explorer’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the XC90 (119.1 inches vs. 117.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Explorer is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the XC90.

The Explorer ST 4WD handles at .86 G’s, while the XC90 B6 Core pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Explorer ST 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the XC90 B6 Ultimate (26.4 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Explorer’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the XC90’s (38.4 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

Chassis

The Ford Explorer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Volvo XC90.

The front grille of the Explorer uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The XC90 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Explorer XLT 4WD is quieter than the XC90 B6 Core:

	Explorer	XC90
At idle	40 dB	48 dB
Full-Throttle	73 dB	74 dB

Passenger Space

The Explorer has 48.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XC90 (152.7 vs. 103.8).

The Explorer has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front legroom, 3.2 inches more front hip room, 4.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear headroom, 2 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room, 5.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.6 inches more third row headroom, .3 inches more third row legroom and 7.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the XC90.

Cargo Capacity

The Explorer’s cargo area provides more volume than the XC90.

	Explorer	XC90
Behind Third Seat	18.2 cubic feet	12.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	47.9 cubic feet	35.6 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	87.8 cubic feet	85.7 cubic feet

The Explorer’s cargo area is larger than the XC90’s in almost every dimension:

	Explorer	XC90
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	20.8”/49.8”/83.9”	21.8”/49.6”/80.3”
Max Width	59”	54.7”
Min Width	48.1”	44.5”
Height	33.7”	35”

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Volvo XC90 is limited to 5000 pounds. The Explorer 4WD offers up to a 5600 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Explorer is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the XC90. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Explorer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The XC90 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Volvo On Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Explorer has standard extendable sun visors. The XC90 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Explorer ST/Platinum’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The XC90 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Explorer is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XC90 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Explorer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Explorer will cost $230 to $5410 less than the XC90 over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Explorer is less expensive to operate than the XC90 because it costs $136 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Explorer than the XC90, including $503 less for a water pump, $92 less for front brake pads, $420 less for a starter, $220 less for fuel injection, $250 less for a fuel pump, $184 less for front struts and $64 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Explorer will be $12330 to $18152 less than for the Volvo XC90.

Recommendations

The Ford Explorer outsold the Volvo XC90 by almost five to one during 2023.