Living with the Volvo XC90: long-term review

It’s Wheels trivia-night time! What does the second-generation Volvo XC90 have in common with the likes of a 2002 Ford BA Falcon, 2004 VW Golf Mk5, 2007 Hyundai FD i30, 2008 Jaguar XF, 2010 Kia Sportage, and 2017 Toyota C-HR?

I’ll avoid making you read the answer upside-down at the bottom of this page… The XC90 started a product renaissance for its brand.

Upon its 2014 reveal, the successor to Volvo’s first-ever SUV heralded a completely new design language for the brand while also, not insignificantly, introducing the company’s SPA scalable large-car platform, along with drivetrains limited to just four cylinders.

41

The XC90’s elegant yet muscular styling led to equally successful reboots of Volvo’s sedans and wagons, the second-generation XC60 medium SUV and the first-ever XC40 compact SUV arguably the pick of the designs.

In just a few years, Volvos had transformed from vehicles that were merely admirable to being genuinely desirable.

There was also greater sophistication about the way they drove. The XC90 was embraced by judges to be rated a Finalist at the 2016 Wheels Car of the Year, and the XC60 and XC40 would take unprecedented consecutive wins for a brand across 2018 and 2019.

41

Question two: Why has Wheels chosen a nine-year-old vehicle for its long-term fleet?

If you answered, ‘Because the XC90 late last year won the Wheels Best Large Luxury SUV award’... give yourself a tick and a big pat on the back.

“The brilliant, beguiling XC90 … has matured like a fine cabernet sauvignon,” we said in our comparison as the XC90 triumphed over established rivals such as the BMW X5 and Lexus RX, the GV80 from Hyundai’s still-new luxury brand Genesis, and upmarket challengers from mainstream brands in the form of the Mazda CX-90 and Volkswagen Touareg.

41

The B6 sits between the $100,990 Ultimate B5 Bright and the $128,990 Recharge Ultimate

Our long-term tester is the same mid-range XC90 – the $108,990 (before on-road costs) Ultimate B6 Bright powered by a 220kW turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that’s supplemented by an electric supercharger.

The B6 sits between the $100,990 Ultimate B5 Bright (with a less powerful petrol engine) and the $128,990 Recharge Ultimate (with a plug-in petrol-electric drivetrain).

Options taking our as-tested price to just under $120,000 – and a drive-away price of about $130,000 – include $3750 air suspension (which we recommend over the standard steel springs for the best all-round driving experience), a $1100 massage function for the front seat, and a $4700 Lifestyle Pack that adds a panoramic sunroof and Bowers & Wilkins audio system.

You may have noticed one other extra in the pictures. We asked Volvo if they would kindly fit a Volvo Accessories bike rack to help us give it a true family-lifestyle ownership experience.

41

As the ‘Ultimate’ part of the model name indicates (and applies to all XC90 models), there’s a high level of standard equipment.

Headline items are 21-inch black ‘diamond cut’ alloy wheels, 12.3-inch digital driver cluster, head-up display, Nappa leather upholstery, electric multi-adjust front seats with heating and ventilation, heating for outboard rear seats and steering wheel, second-row blinds, four-zone climate control, surround-view camera, and hands-free tailgate operation.

As it has been since 2002, the XC90 is a seven-seater in classic 2-3-2 configuration. The middle row’s centre seat continues to offer a clever, integrated booster seat – which seven-year-old Eddy has his eyes on already.

The neighbours – long accustomed to the amazing assortment of press cars that change regularly on the Spinks driveway – have also been over for a sticky-beak. Most are owners of seven-seater SUVs, which include a Skoda Kodiaq RS, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, and Land Rover Discovery Sport (but with a Defender 130 on order).

41

There’s unanimous love for the Vapour Grey solid-effect metallic, described elaborately by Volvo as a “neutral grey with a misty touch, inspired by windswept Scandinavian limestone houses”.

If we were configuring our own XC90, it would be a close decision between this and Denim Blue.

Our test car’s interior palette is a combination of off-white ‘Blond’ and dark ‘Charcoal’ with grey-ash wood trim, with ‘Amber’ another two-tone option featuring tanned upholstery. Or there’s the heavily black monotone ‘Charcoal’ cabin, which is possibly the most kid-friendly choice.

41

Every choice is embellished with an Orrefors crystal gear selector.

So, a decade after it was first unveiled – and with Volvo’s electric EX90 alternative arriving later this year – does the Swedish seven-seater SUV remain relevant for family life in 2024?

We’ll discover the answer to that biggest of questions over the coming months.

🔼 Back to top