New Volvo XC90 review, test drive

Cruise liner

What’s the XC90 like to drive? In a word – relaxing. The engines on offer provide decent if not scintillating performance, and clearly, Volvo has traded sportiness for a more comfortable drive and better economy. With these priorities in mind, Volvo hopes to justify its brave decision to only offer four-cylinder engines in a segment where six pots (or even eight) is the norm.

Most relevant for India is the D5 diesel variant, which is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel that develops a modest 222bhp. It’s fairly refined at low revs and the diesel clatter is nicely muted inside the plush cabin. Wind and road noise are impressively low as well, which makes the XC90 an easy cruiser. There’s sufficient grunt too if you’re not in a tearing hurry, but when you start using the deeper end of the throttle pedal travel, you can feel the lack of outright punch. The diesel isn’t a very quick car and at high revs, the engine is a bit vocal and lacks the additional refinement a pair of extra cylinders could offer. The gearbox too, though smooth, feels unhurried and it’s best to leave it in ‘D’ and let it work at its own pace. The absence of paddle shifters doesn’t encourage you to take full control anyway.

The T8 Twin Engine is a clever plug-in hybrid that uses a 318bhp turbo petrol up front and a 80bhp electric motor to power the rear wheels. The propeller shaft has been replaced by a battery pack which gives you 40km of range in pure electric mode. However, the transition between the electric motor and turbo petrol engine is a touch jerky. The brakes too don’t function linearly, and pedal feel is odd when switching between conventional and regenerative braking.

Again, performance is strong and smooth, but it doesn’t feel like it’s got close to a (combined) 400bhp propelling it. Perhaps it’s the car’s not-so-light 2350kg kerb weight that blunts acceleration and the ordinary four-cylinder chatter at high revs doesn’t give much of a sporty feeling either.

But then, sporty is not what the XC90 is meant to be and that’s evident in the way it handles too. The steering is quite accurate and surprisingly quick even off centre, but feels a bit too light and detached to properly engage you. There’s enough grip though, and you’ll have to seriously tilt the car through corners to find out where the limit is.

The test cars we had only came with air suspension and the ride was pretty good except for a bit of shudder over sharp edges, which is more down to the low profile tyres. It’s best to avoid the 21-inch wheel option then, and go in for the 19-inchers which are standard on the base Momentum trim.