2019 VOLVO XC90 TWIN ENGINE transmission

STARTING AND DRIVING
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457
This drive mode is optimized for maximum control
when driving at low speeds on very poor roads or
difficult terrain. It raises the chassis
3
, reduces
driveline throttle response, and locks the vehicle
in all-wheel drive. The Hill Descent Control func-
tion facilitates controlled driving on steep down-
grades.
NOTE This drive mode is not designed to be used
for normal street driving.
NOTE
Due to the increased ground clearance, if the
OFF ROAD mode was selected when the
engine was switched off, the suspension will
lower when the engine is restarted.
CAUTION
Do not use the OFF ROAD drive mode when
towing a trailer without an electrical connec-
tion. This could result in damage to the pneu-
matic suspension system's bellows.
AWD

Improves the vehicle's traction and handling
by increasing all-wheel drive. This drive mode locks the vehicle in all-wheel
drive. An optimal distribution between front and
rear axle torque helps provide the best possible
control, stability and traction, e.g. on slippery
roads or when towing a heavy trailer or another
vehicle. The AWD drive mode is always available
regardless of the hybrid battery's charge status.
Both the combustion engine and the electric
motor are engaged to enable all-wheel drive,
which results in higher fuel consumption.
In the other drive modes, the vehicle automati-
cally adapts the need for all-wheel drive accord-
ing to the road surface, and can activate the elec-
tric motor or start the combustion engine as nee-
ded.
POWER

Power mode is designed to provide sportier
driving characteristics and a faster accelera-
tion response.
This drive mode maximizes the combined power
from the combustion engine and the electric
motor by providing power to both the front and
rear wheels. Gear shifting will be faster and more
distinct and the transmission will prioritize gears
with a higher traction force. Steering response is
faster, suspension is stiffer and ground clearance
is lower 3
to help reduce body roll when cornering. Both the combustion engine and the electric
motor are engaged to enable all-wheel drive,
which results in higher fuel consumption.
This drive mode is optimized for maximum per-
formance and throttle response. It changes the
throttle response, gear shifting program and
turbo boost system. Chassis settings and steer-
ing and brake response are also optimized. The
Power drive mode is always available regardless
of the hybrid battery's charge status.
3
For vehicles with pneumatic suspension.

STARTING AND DRIVING
473
Slippery driving conditionsFor optimal traction and roadholding, Volvo rec-
ommends using snow tires on all wheels when-
ever there is a risk of snow or ice on the road.
NOTECertain countries require use of winter tires
by law. Not all countries permit the use of
studded tires.
Practice driving on slippery surfaces under con-
trolled conditions to learn how the vehicle reacts.
Related information

Snow tires (p. 581)
Snow chains (p. 581)
Braking on salted roads (p. 441)
Braking on wet roads (p. 441)
Filling washer fluid (p. 662)
Start battery (p. 627)
Replacing windshield wiper blades (p. 660)
Changing rear window wipers (p. 659)
Refilling coolant (p. 625) Driving through standing water
Driving the vehicle through a deep pool of stand-
ing water on a water-covered roadway is called
fording. This must be done with great caution.
To prevent damage to the vehicle when driving
through water (e.g. on flooded roads):
Do not drive in water higher than the floor of
the vehicle. If possible, check the depth of
the water at its deepest point before driving
through it. Be particularly careful when driv-
ing through flowing water.
Always select the
Off Road drive mode
before driving in water to ensure the gasoline
engine is running.
Do not drive faster than walking speed.
Do not stop the vehicle in the water. Drive
carefully forward or back the vehicle out of
the water.
Remember that waves created by passing
vehicles could cause the water level to rise
above the vehicle's floor level.
Avoid driving through salt water to help avoid
the risk of corrosion.
CAUTION Parts of the vehicle (e.g. engine, transmission,
driveline, electrical components, etc.) can be
damaged if the vehicle is driven through water
higher than its floor level. Damage to any
components caused by flooding, vapor lock or
insufficient oil is not covered under warranty.
If the engine stalls while the vehicle is in
water, do not attempt to restart it. Have the
vehicle towed on the bed of a tow truck to a
workshop - an authorized Volvo workshop is
recommended.
CAUTION
Because it can be difficult to determine the
water depth, avoid driving through standing or
running water.
When you have passed the water, press lightly on
the brake pedal and check that the brakes are
functioning properly. Water, mud, slush, etc. can
make the brake linings slippery, resulting in
delayed braking effect.
If the vehicle is equipped with a trailer coupling
contact, clean the contact after driving in water or
mud.
Related information

