ESTATE OF MIND (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_volvov90_2016

By Jonathan Crouch

Volvo's V90 still offers an appealingly different way to go for buyers looking for a large luxury estate that's a little different, thinks Jonathan Crouch.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 49

Volvo's V90 is a large luxury estate every bit as good as anything the German brands can bring you. It's luxurious, practical, spacious and stylish - and notably efficient now that it only comes in PHEV form. If you're shopping in this segment, you still need to consider it.

Backgroundword count: 139

There's nothing quite like a big, boxy Volvo estate car: it's the kind of product that defines this Swedish marque. Nor is it the kind of car this Scandinavian brand is quite yet going to leave behind as it redefines its product range under rejuvenated Chinese ownership. For proof of that, check out this car, the V90. This is the station wagon version of the now-discontinued S90 saloon and, like that model is a car based on the same sophisticated architecture as the company's award-winning XC90 luxury SUV. The V90 was first introduced back in 2016, remaining as Swedish as meatballs and as practical as ever. Into this decade, decade dwindled - so much that Volvo actually took the car off sale in 2023, but brought it back in mid-2024 in this PHEV form due to renewed customer demand.

Driving Experienceword count: 229

Because this V90 uses the same 'Scalable Product Architecture' as its XC90 SUV stablemate, it also uses some of the same engines too, which are all now of the petrol Plug-in Hybrid kind. Because diesel and mild hybrid petrol units have now been discarded, things now kick off with the T6 Twin Engine petrol/electric plug-in hybrid model. This delivers a 350hp total output including an 87hp electric boost, the combined total offering 350Nm of torque. The alternative is the T8 Twin Engine petrol/electric plug-in hybrid model. This offers 455hp and improves the T6's 5.5s 0-62mph time to 4.8s. Both the engines, as usual with the brand, are 2.0-litres and four cylinders in size. As before, all V90s will be ordered with smooth 8-speed auto transmission. On the move, you aren't served up anything that encourages much driving involvement - blame the rather vague steering for that - but in compensation, there's unruffled poise and exemplary refinement. You get supple standards of ride comfort from the soft suspension too and there's the option of rear air suspension if you want it. A standard 'Drive Mode Settings' driving dynamics system allows you to tailor throttle response, steering feel and auto gearshift timings to suit the way you want to drive. And if you do push on a bit, grip and traction are actually quite impressive and cornering bodyroll decently well controlled.

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