I've owned Volvos continually since I bought a new 164 back in '73 (not a typo :-), followed by a '75 and then a string of 240's up to my present pair of '93s. Along the way, I've also bought a couple of toys, an '85 Dodge GLH Turbo and a '76-1/2 Honda Accord. And I've bought a used M-B 300E for my wife and 190E2.3 for my daughter, and an '84 grey market Gelaendewagen for towing our boats; but eventually, we all settled on just Volvos (daughter bought herself a new '07 S60 2.5T).

Now, without the GWagen anymore, we need to buy a new tow vehicle for our upcoming retirement's boat and camper, so naturally I considered the XC90. Its advertised 5,000 lb towing weight was adequate for our modest selections. And on a vacation a few months ago to California, we rented one (for about 800 miles of driving) and really liked it.

That tow rating, however, appears to be a lie (for all practical purposes). I happened to access an owners manual (which is usually not seen by a purchaser until after they take their new car home), and on page 153 of the 2010 model year's owners manual, it clearly shows in a table that the towing limit for two passengers is 5,000 lbs, but if there are more than two people on-board, it drops drastically: with a third person, it is 4,500; with a fourth, it is only 3,700 lbs; and with a fifth person it is 2,900 lbs. This is from 500 to 800 lbs less towing capacity per person!

And this would mean that, for example, we couldn't take our daughter and son-in-law boating with us unless they drove separately in their own car. I resent having this caveat hidden from prospective buyers until after they take home their car. As a result, I'm considering another brand for my SUV. One possibility is the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee for 2011.

Has anyone ever encountered such hidden information in buying another brand vehicle?