Our Volvo XC90's First Service Includes Oil Change, Software Update
CARS.COM — The 2016 Volvo XC90 in Cars.com’s long-term test fleet went 10,930 miles before its first trip to the dealership. At the same time, we had technicians check for software updates that might help the large multimedia screen’s performance, which has seemingly slowed a bit since our new-vehicle purchase.
Related: Follow Our Long-Term Fleet
A maintenance reminder ensured we knew it was time for service by first alerting us ahead of the scheduled maintenance with the message, “Book time for maintenance.” A little later, it instructed, “Time for regular maintenance.” That was followed by, “Maintenance overdue,” and when we passed 10,000 miles, “Hey, numbskull, get the oil changed!” OK, not that last one — but perhaps we went a little over the recommended mileage.
The 10,000-mile service replaced the full-synthetic 5W-30-weight oil and oil filter, and included a laundry list of checks and inspections that revealed it was time for a tire rotation. On the technology front, our touch-screen did receive an update, but it doesn’t seem like touch responsiveness has significantly improved. The majority of the changes were adding new functions and applications, including an update to acquire the in-car version of the Spotify streaming music app, which we plan to cover more in-depth.
The software update we received, according to Jim Nichols, Volvo product and technology communications manager, includes the following changes:
New Functions
- After shifting to Park and shutting off the vehicle, all doors unlock when one of the front doors is opened. This function is active when the Remote Unlock setting is set to Unlock All Doors.
- The ability to choose standard cruise control without distance-keeping. The setting is active for the current drive cycle and defaults to adaptive cruise control at the next drive cycle.
- The addition of Driver Profiles
- Large Animal Detection is added to the City Safety function.
Apps
- Remote updates were renamed Download Center.
- Spotify is now available in the Download Center.
- Record & Send is now available in the Download Center.
- SiriusXM Travel Link
Navigation
- The Pause Guidance button has changed to Cancel Guidance.
The oil change, tire rotation and software update were all included in Volvo’s complimentary factory-scheduled maintenance covering the first three services (at 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 miles) for up to three years or 36,000 miles. Even though we’re looking to eclipse 20,000 miles in a year, which is higher than the average 13,400 miles a year the Federal Highway Administration says people travel, it doesn’t look like we’ll have to budget for maintenance costs with Volvo’s stout complimentary maintenance plan. The price of tires, on the other hand, could quickly add up.
