The Volvo XC90 was a surprisingly fun vehicle to drive. Lots of safety features that I have not seen in other cars. The interior, seen here in the photo that accompanies this article, is spacious and well finished. One might think that practically any mount will fit the Volvo XC90 just fine but unfortunately that’s incorrect.
Mount Discussion
This article will dive into some good and a few not so good locations to mount a phone, GPS or tablet.
Let’s first get the locations that aren’t going to work well out of the way. There’s no CD player, so that location is out of the picture. The cup holders are set too far back to be useful so we’re avoiding that location. The middle of the dash has a huge speaker so it makes adhering anything to the dash rather tricky. We’re going to avoid that location too.
Speaking of things that are huge, that middle display panel is huge. It looks like something better suited for playing video games versus changing a radio station. Equally large vents can be found on either side of that large display console. Use one of those vents to mount a phone or GPS.
Volvo XC90 Favorite Mount Location is the Vent
We like the vent the most for a perfect viewing angle and easy access.
If opting for a vent mount, consider the Andobil Air Vent Mount. We recently discovered this vent mount and we were very impressed. The cradle will hold a device up to 3.75 inches wide. It has a ball and socket so the cradle swivels into any orientation. The cradle is removable to expose a 17mm ball suitable for a Garmin vehicular GPS such as a Garmin Nuvi or Garmin Drive.
Apple iPhone owners can scope out the Andobil MagSafe Air Vent Mount which is the same mount but with a magnetic adapter that pairs perfectly.
We wrote a full review of the Andobil mount awhile back and it’s worth reading for more information.
Other Mount Recommendations for a Volvo XC90
Next, can’t go wrong with the windshield. The Volvo XC90 is a larger SUV so using an extension mount is going to be helpful. The iOttie Easy One Touch 5 Car Mount provides an extendable rigid base combined with an expandable cradle. Unlike many similar mounts, the iOttie Easy One Touch 5 has an 8-inch extension feature. This extension is a welcome feature in a Volvo XC90. The included cradle expands by pressing the buttons on each side. This is large enough to hold most phones.
The next location to consider is the seat bolt. Removal seat bolts have been difficult to find but the Volvo XC90 has one and that’s a great place for mounting a small to medium size tablet that doesn’t need to be viewed while driving. Mount this on the passenger side, not the driver’s.
Consider the Arkon 22″ Car Seat Rail Phone or Tablet Mount. The included cradle opens to over seven inches which is wide enough to fit tablets up to the size of the Apple iPad Mini. It’s also going to fit most phones as the expandable cradle will fit smaller devices too. The 22-inch flexible stem can be angled to keep it out of the passenger’s way. Arkon makes an 18 and 22-inch. We’re recommending the longer model as the additional 4-inches come in handy in this larger SUV.
Mount Summary
So in summary, the Volvo XC90 is good with the windshield, air vent or seat bolt mount locations. The dash, cup holder and (missing) CD player are not going to work well.