Recovery (p. 489)
Low Speed Control (p. 464)

STARTING AND DRIVING
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479
Emission controls
Three-way catalytic converter

Keep your engine properly tuned. Certain
engine malfunctions, particularly involving the
electrical, fuel or distributor ignition systems,
may cause unusually high three-way catalytic
converter temperatures. Do not continue to
operate your vehicle if you detect engine
misfire, noticeable loss of power or other
unusual operating conditions, such as engine
overheating or backfiring. A properly tuned
engine will help avoid malfunctions that
could damage the three-way catalytic con-
verter.
Do not park your vehicle over combustible
materials, such as grass or leaves, which can
come into contact with the hot exhaust sys-
tem and cause such materials to ignite under
certain wind and weather conditions.
Excessive starter cranking (in excess of one
minute), or an intermittently firing or flooded
engine can cause three-way catalytic con-
verter or exhaust system overheating.
Remember that tampering or unauthorized
modifications to the engine, the Engine Con-
trol Module, or the vehicle may be illegal and
can cause three-way catalytic converter or
exhaust system overheating. This includes:
altering fuel injection settings or compo-
nents, altering emission system components or location or removing components, and/or
repeated use of leaded fuel.NOTE Unleaded fuel is required for vehicles with
three-way catalytic converters.
Heated oxygen sensorsThe heated oxygen sensors monitor the oxygen
content of the exhaust gases. Readings are fed
into a control module that continuously monitors
engine functions and controls fuel injection. The
ratio of fuel to air into the engine is continuously
adjusted for efficient combustion to help reduce
harmful emissions.
Related information

Octane rating (p. 477)
Fuel (p. 476) Overheating of engine and
transmission
In demanding driving conditions, such as driving
in mountainous areas or hot weather, there is a
risk of the engine or transmission overheating,
especially when carrying heavy loads.
Engine power may be temporarily limited.
Remove any auxiliary lights mounted in front
of the grille when driving in hot weather.
If the temperature in the engine's cooling
system becomes too high, a warning symbol
will appear in the instrument panel along with
the message Engine temperature High
temperature Stop safely. Pull over to a safe location and let the engine idle for a few
minutes to cool down.
If the message
Engine temperature High
temperature Turn off engine or Engine
coolant Level low, turn off engine is dis- played, stop the vehicle and turn off the
engine.
If the transmission begins to overheat, an
alternative gear shifting program will be
selected. An integrated protective function
will also be activated, the warning symbol will
illuminate and the message Transmission
warm
Reduce speed to lower
temperature or Transmission hot Stop
safely, wait for cooling will be displayed in the instrument panel. Follow the recommen-
dations given by reducing speed or stopping

||STARTING AND DRIVING
480
the vehicle safely and letting the engine idle
for a few minutes to let the transmission
cool.
If the vehicle begins to overheat, the air con-
ditioning may be temporarily switched off.
After a prolonged period of driving in
demanding conditions, do not turn off the
engine immediately after stopping.
NOTE It is normal for the engine's cooling fan to
operate for a short time after the engine is
switched off.
Symbols in the instrument panel
Symbol
Meaning High engine temperature. Follow
the recommendations provided.
Low coolant level. Follow the rec-
ommendations provided.
Transmission hot/overheated/cool-
ing. Follow the recommendations
provided.
Related information

Refilling coolant (p. 625)
Driving with a trailer (p. 483)
Preparing for a long trip (p. 472) Battery drain
The electrical functions in the vehicle drain the
battery to varying degrees. Avoid using ignition
mode II when the engine is switched off. Use
ignition mode I instead, as this uses less electri-
cal current.
Note that certain accessories may also drain
power from the electrical system. Do not use
functions that use a lot of electrical current when
the engine is turned off. Examples of such func-
tions are: blower
headlights
windshield wipers
audio system (especially at high volume).
If the starter battery voltage is low, a message is
shown in the driver display. The vehicle's energy-
saving function will then turn off or reduce certain
functions, such as the blower and/or the audio
system.
– Charge the battery by starting the engine
and let it run for at least 15 minutes (driving
charges the battery faster than letting the
engine idle).
Related information
Start battery (p. 627)
Ignition modes (p. 437)

