ABBA, Ikea, a bunch of Winter Olympics gold medalists, and the bloke who played Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. These are all things Sweden has contributed to the world, alongside one of the best luxury SUVs you can get for less than $100,000.
The Volvo XC90 is the company’s flagship. If you want to judge where Volvo’s vehicles are on the whole, this is a great place to start. It’s what I recently drove for a week, and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest.
The Volvo XC90 is one of the best handling SUVs
If I had to pick one standout feature on the XC90 it’s the handling. Steering is light, smooth, and precise. The vehicle, despite its size and weight, is very responsive and balanced. It goes where it’s told, without complaint. The only thing you can really compare it to is a Range Rover, in that regard.
Expect plenty of pace from the XC90 too. The version I tested was the “T8 AWD Ultra,” which belts out a very impressive 455 horsepower and 523 lb-ft of torque. It can rip from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, and as it’s a plug-in hybrid it will do all that while getting around 58 miles to the “gallon” (it’s technically MPGe, but it’s pretty economical overall).
Volvo’s XC90 feels very Swedish on the inside
A vehicle’s interior often reflects its country of origin, so please make yourself comfortable while we stereotype Sweden a bit. Volvo is, in itself, a bit of a Swedish stereotype. Sensible, robust, and strangely serious on the outside, while also being a bit cutting edge underneath. It’s a flatpack Ikea end table on wheels. It’s a cheap joke about meatballs, with up to 455 horsepower, or something. And the interior fits in perfectly with all of these weird analogies.
It isn’t loud, or flashy, or overtly decorated. Nothing is extravagant or wasted. Everything is precise. It’s a bit German in that way, and you could compare it to the clean, stylish, interior of a Porsche, but the Volvo is a bit more welcoming. It does feature wood, but it isn’t the deep, dignified, walnut of a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce. It’s an open-pore ash I believe, and it brightens up the cabin wonderfully while also giving a sort of sauna vibe.
There’s an odd little bit of opulence breaking it all up too. The gear shifter is capped with a nice lump of crystal, the kind of thing your grandma would keep on a shelf in the living room and you would get fascinated by as a kid. It’s pretty fingerprint prone, and will require the occasional wipe, but that sort of adds to the experience in a strange way.
It all fits, it’s all very clean and precise (beyond the palm-smudged crystal). It’s all very Swedish, as you would expect. The audio is also by Harmon Kaden, so the sound quality is exceptional. Forget the driving, the XC90 is definitely one for the list of “cars you can just relax in.”
That is, unless you’re in the third row. It’s pretty cramped, as it is in all “mid-sized” SUVs. This isn’t Volvo’s fault. They’re good, but they’re probably not inventing a TARDIS any time soon.
Some of the tech could use an upgrade
With that being said, things aren’t perfect. There are areas where the XC90 is lagging behind its peers. While the central display is perfectly usable, it still has that “iPad glued to the dashboard” vibe a lot of companies seem to be moving away from. You have Mercedes turning the GLC into a home cinema, BMW unveiling a dash-length holographic masterwork, and Volvo doing something Tesla was getting flack for a decade ago.
Volvo’s self driving system isn’t particularly standout either. It works, it will keep you in the lane, and make sure you don’t smash into the vehicle in front of you. But there’s no hands-free driving, no automatic overtaking. Tesla, BMW, Ford, GM, and a few other companies are way ahead of the Swedes on that front.
If you’re looking for a luxury SUV, the Volvo XC90 may be the “sensible” choice
I drive a lot of luxury SUVs, and there is a lot of overlap. As I mentioned earlier, there aren’t an awful lot of truly terrible vehicles these days. Especially at the higher-end price points. At worst, you may spot an annoying quality control issue from some brands, like a loose stitch or a piece of trim not quite lining up properly. Not from Volvo though. The XC90 I spent a week with looked impeccable inside and out.
Volvo may still be struggling with some bad press around the XC90. It should have really blown over by now, but the powertrain had some well-documented issues in the late 2010s and the infotainment system has battled with its own little gremlins too. Apparently, those particular issues have long been solved. The XC90 I tested had precisely zero faults, though it is maintained by a fleet company and I did only spend a week with it.
So what is the XC90? Well it’s a bit like a modern Saab 900. A sensible choice, for someone with an important job. It does everything well, it’s great on fuel, and the interior is perfectly inoffensive. It hasn’t got that “elite training shoe” vibe of a BMW X7 M60i, or that “Venetian house of ill repute” theme that the Maserati Grecale has. It’s an architect’s living room. And a lot of people are very comfortable with that.
