Volvo XC90

The original XC90 was a hugely important car for Volvo, establishing them in the large SUV market with a product that was good looking, versatile and safe. After 12 years, it also proved something of a cash generator, enabling the Swedish manufacturer to invest in its replacement, Volvo’s first in-house car since Ford sold the company to Chinese firm Geely in 2010. Sitting on top of Volvo’s new scalable chassis, and put together at a cost of $11 billion, the new model improves on every area with only one single component making the transfer across that’s the optional built-in child seat. Everything else is new, making it stiffer, stronger, more spacious and more driveable. It remains identifiably an XC90 though, while the seven-seats remain as standard on UK models.

The new chassis, along with optional air suspension fitted to the launch model, make sure that the XC90 is an exceptionally competent car on the road. The ride quality is sublime, isolating you from the rougher parts of the road with a degree of finesse rarely seen, even on cars with six-figure price tags. But ride quality isn’t at the expense of handling ability, though, with the two-tonne XC90 able to be hauled round bends with confidence.

The cabin itself is a pretty special place to be, with three years of work ensuring it is just right.

There’s a fair amount of body roll when pressing on, but at slower speeds it’s light and surprisingly agile, making it as easy to drive through a busy city as it is on the open road. Adjustable suspension, steering and throttle settings enable you to pin down your preferred set-up, although none could be considered sporty despite the 221bhp produced by the 2.0-litre four-cylinder D5 engine. Hushed and refined, you’ll barely notice the engine until the throttle is pressed hard. A growl is audible as it powers you to 62mph in 7.8 seconds, although it never feels quick thanks to that isolation. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is suitably smooth, most of the time, although does let the side down when under pressure, leaving changes slightly too late and momentarily spoiling the tranquil atmosphere in the cabin.

The cabin itself is a pretty special place to be, with three years of work ensuring it is just right. Soft flowing lines with stitched leather and light wood detailing looks suitably Swedish, and there’s a sense of quality throughout the whole interior. Nowhere will you find cheap plastics, even low down by the floor, while every touch point has had special attention paid to it. The dominant feature of the dashboard, a centrally positioned seven-inch touchscreen, works effectively. As well as detecting touch, there are banks of infra-red sensors that pick up where you’re pressing before you contact the screen, making it feel not only incredibly quick and snappy, but with the happy side effect that it’s useable while wearing gloves. Clear graphics make it easy to use, while a single swipe to either side will bring up seldom-used, but important controls. Only the clunky movement of the climate controls on the screen detracts, but for every driver that changes settings on every journey, there’ll be another that just sets it to a single temperature and then never touches it again.

In the middle row, the three seats will accommodate adults with ease, with another two jump seats behind that. They’re positioned slightly inwards to allow a good view for their occupants and they’re even big enough to take adults. Each row also has its own air vents, and all of the chairs fold down with a single pull of a lever, providing a completely flat load bay. With all seven seats in place the boot is useable, with more than enough capacity for a weekly shop, a couple of sets of golf clubs or some weekend bags. The ability to lower the rear of the car by five centimetres is also pretty handy, making loading heavy or awkward items a little bit easier. It’s all indicative of a car that has had a huge amount of thought put in to it, from practical touches that make life easier, to design details that leave you smiling (there’s a spider hidden in one cubby hole). Quite simply, this new XC90 is a triumph for Volvo.

The line-up has been streamlined down to just three variants entry-level Momentum, sporty R-Design and flagship Inscription. There’s just one diesel engine available, a 221bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit, developing 347lb ft of torque. For hi-tech economy lovers, there’s also a T8 badged plug-in hybrid that packs 315bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, combined with 81bhp from its electric motor. CO2 emissions are rated as low as 64g/km, with an official combined fuel economy figure of 112.9mpg.

The new XC90 is available to order now, with the first customer cars arriving in showrooms in May.