STARTING AND DRIVING
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* Option/accessory. 485
The automatic transmission selects the optimal
gear for the current load and engine speed.
Steep inclines
Do not lock the automatic transmission into a
higher gear than what the engine can handle ‒ it
is not always preferable to drive in high gears at
low rpm.
Parking on a hill
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Put the gear selector in P.
4. Release the brake pedal.
Put chocks behind the wheels when the vehicle
is parked on a hill with a trailer attached.
Starting on a hill
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Put the gear selector in D.
3. Release the parking brake.
4. Release the brake pedal and start driving.
Related information
Trailer Stability Assist* (p. 485)
Checking trailer lights (p. 486)
Towing capacity and tongue weight (p. 670)
Overheating of engine and transmission
(p. 479) Trailer Stability Assist*
Trailer Stability Assist (TSA 8
) is a function
designed to help stabilize a vehicle that is tow-
ing a trailer when the vehicle and trailer have
begun to sway. The function is part of the Elec-
tronic Stability Control system ESC 9
.
Reasons for swayingA vehicle towing a trailer may begin to sway for
various reasons. Normally this only occurs at high
speeds. However, if the trailer is overloaded or
unevenly distributed, e.g. too far back, there is a
risk of swaying even at low speeds.
Swaying may be caused by factors such as:
The vehicle and trailer are hit by a sudden,
strong crosswind.
The vehicle and trailer are traveling on an
uneven road or over a bump.
Sudden movements of the steering wheel.
Once swaying has begun, it can be difficult or
impossible to stop it. This makes the vehicle and
trailer difficult to control and there is a risk of
swerving into oncoming traffic or driving off the
road.
Trailer Stability Assist functionTrailer Stability Assist continuously monitors the
vehicle's movements, particularly lateral move- ments. If swaying is detected, the brakes are
applied individually on the front wheels, which has
a stabilizing effect on the vehicle and trailer. This
is often enough to enable the driver to regain
control of the vehicle.
If the Trailer Stability Assist function's first
attempt is not adequate to stop the swaying
motion, the brakes are applied on all wheels and
engine power is temporarily reduced. As the
swaying motion begins to decrease and the vehi-
cle and trailer have once again become stable,
TSA stops regulating the brakes/engine power
and the driver regains control of the vehicle.
NOTE
Trailer Stability Assist is deactivated if the
driver selects the sport mode by deactivating
ESC in the center display's menu system. Trailer Stability Assist may not intervene if the
driver tries to compensate for the swaying motion
by moving the steering wheel rapidly, because
the system will then not be able to determine if it
is the trailer or the driver causing the swaying.
8
Trailer Stability Assist
9 Electronic Stability Control

AUDIO, MEDIA AND INTERNET
* Option/accessory.
508 HD Radio™
limitations
Limitations

Main channel vs. sub-channels (FM only):
The main channel is the only channel that
can receive in hybrid mode (both digital and
analog). If a frequency has sub-channels,
they are broadcast in digital mode only. The
main FM channel will be displayed as, for
example, "WRIF-FM HD1". The sub-FM
channels will be displayed as"WRIF-FM
HD2", "WRIF-FM HD3", etc.
Reception coverage area: Due to current
IBOC transmitter power limitations, the
reception coverage area in digital mode is
somewhat more limited than the station's
analog coverage area. Be aware that, like all
radio transmission technology, terrain, time of
day, vegetation and buildings can have a
positive or negative effect on radio reception.
Analog to digital/digital to analog blend-
ing: Analog to digital blending will occur as
the signal strength reaches a preset thresh-
old in the receiver. This will be noticeable in
fringe areas (areas with weak reception) and
is normal.
NOTE There may be a noticeable difference in
sound quality when a change from analogue
to digital or digital to analogue occurs, such
as:
Volume increase or decrease
Equalizer settings, i.e., Bass/ Midrange/
Treble cut or boost
Time alignment (Digital program material
in extreme cases can be as much as 8
seconds behind the analogue). This will
noticeable as a "stuttering" effect.
The above items are dependant on the
broadcaster's equipment settings and do
not indicate a fault in the vehicle's radio
receiver or antenna systems.
Related information
HD Radio™ (p. 505)
Activating and deactivating the HD Radio™
(p. 506)
HD Radio
™
sub-channels (p. 507) SiriusXM
®
Satellite radio*
The SiriusXM ®
Satellite system broadcasts from
of a number of high elevation satellites in geo-
synchronous orbit.
Listening to satellite radioThe digital signals from the satellites are line-of-
sight, which means that physical obstructions
such as bridges, tunnels, etc, may temporarily
interfere with signal reception.
Avoid any obstructions, such as metallic objects
transported on roof racks or in a ski box, or other
antennas that may impede signals from the
SiriusXM ®
satellites.
Selecting SiriusXM ®
Satellite radio
mode
1. From the center display's Home view, swipe from right to left to come to App view. 2.
Tap the SiriusXM ®
Satellite radio icon.

