2010 Volvo XC60: Rear-View Mirror

That is pretty bad. Doesn't Ford use a similar box in the Taurus. My Dad's Corvette has a box about the size of a pencil case attached to the windshield to the right of the rear view mirror. It's kind of annoying but not too bad.

Where are you supposed to attach an easypass on this car?

Takes up too much space. However, I always have issues with rear-view mirrors blocking my field of vision. At 6'1" I'm not overly tall , but most rear-view mirrors, even when adjusted to their highest possible setting, block the view of on-coming passenger-side traffic when sitting at a stop light, 4 way stop, or any other type of crossroads.

Any other six + footers out there run into this?

Yeah, it takes up too much space for me. The less crap I have to have on my windshield, the better I can drive and the less I need all of the e-nannies. I currently have an inspection sticker and registration sticker in the bottom driver's side corner and a tolltag in the middle, but the tolltag is directly behind the mirror so it doesn't block anything. Still too much for me.

Why not take the picture from a normal driving position and ask again?

"Any other six + footers out there run into this?"

My mirror blocks vision similarly as you describe. It is very annoying having to hunch to read street signs and such. This box probably wouldn't block vision from the driver's side, but it would the passenger side since they have to look at the ugly thing all the time. The driver has the mirror in the way.

I've seen windshields more cluttered than this. I've seen a car with a navigation screen, radar detector, auto-toll transmitter, oil change sticker, parking permit and a not pad stuck to the windshield. It amazed me that they could look out at all.

Added another shot taken from a normal driving position. -- Donna

I'm 6-4, depending on the rake of the windshield it is already hard to see center mounted overhead stop lights and this huge whatever it is would only make it worse. There must be a way to shrink that.

it's fugly.

At 6'4", I am also in the "too tall for normal cars" boat. The problem I have noticed the most is missing pedestrians on the far passenger side of an intersection. It is particularly troubling because the timing would likely be just right to hit them, too. This, and the windshield height itself, were worst in the MINIs I had, but are not much better in any other smaller car. My current 335i is no exception, either.

Coming from a background driving trucks, I really do not use that mirror much anyway, because you learn to live without it in the truck world. I think my driving would be safer without the mirror. I want to rip them off when they don't have an auto-dim feature, as they definitely make driving more dangerous (at least more annoying) at night.

It seems to me the design would be better if it were wider and did not extend as far down the windshield, but the shape suggests that there might be a reason for it being the way it is.

I always have a hard time persuading people to mount toll passes and other RFID tags behind the mirror, instead of at the top of the windshield. I figure that it makes sense to keep as much visible space open as possible, but apparently aesthetics win out for most.

At least you'll never have the sun shining in your eyes between the sun visors.

It seems a little big but like you said...I am sure you get used to it. Thanks for the other shot!

FAIL - I'm yet another tall driver (6'5"), this eliminates the Volvo from my list immediately. There's not 'getting used to' bad visibility.

Of course, not having those systems will not have that thing on the windshield in the first place.

I too am 6'4" and stuff like this can be an issue - especially if there are chunky A pillars too.

BTW - I will take the vintage Bronco (lottery list) that was in front of you though.....no matter or whatever it has on its windshield.

Its on the big side given the size of the Volvo, on a F450+ or Medium Duty truck than yes it wouldn't be much of a bother.

"Any other six + footers out there run into this?"

This is a problem I have frequently and I'm only 6'2". There is no excuse for poor visibility. Its also not something I ever want to have to just 'get used to'.

I guess the only benefit is that you won't get the sun glaring in your eyes from that little gap above the mirror.. but yeah, that is pretty huge. Seems like you would miss street signs or lights with that part that drops below the mirror.

Rick85, I'm with you an the Bronco. I owned a '71, it was a great little truck.

Since so many of the vertically gifted are weighing in here, allow me to bitch about the apparently inability of 98% of car interior designers to design a sun visor that covers 100% of the door glass. I can't tell you how often I am blinded by the sun shining through the 3 inch gap that seems to exist between the B-pillar and the end of the shade on most cars.

I have run across a couple of good solutions, the old Ford Taurus has an extension that slides out (I have seen this on other cars too) and one car, I wish I remembered which, the shade could slide back and forth on its rod, by far the best way to handle it.

"FAIL - I'm yet another tall driver (6'5"), this eliminates the Volvo from my list immediately. There's not 'getting used to' bad visibility."

Guess you wont be getting a new Camaro anytime soon.

A slight over reaction by most as usual. The visibility is superb on the Volvo compared to so many cars out there now, can anyone really dispute that? The "bunker" look is so in style nowdays and it truly sucks. The XC60 is so far away from that.

Wait until the windshield needs to be replaced. The glass shop will never be able to reinstall all those electronic components correctly and the dealer is going to charge an arm and leg for the work.

That is pretty unsightly (literally, get it?). I have noticed this trend with Volvos as of late. I was just recently in a co-worker's new, fully-loaded S80 (which really is nice car) and was amazed at how terrible the visibility was. The combination of Volvo's curvaceous styling langauge, massive pillars, and myriad electronic sensors that all have needlessly large housings (I work in aerospace, so believe me I know that they don't need to be that large) makes driving a modern Volvo remarkably challenging. I know you would get used to it, but I wonder why a safety-pioneer like Volvo would overlook such a basic feature of automotive safety?

That looks like an enormous pain in the ass for those of us who use EZ-Passes out here in the east. That blob sits just right where the transponder is supposed to go...