Volvo XC90 Review
What did we drive?
Colour: Bursting Blue Metallic
Interior: Charcoal
Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic AWD
Model Line: R-Design
Wheels: 20” 5-Spoke Alloys
Engine: Four-cylinder turbo charged mild hybrid diesel
0-60: 7.4 seconds
Power: 235 bhp
Emissions: 156 g/km
Price: OTR from £53,085
Find out more about the Volvo XC90
Engines
When picking your XC90, you’d get the choice of petrol, diesel or plug in hybrid engines. All are All-Wheel drive and all have an 8-speed automatic gearbox. We drove a B5 diesel, which is a 1969cc engine that produces 235 horsepower and goes from 0-60 in 7.4 seconds.
Design and Drive
There’s really soft perforated leather/like effect material on the inside of the door and soft touch materials on the dash. The upholstery was a Charcoal Nappa Leather/Nubuck combination and the dash had the metal mesh inlays, which given the choice I would switch out for the Carbon Fibre. It also had the sports leather steering wheel complete with ‘R-Design’ badging and silver sports paddles.
The star of the show on this car is the powered panoramic glass sunroof that comes as part of the Xenium Pack alongside a 360 degree parking camera and Volvos Park Assist Pilot – which is essentially automatic parallel and 90 degree parking.
I was more than happy with this cars’ performance; it’s a BIG heavy car, but it carries its weight well and shifts when it needs to. The brakes are responsive and you can choose between a 4 driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Off-Road.
Visibility is very good for the most part, and for a car of such size it’s surprising easy to manoeuvre. The only real significant blind spot is that caused by the height of the 2nd row seat headrests which effectively block out the far rear window and would make backing around corners a bit more of a struggle if I didn’t have that 360 camera.
Comfort
Let’s talk seats. The XC90 has 7 of them, and unlike the 3rd row in the BMW X5, I actually feel like you could do a decent amount of time in the back seats in this car before it became too uncomfortable. I mean, we’re not talking a trip to Scotland and back, but I reckon 30 minutes to an hour would be completely doable (you just have to be a bit of a contortionist to get in and out).
In terms of comfort for the driver; this car had electronic memory seats that were a little bit on the firmer side. If it’s comfort seats you’re after as well as a slightly softer ride, I’d recommend going for the Inscription or Inscription Pro model variant.
Optional extras such as the 4-zone climate control, air con for the 3rd row back seats and power folding headrests make for a really enjoyable experience for all passengers. There’s even little mesh sunshades to protect from glare. A centre armrest offers cup holders but no additional storage, and as a car built with the family in mind, you can also get an integrated booster seat and power child locks for the rear doors.
With all of the 7 seats in use, boot capacity in the XC90 is 356 litres, put down the 2 extra and it goes up to 1007 litres, and then with all of 5 seats down it’s a massive 1856 litres which is more than the Land Rover Discovery but less than that of the Audi Q7.
Technology
This car was packed with a load of optional extras and it really made it stand out from some of the other Volvos we’ve driven. First off was the Winter Pack, which got us a heated steering wheel, heated windscreen, a headlight cleaning system and heated washer nozzles.
This particular car gets a 9 inch portrait touchscreen as well as a 12” digital drivers display. Use the steering wheel to control the drivers display, and view trip, speed, Sat Nav and a few other options. Whilst the display is nice and clear, it’s nowhere near as customisable as systems in similar BMWs or Mercedes.
The centre touchscreen is slightly angled which makes it much easier to view and access whilst driving. This car comes with Smartphone integration for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as upgraded premium Harmon Kardon surround sound.
It also had Intellisafe Surround, which is a safety feature that compromises of Blind Spot Information System with Steer Assist, Cross Traffic Alert with Autobrake and Rear Collision Mitigation. Even with this addition, the XC90 comes with so much safety kit as standard. Here are just a few of the features:
- Pedestrian, cyclist and large animal recognition with auto braking
- Oncoming lane, and run-off road mitigation
- Speed limiter
- Driver alert control and lane keeping aid
- Slippery Road and Hazard Light Alerts
This car also had Active Bending Headlights with Adaptive Shadow Technology and Front LED Foglights with Cornering Function.
Model Lines - What you'll get:
Momentum Pro
- Heated washer nozzles and steering wheel
- Front seat cushion extensions
- Front LED foglights with cornering function
- Head-Up display
- Ambient lighting
- Multi-directional lumbar support
- Nappa leather upholstery
- Active Bending Headlights with Adaptive Shadow Technology
R-Design is the sportier variant, and has a lot of the features on the Momentum Pro as well as High gloss black styling on the bumper, door mirrors, window surrounds and grille. It also gets contour sports seats, 20” 5-spoke alloy, sports pedals and steering wheel and dark tinted windows.
One up from R-Design, R-Design Pro also gets:
- Heated steering wheel
- Heated washer nozzles
- 22" 5 Double Spoke Alloy Wheels
- Head-Up Display in Windscreen
- Active Four-C Chassis - Four Corner Adaptive Dampers with Electronic Air Suspension
- Active Bending Headlights with Adaptive Shadow Technology
- Front LED Foglights with Cornering Function
Inscription
- 20” 10-spoke alloys
- Integrated sun curtains
- Crystal gear lever
- Matt silver grille with chrome detailing and chrome lower side mouldings
- Multi-directional lumbar support
- Inscription Pro
- Perforated Nappa leather upholstery
- Matt Silver Front Grille with Chrome Detailing
- Headlight cleaning system
- Front Seat Backrest Massage
- 21" 8 Multi Spoke Alloy Wheels
- Head-Up Display
- Active Four-C Chassis - Four Corner Adaptive Dampers with Electronic Air Suspension
If you go for the super powered T8 Twin Engine, you’ll also get:
- 4-Zone Electronic Climate Control and Cooled Glovebox
- 3rd Row Air Conditioning
- Auxiliary Fuel-Fired Heater with Pre-Conditioning Functions
- Lithium-Ion Battery 11.6 kWh
- Electric Rear Axle Drive
- 87hp / 240Nm Electric Motor
