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JUMP AHEAD
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
On yer bike!
XC90 ditches its training wheels; straps on roof rack
It’s one of those cherished, proud-parent moments when your child starts to ride a bike for the first time without either stabilisers or your guiding hand. The next milestone is venturing onto the open road, followed by longer rides (which don’t threaten any “I’m tired and wanna go home, Dad” protests).
For a few years, we simply lobbed our boys’ two bikes into the back of our Mazda CX-5 (now sold), of course taking extra care if my prized racing bike was also in the cargo mix.
With Seb now 10 and on a bigger bike, and seven-year-old Eddy also stepping up in size by taking Seb’s previous bike (as the youngest of three brothers, I finally get to enjoy the upsides of hand-me-downs!), our long-term Volvo XC90 was an opportunity to test the benefits of a bike-rack system for the first time.
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Offered a choice of roof-mounted or towbar-mounted arrangement, we went with the former – the ‘classic’ bike-transport option in our eyes.
There are three Volvo Accessories components involved, not including the XC90’s standard roof rails. These are the Load Carrier bars and two Bicycle Holders (sold individually).
The carrier bars, made from 30 percent recycled materials, have been shaped to help reduce wind noise and wind resistance, while they have maximum roof loads of 100kg for driving or 300kg when the vehicle is static (most applicable for roof tents).
Volvo also offers a fork-mounting option for bikes, which brings two advantages: a bike is a little bit lighter to lift without one wheel attached, and it is better at limiting swaying or the rattling of a bike frame in its holder.
The keep-all-wheels-on Bicycle Holder seemed far more appealing to us, however. Especially with its theoretically easier mounting.
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The key to the mounting simplicity is a grapple arm, which you lift to a 45-degree angle – then lift the bike until its lower frame rests into the grapple.
Rest the front and back wheels into the adjustable holders, then you twist a torque-limiting knob to close the grapple’s ‘hand’ and secure the wheels with diagonal quick-release straps.
Something I hadn’t considered, though, is my average height of 5ft 8in – virtually lineball with the XC90’s 1776mm height. With my footballer’s arms (i.e. my strongest muscles are in my legs), it makes for a challenging reach even with my 8.8kg racer, and more so with Seb’s 12kg mountain bike. Our angled driveway doesn’t help.
Perhaps I should have asked for a V60 Cross Country wagon (just 1.5 metres tall), though my solution is to increase ‘my’ height by stepping onto a sturdy toolbox, positioned approximately in line with the raised grapple. It just means taking the toolbox on trips.
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There’s still the odd fumble in my first few mounting attempts, one a particular scare when I almost drop Seb’s bike onto the XC90’s glass roof. Dismounting the bikes is consistently the easier part.
As a roof-cargo newbie, it takes me a couple of drives – and regular glances upwards through the XC90’s panoramic ceiling – to trust that I’ve secured the bikes properly.
One successful transport drive south of Sydney takes Seb and I on our first big bike adventure, joining a mate and one of his daughters for a long, sunny morning ride along the mix of bike lanes and promenades from Kyeemagh to San Souci’s Captain Cook Bridge.
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After 20-odd return kilometres, there’s no moans, only smiles, from Seb. The next test will be taking Eddy.
If cycling isn’t your thing and you’re more of a winter-sports bunny, the Volvo Accessories range includes two types of roof holders for skis/snowboards – one offering the convenience of slide-out accessibility.
There’s an even greater assortment of roof boxes if, somehow, the XC90’s gigantic boot isn’t sufficiently commodious for all your gear.
Our next adventure will take us closer to the Snowies, with a visit to Canberra to see family. No bikes for this one – we’ll be sticking steadfastly to four wheels.
Greaster!
Jez's fuel figures? 12 galaktobourekos per 100km
It’s greaster time! Or Greek Easter, as the more religious members of my expanded family would prefer I call it. This means an annual pilgrimage down to Canberra, where much of the Greek side of the family resides.
With small- or medium-sized SUVs we’ve taken for the three-hour drive to the nation’s capital from Sydney, the boots would typically have little space once packed with luggage and kids’ paraphernalia. Naturally, the latter occupies most space. Such is the XC90’s voluminous cargo compartment, however, we’re able to pack our long-weekend belongings into the rearmost area without needing to fold the third-row seats.
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Not that either of the boys plans to sit right at the back for the journey. Eddy occupies what has become his favourite spot in the Volvo – the clever centre middle seat with its integrated booster cushion. It gives him a great view through the windscreen.
The inset seat that pops up by pulling a handle predates even the original XC90, launched in 1990 as another safety world-first by the Swedes. The fold-down-and-out set-up in the 850 and 900 series was more basic than today’s design, though.
It epitomises the big Volvo’s impressive cabin versatility. The second row comprises three individual seats that slide fore/aft so families can balance luggage/ occupant space, while also allowing parents to have a smaller child within closer reach of the front seats.
Each seat can be folded flat, while the outboards feature a tilt-slide handle on the top of the seat for access to the third row.
Twin USB-C ports hide behind a flip-open cover, one of the signs of how the XC90 has been updated over the years, while second-row passengers are also treated to window blinds, netted storage pouches, a centre armrest with concealed popup cupholders, and ventilation is directed not just from the rear of the centre console but also the (smartly trimmed) B-pillars. The boys like the panoramic roof blind to be retracted so the cabin has more light.
Our whole family gets to appreciate the benefits of the XC90’s optional air suspension, an extra that Wheels has said is a worthwhile purchase for the improvement it brings to ride quality and body control over the standard steel springs.
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It especially excels on freeways, where the ride feels at its most relaxed without any unwelcome bounciness. The light steering that aids urban manoeuvrability remains linear at higher speeds, with on centre accuracy adding to the effortless long-distance motoring.
As does the four-cylinder petrol engine, which provides energetic performance when needed and always sounds civilised.
As with all long trips, we have Waze activated via Apple Carplay (wired rather than wireless) for warnings or proposed route changes. There’s one sandwiched section of enjoyable respite from the largely dull run down to Canberra – from where a left turn detours from the Hume Highway onto the Federal Highway and past Wollogorang before eventually straightening up ahead of Collector.
Less freeway, more dual carriageway (as us Poms would call it), the snaking two-lane has a mix of fast, constant-radium corners and S-bends. It’s an average-speed monitoring zone for trucks only, and mobile speed cameras don’t seem as common lately.
The XC90 may be a big, heavy SUV, but excellent body control delivers confident cornering. It has nothing to do with any enthusiasm here that the rear seat of the Volvo is a right old mess when we arrive in Canberra. Empty chip packets, tissues, pillows and kids’ shoes and magazines are strewn across the second row; there are pictures, though they probably need a ‘Censored’ warning.
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Far more pleasing to the eye is Canberra in May. Autumn brings beautiful, thinning trees of assorted colours as well as gardens and pavements thickly carpeted with fallen brown and golden leaves.
A quick check of the trip computer before we start unloading the car indicates we’ve used 9.4 litres of premium unleaded for the 280km, circa-three-hour journey down.
That’s respectable efficiency … and less than we’re about to consume over the next three days in a Greek gorge-fest of koulouria, spanakopita, tsoureki, and other foods that taste as wonderful as they sound.
Departing for home, it’s not just a farewell to Canberra. The trip is a sign-off for our XC90 long-termer. It may well be the last time we ever drive one, with the upcoming EX90 large electric SUV set to replace it.
It only need look at its predecessor for the blueprint on how to execute a highly practical and amply luxurious seven-seater family SUV.
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