||WHEELS AND TIRES
* Option/accessory.
580
WARNING
The vehicle must never be driven with
more than one "Temporary Spare" tire
mounted.
Driving with a spare wheel may alter the
driving characteristics of the vehicle.
Replace the spare wheel with a normal
wheel as soon as possible.
The spare wheel is smaller than the nor-
mal wheel, which affects the vehicle's
ground clearance. Watch for high curbs
and do not wash the vehicle in an auto-
matic car wash when a spare wheel is
mounted.
Follow the manufacturer's recommended
tire inflation pressure for the spare wheel.
On all-wheel drive vehicles, the drive on
the rear axle can be disconnected.
If the spare wheel is mounted on the
front axle, snow chains must not be used.
The spare wheel must not be repaired.
CAUTION The vehicle must not be driven with wheels of
different dimensions or with a spare tire other
than the one that came with the vehicle. The
use of different size wheels can seriously
damage your vehicle's transmission.
Related information

When changing wheels (p. 574)
Recommended tire pressure (p. 569) Accessing the spare wheel
Follow these instructions regarding handling the
spare wheel. The spare wheel is stored in a bag and should be
secured with two straps onto the floor of the
trunk/cargo compartment when the vehicle is
being driven
16
. The straps should be strapped
down crosswise over the wheel, attached to the
load anchoring eyelets and pulled taut.
Wheel changing tools are located under the
cargo compartment floor.
Related information
Spare wheel (p. 579)

||MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE
* Option/accessory.
616 7.
Tap Send appointment request.
>

You will receive an appointment sugges-
tion by email within a couple of days 7
.
You will also receive the same message
via email and when you log in to
www.volvocars.com.
On some markets, the message in the
instrument panel indicating that the vehi-
cle requires service will go out once the
appointment request has been sent.
8. Tap Cancel request if you would like to
cancel your request.
The appointment request contains information
about your vehicle that helps the workshop plan
for your visit.
The retailer will send you a digital appointment
suggestion. Information about your retailer is also
available in the vehicle so that you can contact
your workshop at any time.
Accepting an appointment suggestionWhen the vehicle has received an appointment
suggestion, a message will be displayed at the
top of the center display.
1. Tap the message. 2. To accept the suggested appointment, tap
Accept. Otherwise, tap Send new
proposal or Decline.
For some markets, the system reminds you when
an appointment time is approaching and the navi-
gation system 8
can also guide you to the work-
shop at the appointed time.
Related information
Vehicle status (p. 614)
Sending vehicle information to the workshop
(p. 616)
Navigating in the center display's views
(p. 115)
Volvo ID (p. 26)
Internet-connected vehicle* (p. 541) Sending vehicle information to the
workshop
9
Vehicle-related information can be sent at any
time from the vehicle, e.g. if you schedule a visit
to a workshop and would like to assist your
workshop by providing additional basic informa-
tion. Sending vehicle information is not the same
as scheduling service. 1.
Open the Car Status app from App view in
the center display.
2. Tap Appointments.
3. Tap Send vehicle data.
>

A message confirming that vehicle-related
information has been sent will appear at
the top of the center display. You can
cancel data transmission by tapping the
checkbox in the activity indicator.
Information is sent via the vehicle's Inter-
net connection 10
. 7
Timespan may vary depending on market.
8 For vehicles with Sensus Navigation*.
9 Certain markets only.
10 There may be a charge for transmitting data over the Internet, depending\
on your service plan.